Development and Application of an Assessment Complement for Production System Audits Based on Data Quality, IT Infrastructure, and Sustainability

Aitor Goti, Alberto De la Calle, María José Gil, Ander Errasti, Pedro Bom and Pablo García-Bringas
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Aitor Goti: Faculty of Engineering, University of Deusto, 48014 Bilbao, Biscay, Spain
Alberto De la Calle: Faculty of Engineering, University of Deusto, 48014 Bilbao, Biscay, Spain
María José Gil: Faculty of Engineering, University of Deusto, 48014 Bilbao, Biscay, Spain
Ander Errasti: Natra Chocolate Internacional, 20560 Oñati, Guipuzcoa, Spain
Pablo García-Bringas: Faculty of Engineering, University of Deusto, 48014 Bilbao, Biscay, Spain

Sustainability, 2018, vol. 10, issue 12, 1-18

Abstract: Some companies improve their production performance using manufacturing or operations models. In the last decade these models have come to be known as “X” production systems (XPS), or company-specific production systems. XPS systems have been oriented mainly to implement lean manufacturing and continuous improvement principles, but have shown little progress in terms of sustainability principles. The emergence of databases (DBs), big data, and business intelligence (BI) systems have enabled the creation of system panels to measure performance and manage business processes. These panels also allow assessment of the implementation of the principles, methods, and tools of the XPS. The effectiveness of these systems requires sufficient IT infrastructure and an acceptable quality of data, but the key performance indicator (KPI) panels of XPSs often lack consistent and acceptable data. In other cases, the IT infrastructure does not cover the needs of the personnel managing the operations, which limits the progress of XPSs. This paper documents the positive experience of one company in jointly auditing and improving data quality and IT infrastructure, which better aligned its XPS with sustainability objectives. It explores, using an empirical case study where the researchers were actively involved, the possibility of complementing the KPI panel system of XPS assessment systems with the principles of sustainability, data quality, and IT infrastructure. The paper describes the development and testing of an assessment tool based on those principles, and offers a number of results that may benefit similar small- and medium-sized companies (SMEs).

Keywords: manufacturing models; production systems; performance monitoring; industrial sustainability; industrial safety; data quality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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