An application of value stream mapping in auto-ancillary industry: a case study

Towards smart sustainable development through value stream mapping - a systematic literature review

Value Stream Mapping (VSM) is a standard Lean tool for identifying and reducing waste. It is used to create value and improve the performance of any industry. The value of the VSM has greatly expanded from conventional to smart over time; hence, researchers and practitioners in this sector are paying more emphasis. Comprehensive review research is needed to understand VSM-based smart, sustainable development from a triple-bottom-line perspective. The primary goal of this research is to look at various insights from the historical literature that can help with the adoption of smart, sustainable development through VSM. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) with a fifteen-year time range (2008-2022) is being considered to study various insights and gaps in value stream mapping. Analysis of the significant outcomes presents an eight-point study agenda: year, national context, research method, sector, wastes, VSM type, applied tools, and analysis indicators. The critical finding implies that empirical qualitative research dominates the research sector. Effective VSM implementation requires balancing the three sustainable dimensions of economic, environmental, and social through digitalization. The circular economy should also bolster research on the intersection of sustainability applications and new digital paradigms such as industry revolution 4.0.

Prioritization and ranking of lean practices: a case study

Purpose

The paper aims to identify, prioritize and rank lean practices in the context of an Indian automotive component manufacturing organization using interpretive ranking process (IRP) and interpretive structural modeling (ISM) approaches.

Design/methodology/approach

Lean practices are identified from the literature. Then, two hierarchical models were are developed using two distinct modeling approaches – ISM and IRP with expert opinions from an Indian automotive component manufacturing organization to analyze the contextual relationships among the various lean practices and to prioritize and rank them with respect to performance dimensions.

Findings

In the study, the hierarchical structural models are developed using ISM and IRP approaches for an Indian automotive component manufacturing organization. In ISM-based modeling, lean practices can be categorized into five levels. Top priority should be given to the motivators followed by value chain, system/technology and organization centric practices. IRP model shows the dominance relationship among the various lean practices with respect to performance dimensions.

Practical implications

The models are constructed from the organizational standpoint to evaluate their impact to the implementation of lean manufacturing. The study leverages the organizations to prioritize limited resources as per the hierarchy. Managers get the inter-linkages and ranking of various lean practices, which leads to a better perspective for the effective implementation of lean. The structural models also assist management to assign proper roles to employees/departments for effective lean implementation.

Originality/value

There is hardly any structural model of lean practices in the literature for clustering, prioritizing and ranking of lean practices. The study fills this gap and develops the hierarchical models of lean practices through IRP and ISM approaches for an Indian automotive component manufacturing organization. The results from both approaches are compared for illustrating the benefits of one over the other.