Enhancing the role of the Kaizen suggestion tool in South African lean automotive companies of the Eastern Cape
- Authors: Adedeji, Adeyemi Charles
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Lean manufacturing , Manufacturing processes , Production management -- Mathematical models
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:8644 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1008157 , Lean manufacturing , Manufacturing processes , Production management -- Mathematical models
- Description: The Toyota manufacturing system, aptly referred to as Lean manufacturing, has received a reasonable appreciation and awareness over the past decade in South African industry. This production phenomenon constitutes an organizational culture that encourages world-class production success through the liberation of factory resources, while employees are empowered and encouraged to contribute ideas for the improvement of processes and products. However, despite lean awareness and the crucial role of employee participation in the suggestion of ideas in world-class organizations, the performance level of lean manufacturing in South African industry is largely devoid of the Kaizen suggestion tool, particularly in the automotive companies of the Eastern Cape. The aim of this research was to proffer appropriate recommendations, improved awareness, understanding and practice for the improvement of the Kaizen suggestion principle in the automotive companies of the Eastern Cape. The research primarily focused on the ‘management/employees’ paradigm within the organisational context. The methodology employed in the study included a thorough review of the relevant literature and a questionnaire, which was developed and administered to both the management and employees of the thirty automotive components suppliers in Eastern Cape. The target companies constituted the units of analyses and therefore provided the opportunity for a detailed investigation of the links between management and employees as well as a submission of ideas for operational and organisational processes as established in the literature review. Epistemologically, the research is objectivist and paradigmically, positivist. However, some qualitative aspects of the data were relevant to the study and, therefore, were used in a complementary manner. The case approach utilized mixed methods by applying a range of data collection techniques and evidence from multiple sources while the sampling technique was sequential, involving both purposive and stratified random sampling. The study reveals the apparent lack of a systematic mechanism for the practice and administration of the Kaizen suggestion tools in most Eastern Cape automotive companies. This demerit is found to have negatively affected maximum employee participation and involvement in organizational decision making within the Province. The study has established a basic level of awareness and understanding among employees / employers relations that the Kaizen suggestion scheme is a vital tool for delivering strategic objectives in the management of decision making and organizational growth. The study strongly advocates the inclusion of employee suggestion systems as part of the organizational process.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Adedeji, Adeyemi Charles
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Lean manufacturing , Manufacturing processes , Production management -- Mathematical models
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:8644 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1008157 , Lean manufacturing , Manufacturing processes , Production management -- Mathematical models
- Description: The Toyota manufacturing system, aptly referred to as Lean manufacturing, has received a reasonable appreciation and awareness over the past decade in South African industry. This production phenomenon constitutes an organizational culture that encourages world-class production success through the liberation of factory resources, while employees are empowered and encouraged to contribute ideas for the improvement of processes and products. However, despite lean awareness and the crucial role of employee participation in the suggestion of ideas in world-class organizations, the performance level of lean manufacturing in South African industry is largely devoid of the Kaizen suggestion tool, particularly in the automotive companies of the Eastern Cape. The aim of this research was to proffer appropriate recommendations, improved awareness, understanding and practice for the improvement of the Kaizen suggestion principle in the automotive companies of the Eastern Cape. The research primarily focused on the ‘management/employees’ paradigm within the organisational context. The methodology employed in the study included a thorough review of the relevant literature and a questionnaire, which was developed and administered to both the management and employees of the thirty automotive components suppliers in Eastern Cape. The target companies constituted the units of analyses and therefore provided the opportunity for a detailed investigation of the links between management and employees as well as a submission of ideas for operational and organisational processes as established in the literature review. Epistemologically, the research is objectivist and paradigmically, positivist. However, some qualitative aspects of the data were relevant to the study and, therefore, were used in a complementary manner. The case approach utilized mixed methods by applying a range of data collection techniques and evidence from multiple sources while the sampling technique was sequential, involving both purposive and stratified random sampling. The study reveals the apparent lack of a systematic mechanism for the practice and administration of the Kaizen suggestion tools in most Eastern Cape automotive companies. This demerit is found to have negatively affected maximum employee participation and involvement in organizational decision making within the Province. The study has established a basic level of awareness and understanding among employees / employers relations that the Kaizen suggestion scheme is a vital tool for delivering strategic objectives in the management of decision making and organizational growth. The study strongly advocates the inclusion of employee suggestion systems as part of the organizational process.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
Tailoring a lean product development framework for the South African automotive industry
- Authors: Mund, Klaudia
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Lean manufacturing , Automobile industry and trade -- South Africa , Production management -- South Africa , Globalization
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DTech
- Identifier: vital:8792 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1015737
- Description: Globalization in the automotive industry exerts enormous pressure on automotive manufacturers and forces many global companies to expand into emerging markets, which results in adopting new ways to manage product design and development. Excellence in product design and development offers an opportunity to gain competitive advantage and can be achieved by implementing Toyota´s Lean Product Development System (LPDS). Although in the last three years Toyota has been severely challenged by the global economic crisis, by a series of recalls resulting in reputation damage and also by natural disasters such as the recent tsunamis - the world can still learn from Toyota´s successes embodied in the lean concept and practices, which are integral to Toyota´s ‘way of life’. The LPDS model (Morgan & Liker 2006) has captured the attention of academics worldwide (including this researcher) thanks to the following key characteristics: shorter development times, less engineering hours involved in development, lower manufacturing costs, higher customer satisfaction and fewer defects reported. In the academic world, lean product development (LPD) is a new field of exploration and thus relevant literature and numbers of studies available are limited. However, scientists are asking questions about successful adaptation and adoption of this model to other environments beyond Toyota. Similarly, the researcher aimed in this thesis to find answers to its main research question, namely: ‘What would be a suitable LPD model for the South African automotive industry?’ South Africa (SA) is a country with a strong manufacturing tradition and although the automotive sector is the third-largest segment in the South African economy and its vehicle market is the largest on the African continent in a global perspective SA´s contribution is relatively small as it produces only 0.61percent of the global motor vehicle volume (OICA 2011). While the country strives to secure sustainable development for the automotive industry and seeks to improve its global competitiveness, companies operating in SA are currently faced with several unique challenges and problems. Lean has been expanding slowly in SA and some companies in the local automotive industry have implemented the lean concept into production areas to improve their operational excellence and performance. However, it is a search for excellence in product development (PD) that could best contribute to improved sustainability for the automotive industry and also provide an important strategic spur towards global competitiveness. The primary intention of this research was to develop an integrated LPD framework tailored for SA´s automotive industry. Considering this, it was necessary to determine current PD capabilities at domestic and international companies operating in SA´s automotive industry so as to examine levels of adaptation of LPD practices. A questionnaire survey and personal interviews involving all seven locally operating Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), including Toyota, as well as 36 local automotive suppliers provided an empirical base for this investigation. This study indicates that SA plays an important supportive role in the global PD context. In spite of a strong manufacturing focus and very limited PD capabilities, SA´s automotive companies have already achieved a high level of ‘leanness’ in product engineering processes. However, on the downside, it appears that industry leaders and senior managers are sceptical about current and future capabilities and opportunities for SA in the designing and developing of global products.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Mund, Klaudia
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Lean manufacturing , Automobile industry and trade -- South Africa , Production management -- South Africa , Globalization
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DTech
- Identifier: vital:8792 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1015737
- Description: Globalization in the automotive industry exerts enormous pressure on automotive manufacturers and forces many global companies to expand into emerging markets, which results in adopting new ways to manage product design and development. Excellence in product design and development offers an opportunity to gain competitive advantage and can be achieved by implementing Toyota´s Lean Product Development System (LPDS). Although in the last three years Toyota has been severely challenged by the global economic crisis, by a series of recalls resulting in reputation damage and also by natural disasters such as the recent tsunamis - the world can still learn from Toyota´s successes embodied in the lean concept and practices, which are integral to Toyota´s ‘way of life’. The LPDS model (Morgan & Liker 2006) has captured the attention of academics worldwide (including this researcher) thanks to the following key characteristics: shorter development times, less engineering hours involved in development, lower manufacturing costs, higher customer satisfaction and fewer defects reported. In the academic world, lean product development (LPD) is a new field of exploration and thus relevant literature and numbers of studies available are limited. However, scientists are asking questions about successful adaptation and adoption of this model to other environments beyond Toyota. Similarly, the researcher aimed in this thesis to find answers to its main research question, namely: ‘What would be a suitable LPD model for the South African automotive industry?’ South Africa (SA) is a country with a strong manufacturing tradition and although the automotive sector is the third-largest segment in the South African economy and its vehicle market is the largest on the African continent in a global perspective SA´s contribution is relatively small as it produces only 0.61percent of the global motor vehicle volume (OICA 2011). While the country strives to secure sustainable development for the automotive industry and seeks to improve its global competitiveness, companies operating in SA are currently faced with several unique challenges and problems. Lean has been expanding slowly in SA and some companies in the local automotive industry have implemented the lean concept into production areas to improve their operational excellence and performance. However, it is a search for excellence in product development (PD) that could best contribute to improved sustainability for the automotive industry and also provide an important strategic spur towards global competitiveness. The primary intention of this research was to develop an integrated LPD framework tailored for SA´s automotive industry. Considering this, it was necessary to determine current PD capabilities at domestic and international companies operating in SA´s automotive industry so as to examine levels of adaptation of LPD practices. A questionnaire survey and personal interviews involving all seven locally operating Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), including Toyota, as well as 36 local automotive suppliers provided an empirical base for this investigation. This study indicates that SA plays an important supportive role in the global PD context. In spite of a strong manufacturing focus and very limited PD capabilities, SA´s automotive companies have already achieved a high level of ‘leanness’ in product engineering processes. However, on the downside, it appears that industry leaders and senior managers are sceptical about current and future capabilities and opportunities for SA in the designing and developing of global products.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
Tailoring a lean product development framework for the South African automotive industry
- Authors: Mund, Klaudia
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Lean manufacturing , Automobile industry and trade -- South Africa , Production management -- South Africa , Globalization
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DTech (Operations Management)
- Identifier: vital:9605 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1660 , Lean manufacturing , Automobile industry and trade -- South Africa , Production management -- South Africa , Globalization
- Description: Globalization in the automotive industry exerts enormous pressure on automotive manufacturers and forces many global companies to expand into emerging markets, which results in adopting new ways to manage product design and development. Excellence in product design and development offers an opportunity to gain competitive advantage and can be achieved by implementing Toyota´s Lean Product Development System (LPDS). Although in the last three years Toyota has been severely challenged by the global economic crisis, by a series of recalls resulting in reputation damage and also by natural disasters such as the recent tsunamis - the world can still learn from Toyota´s successes embodied in the lean concept and practices, which are integral to Toyota´s ‘way of life’. The LPDS model (Morgan & Liker 2006) has captured the attention of academics worldwide (including this researcher) thanks to the following key characteristics: shorter development times, less engineering hours involved in development, lower manufacturing costs, higher customer satisfaction and fewer defects reported. In the academic world, lean product development (LPD) is a new field of exploration and thus relevant literature and numbers of studies available are limited. However, scientists are asking questions about successful adaptation and adoption of this model to other environments beyond Toyota. Similarly, the researcher aimed in this thesis to find answers to its main research question, namely: ‘What would be a suitable LPD model for the South African automotive industry?’ South Africa (SA) is a country with a strong manufacturing tradition and although the automotive sector is the third-largest segment in the South African economy and its vehicle market is the largest on the African continent in a global perspective SA´s contribution is relatively small as it produces only 0.61% of the global motor vehicle volume (OICA 2011). While the country strives to secure sustainable development for the automotive industry and seeks to improve its global competitiveness, companies operating in SA are currently faced with several unique challenges and problems. Lean has been expanding slowly in SA and some companies in the local automotive industry have implemented the lean concept into production areas to improve their operational excellence and performance. However, it is a search for excellence in product development (PD) that could best contribute to improved sustainability for the iv automotive industry and also provide an important strategic spur towards global competitiveness. The primary intention of this research was to develop an integrated LPD framework tailored for SA´s automotive industry. Considering this, it was necessary to determine current PD capabilities at domestic and international companies operating in SA´s automotive industry so as to examine levels of adaptation of LPD practices. A questionnaire survey and personal interviews involving all seven locally operating Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), including Toyota, as well as 36 local automotive suppliers provided an empirical base for this investigation. This study indicates that SA plays an important supportive role in the global PD context. In spite of a strong manufacturing focus and very limited PD capabilities, SA´s automotive companies have already achieved a high level of ‘leanness’ in product engineering processes. However, on the downside, it appears that industry leaders and senior managers are sceptical about current and future capabilities and opportunities for SA in the designing and developing of global products.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Mund, Klaudia
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Lean manufacturing , Automobile industry and trade -- South Africa , Production management -- South Africa , Globalization
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DTech (Operations Management)
- Identifier: vital:9605 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1660 , Lean manufacturing , Automobile industry and trade -- South Africa , Production management -- South Africa , Globalization
- Description: Globalization in the automotive industry exerts enormous pressure on automotive manufacturers and forces many global companies to expand into emerging markets, which results in adopting new ways to manage product design and development. Excellence in product design and development offers an opportunity to gain competitive advantage and can be achieved by implementing Toyota´s Lean Product Development System (LPDS). Although in the last three years Toyota has been severely challenged by the global economic crisis, by a series of recalls resulting in reputation damage and also by natural disasters such as the recent tsunamis - the world can still learn from Toyota´s successes embodied in the lean concept and practices, which are integral to Toyota´s ‘way of life’. The LPDS model (Morgan & Liker 2006) has captured the attention of academics worldwide (including this researcher) thanks to the following key characteristics: shorter development times, less engineering hours involved in development, lower manufacturing costs, higher customer satisfaction and fewer defects reported. In the academic world, lean product development (LPD) is a new field of exploration and thus relevant literature and numbers of studies available are limited. However, scientists are asking questions about successful adaptation and adoption of this model to other environments beyond Toyota. Similarly, the researcher aimed in this thesis to find answers to its main research question, namely: ‘What would be a suitable LPD model for the South African automotive industry?’ South Africa (SA) is a country with a strong manufacturing tradition and although the automotive sector is the third-largest segment in the South African economy and its vehicle market is the largest on the African continent in a global perspective SA´s contribution is relatively small as it produces only 0.61% of the global motor vehicle volume (OICA 2011). While the country strives to secure sustainable development for the automotive industry and seeks to improve its global competitiveness, companies operating in SA are currently faced with several unique challenges and problems. Lean has been expanding slowly in SA and some companies in the local automotive industry have implemented the lean concept into production areas to improve their operational excellence and performance. However, it is a search for excellence in product development (PD) that could best contribute to improved sustainability for the iv automotive industry and also provide an important strategic spur towards global competitiveness. The primary intention of this research was to develop an integrated LPD framework tailored for SA´s automotive industry. Considering this, it was necessary to determine current PD capabilities at domestic and international companies operating in SA´s automotive industry so as to examine levels of adaptation of LPD practices. A questionnaire survey and personal interviews involving all seven locally operating Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), including Toyota, as well as 36 local automotive suppliers provided an empirical base for this investigation. This study indicates that SA plays an important supportive role in the global PD context. In spite of a strong manufacturing focus and very limited PD capabilities, SA´s automotive companies have already achieved a high level of ‘leanness’ in product engineering processes. However, on the downside, it appears that industry leaders and senior managers are sceptical about current and future capabilities and opportunities for SA in the designing and developing of global products.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
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