The Development of an Excellence Model Integrating the Shingo Model and Sustainability

José Carlos Sá, Manuel Reis, José Dinis-Carvalho, Francisco J. G. Silva, Gilberto Santos, Luis P. Ferreira and Vanda Lima
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José Carlos Sá: School of Engineering, Polytechnic of Porto (ISEP), 4200-072 Porto, Portugal
Manuel Reis: School of Engineering, Polytechnic of Porto (ISEP), 4200-072 Porto, Portugal
José Dinis-Carvalho: Production and Systems Department, University of Minho, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal
Francisco J. G. Silva: School of Engineering, Polytechnic of Porto (ISEP), 4200-072 Porto, Portugal
Gilberto Santos: Design School, Polytechnic Institute Cavado and Ave, 4750-810 Barcelos, Portugal
Luis P. Ferreira: School of Engineering, Polytechnic of Porto (ISEP), 4200-072 Porto, Portugal
Vanda Lima: Polytechnic Institute of Porto, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 15, 1-28

Abstract: Companies are continuously looking to improve their production systems using excellence models, with lean thinking, the Shingo model, six sigma and lean six sigma being the most comprehensive and applied. It is expected that the initial focus for the survival of companies is their economic profitability, but when economic needs are met, the next step is to achieve operational excellence. For this, in addition to economic objectives, it is necessary to include social and environmental objectives, i.e., the other two pillars of sustainability. This study aims to propose a conceptual model identifying the tools that can help achieve the desired results in the three pillars of sustainability aligned with operational excellence. The design of the conceptual model was based on a bibliometric analysis of the literature that relates the concepts of lean thinking, six sigma, lean six sigma and the Shingo model. The Web of Science was the platform selected for the collection of data, and the timeframe considered was 2010 to 2021. A total of 125 articles were analyzed using the VosViewer software, through which it was possible to analyze different topics of study related to the literature. The bibliometric analysis allowed for the identification of the temporal distribution of publications, the categorization of topics, different areas of application and the importance of the tools used in different practical cases. This study points out that companies have at their disposal several tools to achieve economic objectives. On the other hand, there is a set of more restricted tools that are used to meet the objectives of the social and environmental pillars. Future research should focus on identifying tools that meet social and environmental goals in order to strengthen these pillars that are essential for operational excellence and for the sustainability of companies.

Keywords: sustainability; Shingo model; lean six sigma; lean thinking; six sigma; DMAIC (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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