Analyzing the Implementation of Lean Methodologies and Practices in the Portuguese Industry: A Survey

Carla M. A. Pinto, Jorge Mendonça, Lurdes Babo, Francisco J. G. Silva and José L. R. Fernandes
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Carla M. A. Pinto: ISEP—School of Engineering, Polytechnic of Porto, 4200-072 Porto, Portugal
Jorge Mendonça: ISEP—School of Engineering, Polytechnic of Porto, 4200-072 Porto, Portugal
Lurdes Babo: CEOS.PP and Porto Accounting and Business School, Polytechnic of Porto, 4265-004 São Mamede de Infesta, Portugal
Francisco J. G. Silva: ISEP—School of Engineering, Polytechnic of Porto, 4200-072 Porto, Portugal
José L. R. Fernandes: ISEP—School of Engineering, Polytechnic of Porto, 4200-072 Porto, Portugal

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 3, 1-24

Abstract: The mass production paradigm on which much of the industry was based has changed. The market is increasingly demanding, requesting diversity and products that are more and more adapted to personal wishes and requirements. This implies producing a greater diversity of products in smaller quantities. Competitiveness is enormous, which forces most companies to be truly effective and efficient, taking care of product quality, delivery time, and final cost. Lean methodologies have been a valuable aid in this field. The diversity of Lean tools has been shown to have answers to the most diverse challenges, and companies are aware of this, increasingly adopting methodologies and processes that aim to progressively reduce waste and adapting their production paradigm to what the market requires. This work intends to provide a vision, as global as possible, of the pathway of Lean implementation in the Portuguese industry. For this purpose, a survey was carried out with a significant sample of Portuguese industrial companies from a wide range of activity sectors. The data collected through the survey were treated statistically, and then a SWOT analysis of the results was performed, which provided a collection of precious information on the evolution of industrial companies in Portugal.

Keywords: lean manufacturing; lean practices; SWOT analysis; survey; questionnaire; Portuguese industry; lean implementation analysis (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 (4)

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