Purpose: This study aimed at implementing lean six sigma to evaluate the productivity and manufacturing waste in the production line of a paper companyMethodology/Approach: The study is a case study in nature. The method illustrates how lean six sigma (LSS) is used to evaluate the existing production process in a paper production company with focus on productivity and manufacturing waste. The study considered a real-time problem of customer’s dissatisfaction. The gathered data is based on machine functionality (up time, down time and cycle time); materials and labour flow at every process stages of the production line. The optimization of the production process was based on lean tools like value stream mapping, process cycle efficiency, Kaizen, 5S and pareto chartFindings: Based on lean six sigma application, it was discovered that the present production performance was below standard and more manufacturing wastes were generated. The present productivity and manufacturing wastes are reported as low process cycle efficiency (23.4 %), low takt time (4.11 sec), high lead time (43200sec), high number of products not conforming to six sigma values, high down time (32.64 %) and excess labour flow (33). After the implementation of the lean six sigma tools for certain period of time, there are lots of improvements in the production line in terms of all the parameters considered.Research Limitation/ Implications:  The study has demonstrated an application of lean six sigma in the case of solving real-time problems of productivity and manufacturing wastes which have a direct implication on customer’s satisfaction. The lesson learned and implications presented can still be further modeled using some lean based software for validityOriginality/Value: The study has contributed to the body of knowledge in the field of LSS with focus to process based manufacturing, unlike most literature in the field concentrate more on discrete based manufacturing.

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Facility layout in a manufacturing system is a complex production activity because decisions on layout design are influenced by numerous, ambiguous, and competing factors. This study proposes a method for determining and choosing an ideal layout using a hybridized Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (F-AHP) with the Fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to the Ideal Solution (F-TOPSIS). The F-AHP is used, in this case, because of its ability to generate design criteria weight. The railcar industrial case study results indicate that the developed model can effectively lead to selection of the most suitable facility layout design. The Discrete Event Simulation model is used to evaluate the performance of the suggested layout concepts with the purpose of determining quantitative criteria for use when selecting the most optimal concept by the proposed Fuzzy AHP-TOPSIS model. The proposed methodology demonstrated that a framework is a logical way to solve problems. The proposed Fuzzy AHP-TOPSIS methodology is capable of selecting the best layout concept based on the set decision criteria. Layout concept three was the best in terms of the closeness coefficient, which was more than 0.9 for both batching and non-batching processing.

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Postal operators across the globe are faced with inescapable business model disruptions in the era of the digital economy, and Southern Africa is no exception. The advent of the digital age presents both opportunities and threats to business models of the industrial age, as digitalisation has led to the sustained decline of mail volumes as the core business of the postal service for the past 100 years. The replacement of traditional physical mail with electronic alternatives was a spectre that haunted the postal service for more than two decades; and the arrival of the digital age has accelerated the decline of mail volumes at an unprecedented speed as it spreads through almost every sector of society and as the digital economy becomes the preferred platform for conducting business. The digital economy requires postal operators to develop digital competitiveness, which entails investment in digital infrastructure and skills, and to transform their business model in the context of the digital age. The complex dynamics of the process of digital transformation necessitate a systems approach to understanding those dynamics. System dynamics can be a significant tool for comprehending behaviour, especially dynamic behaviour. This paper adopted a high-level modelling approach in which a dynamic hypothesis was developed through the articulation of a sub-system diagram that articulated the dynamic variables at play, a model boundary chart that articulated the nature of the variables (which are both exogenous and endogenous), and causal loop diagrams that explain the dynamic feedback relationship between the variables. This paper focused on the digital transformation imperatives to build the digital competitiveness of the postal sector in Southern Africa. The results point to the complex interaction of the variables that drive the digital competitiveness of the postal sector; and it is by comprehending these complexities that decision-makers and policymakers could steer the postal sector on to a digital-age path and into a sustainable future. Keywords : Digital transformation, dynamic hypothesis, model boundary chart, subsystem diagram, causal loop diagrams