Lean Applications: A Survey of Publications With Respect to South African Industry

Abstract

South African industry faces immense global competition from developed countries such as Germany probably because of the adoption of lean manufacturing techniques by the latter. This study is a survey on publications concerning implementation and adoption of lean manufacturing in South Africa. To assess South Africa with regards to research publications on lean manufacturing, a benchmark exercise was conducted with Germany for the period 2014 to 2015. The study concludes by highlighting the gaps identified during this survey and recommendations. OPSOMMINGDie Suid-Afrikaanse industrie staar hewige globale mededinging vanaf ontwikkelde lande soos Duitsland in die gesig, waarskynlik as gevolg van die aanneming van lenige vervaardigingstegnieke deur die laasgenoemde. Hierdie navorsing is ʼn beskouing van die publikasies oor die implementering en aanneming van lenige vervaardiging in Suid-Afrika. Om Suid-Afrika te beoordeel aan die hand van navorsingsuitsette met lenige vervaardiging as die onderwerp, is ʼn maatstaf oefening uitgevoer met soortgelyke publikasies in Duitsland in die periode van 2014 tot 2015. Die navorsing lig die gapings só geïdentifiseer uit en maak aanbevelings hieroor.

Application of Lean Principles in the South African Construction Industry

“…A systematic literature review is an important scientific research approach that can be used to appraise, summarise, and communicate the findings and implications of a large number of research publications on a particular subject [39]. Second, evidence in the literature shows that previous authors [32] [35] [54] [67] have adopted a similar approach with their respective studies. A systematic literature review is used to gather and study a huge number of research studies and publications relating to a specific subject to answer predefined questions, by incorporating the practical evidence from all relevant studies [25].…”

“…From the systematic literature review, the authors developed a framework that can be used in the mechanical and electrical services industries. Lean construction focuses on getting things right, in the right place, at the desired time, and in the desired quantity [23] [32]. The framework consists of seven steps, as shown in Figure 6.…”

Establishing a Selection Framework for a Lean and Value Engineering Hybrid Methodology

“…The application of Lean and VE methodologies originated in the manufacturing industry, but has not remained there. Both Lean and VE have been applied broadly in the South African context, including manufacturing, mining, healthcare, education, logistics, construction, retail, and banking [6,7].…”

Lean practices and supply-chain competitiveness in the steel industry in Gauteng, South Africa

“…Viljoen (2015) established the strategic impact of selected lean factors on the operational performance of a selected South African gold plant. Dondofema, Matope and Akdogan (2017) provided a literature review study of the state of adoption of lean techniques in the broader South African economic environment. Fourie and Umeh (2017) focused on using lean factors in the maintenance environment.…”