Cull sow knife-separable lean content evaluation at harvest and lean mass content prediction equation development.

Science.gov (United States)

Abell, Caitlyn E; Stalder, Kenneth J; Hendricks, Haven B; Fitzgerald, Robert F

2012-07-01

The objectives of this study were to develop a prediction equation for carcass knife-separable lean within and across USDA cull sow market weight classes (MWC) and to determine carcass and individual primal cut knife separable lean content from cull sows. There were significant percent lean and fat differences in the primal cuts across USDA MWC. The two lighter USDA MWC had a greater percent carcass lean and lower percent fat compared to the two heavier MWC. In general, hot carcass weight explained the majority of carcass lean variation. Additionally, backfat was a significant variation source when predicting cull sow carcass lean. The findings support using a single lean prediction equation across MWC to assist processors when making cull sow purchasing decisions and determine the mix of animals from various USDA MWC that will meet their needs when making pork products with defined lean:fat content. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Lean in the supply chain : research and practice

OpenAIRE

Ugochukwu, Paschal

2012-01-01

Lean is a management philosophy that enhances customer value through waste elimination and continuous improvement in a system by applying lean principles, practices, and techniques. The focus on lean implementations and research had been typically a single company without extension to the entire supply chain. When the concept of lean is implemented across the entire supply chain, however, it is referred to as lean supply chain. The purpose of this thesis is to create a structure from theory a...

Experienced Barriers to Lean in Swedish Manufacturing and Health Care

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bengt Halling

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose is to compare similarities and divergences in how the concepts of Lean and barriers to Lean are described by key informants at a production unit in a large manufacturing company and two emergency health care units in Sweden. Data was collected via semi-structured interviews and analyzed with the constant comparative method (CCM and Porras and Robertson’s (1992 change model. : In both organizations, the view of Lean changed from a toolbox to a human behavior view. Eight barriers were experienced in both organizations. Three barriers were unique to manufacturing or to health care, respectively. Nine barriers were elements of social factors; five were elements of organizing arrangements. Only people practically involved and responsible for the implementation at the two organizations participated in the study. Persons responsible for implementing Lean should consider organizational arrangements and social factors in order to limit barriers to successful implementation. Most research on Lean has been about successful Lean implementations. This study focuses on how Lean is viewed and what barriers personnel in manufacturing and health care have experienced. In comparing the barriers to Lean experienced in the two groups, common, archetypical, and unique barriers for manufacturing and health care can be identified, thus contributing to knowledge about barriers to Lean implementation.

Investigation of low emission combustors using hydrogen lean direct injection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert ISAC

2011-09-01

Full Text Available One of the key technology challenges for the use of hydrogen in gas turbine engines is the performance of the combustion system, in particular the fuel injectors. Tests were conducted to measure the nitrogen oxide (NOx emissions and combustion performance at inlet conditions of 588 to 811 K, 0.4 to 1.4 MPa, and equivalence ratios up to 0.48. All the injectors were based on Lean Direct Injection (LDI technology with multiple injection points and quick mixing. One challenge to hydrogen-based premixing combustion systems is flashback since hydrogen has a reaction rate over 7 times that of Jet-A.

Direct numerical simulations of turbulent lean premixed combustion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sankaran, Ramanan; Hawkes, Evatt R; Chen, Jacqueline H; Lu Tianfeng; Law, Chung K

2006-01-01

In recent years, due to the advent of high-performance computers and advanced numerical algorithms, direct numerical simulation (DNS) of combustion has emerged as a valuable computational research tool, in concert with experimentation. The role of DNS in delivering new Scientific insight into turbulent combustion is illustrated using results from a recent 3D turbulent premixed flame simulation. To understand the influence of turbulence on the flame structure, a 3D fully-resolved DNS of a spatially-developing lean methane-air turbulent Bunsen flame was performed in the thin reaction zones regime. A reduced chemical model for methane-air chemistry consisting of 13 resolved species, 4 quasi-steady state species and 73 elementary reactions was developed specifically for the current simulation. The data is analyzed to study possible influences of turbulence on the flame thickness. The results show that the average flame thickness increases, in qualitative agreement with several experimental results

Simulations of Spray Reacting Flows in a Single Element LDI Injector With and Without Invoking an Eulerian Scalar PDF Method

Science.gov (United States)

Shih, Tsan-Hsing; Liu, Nan-Suey

2012-01-01

This paper presents the numerical simulations of the Jet-A spray reacting flow in a single element lean direct injection (LDI) injector by using the National Combustion Code (NCC) with and without invoking the Eulerian scalar probability density function (PDF) method. The flow field is calculated by using the Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations (RANS and URANS) with nonlinear turbulence models, and when the scalar PDF method is invoked, the energy and compositions or species mass fractions are calculated by solving the equation of an ensemble averaged density-weighted fine-grained probability density function that is referred to here as the averaged probability density function (APDF). A nonlinear model for closing the convection term of the scalar APDF equation is used in the presented simulations and will be briefly described. Detailed comparisons between the results and available experimental data are carried out. Some positive findings of invoking the Eulerian scalar PDF method in both improving the simulation quality and reducing the computing cost are observed.

A Comparison of Three Second-generation Swirl-Venturi Lean Direct Injection Combustor Concepts

Science.gov (United States)

Tacina, Kathleen M.; Podboy, Derek P.; He, Zhuohui Joe; Lee, Phil; Dam, Bidhan; Mongia, Hukam

2016-01-01

Three variations of a low emissions aircraft gas turbine engine combustion concept were developed and tested. The concept is a second generation swirl-venturi lean direct injection (SV-LDI) concept. LDI is a lean-burn combustion concept in which the fuel is injected directly into the flame zone. All three variations were based on the baseline 9- point SV-LDI configuration reported previously. The three second generation SV-LDI variations are called the 5-recess configuration, the flat dome configuration, and the 9- recess configuration. These three configurations were tested in a NASA Glenn Research Center medium pressure flametube. All three second generation variations had better low power operability than the baseline 9-point configuration. All three configurations had low NO(sub x) emissions, with the 5-recess configuration generally having slightly lower NO(x) than the flat dome or 9-recess configurations. Due to the limitations of the flametube that prevented testing at pressures above 20 atm, correlation equations were developed for the at dome and 9-recess configurations so that the landing-takeoff NO(sub x) emissions could be estimated. The flat dome and 9-recess landing-takeoff NO(x) emissions are estimated to be 81-88% below the CAEP/6 standards, exceeding the project goal of 75% reduction.

Implementing Lean Health Reforms in Saskatchewan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Greg Marchildon

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Saskatchewan has gone further than any other Canadian province in implementing health system process improvements using Lean, a production line discipline that originated with the automobile industry. The goal of the Lean reform is to reduce waste and improve quality and overall health system performance by long-term changes in behaviour. Lean enjoys a privileged position on the provincial government’s agenda because of the policy’s championing by the Deputy Minister of Health and the policy’s fit with the government’s patient-centred care agenda. The implementation of reform depends on a major investment of time in the training and Lean-certification of key leaders and managers in the provincial health system. The Saskatchewan Union of Nurses, the union representing the single largest group of health workers in the province, has agreed to co-operate with the provincial government in implementing Lean-type reforms. Thus far, the government has had limited independent evaluation of Lean while internal evaluations claim some successes.

Fundamental Study of a Single Point Lean Direct Injector. Part I: Effect of Air Swirler Angle and Injector Tip Location on Spray Characteristics

Science.gov (United States)

Tedder, Sarah A.; Hicks, Yolanda R.; Tacina, Kathleen M.; Anderson, Robert C.

2015-01-01

Lean direct injection (LDI) is a combustion concept to reduce oxides of nitrogen (NOx) for next generation aircraft gas turbine engines. These newer engines have cycles that increase fuel efficiency through increased operating pressures, which increase combustor inlet temperatures. NOx formation rates increase with higher temperatures; the LDI strategy avoids high temperature by staying fuel lean and away from stoichiometric burning. Thus, LDI relies on rapid and uniform fuel/air mixing. To understand this mixing process, a series of fundamental experiments are underway in the Combustion and Dynamics Facility at NASA Glenn Research Center. This first set of experiments examines cold flow (non-combusting) mixing using air and water. Using laser diagnostics, the effects of air swirler angle and injector tip location on the spray distribution, recirculation zone, and droplet size distribution are examined. Of the three swirler angles examined, 60 degrees is determined to have the most even spray distribution. The injector tip location primarily shifts the flow without changing the structure, unless the flow includes a recirculation zone. When a recirculation zone is present, minimum axial velocity decreases as the injector tip moves downstream towards the venturi exit; also the droplets become more uniform in size and angular distribution.

Direct-write fabrication of a nanoscale digital logic element on a single nanowire

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roy, Somenath; Gao Zhiqiang

2010-01-01

In this paper we report on the 'direct-write' fabrication and electrical characteristics of a nanoscale logic inverter, integrating enhancement-mode (E-mode) and depletion-mode (D-mode) field-effect transistors (FETs) on a single zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowire. 'Direct-writing' of platinum metal electrodes and a dielectric layer is executed on individual single-crystalline ZnO nanowires using either a focused electron beam (FEB) or a focused ion beam (FIB). We fabricate a top-gate FET structure, in which the gate electrode wraps around the ZnO nanowire, resulting in a more efficient gate response than the conventional back-gate nanowire transistors. For E-mode device operation, the gate electrode (platinum) is deposited directly onto the ZnO nanowire by a FEB, which creates a Schottky barrier and in turn a fully depleted channel. Conversely, sandwiching an insulating layer between the FIB-deposited gate electrode and the nanowire channel makes D-mode operation possible. Integrated E- and D-mode FETs on a single nanowire exhibit the characteristics of a direct-coupled FET logic (DCFL) inverter with a high gain and noise margin.

Lean Thinking and Transferring Lean Management - The Best Defence against an Economic Recession?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel D. GEORGESCU

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Productivity growth is a fundamental means for society to improve its living standards. Productivity growth comes from technological change (new ways of producing goods and services and better organisation of production (better ways of using available resources given available technology. Both processes operate simultaneously and, in practice, it is difficult to distinguish between the effects of each process. The processes are dynamic and affect individual activities differently over time. These years, manufacturing functions have been transferred rapidly and globally from mature countries to emerging countries. This paper is about the lean philosophy and the critical elements for successful transfer of lean management among sites and countries.

Lean Manufacturing measurement: The relationships between Lean activities and Lean metrics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diego Fernando Manotas Duque

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Medición en Lean Manufacturing: Relaciones entre Actividades Lean y Métricas Lean Lean Manufacturing fue desarrollada por Toyota para satisfacer sus necesidades específicas en un mercado restringido y en tiempos de estrechez económica. Estos conceptos han sido estudiados y se ha comprobado su aplicabilidad en una amplia variedad de industrias. El objetivo de este artículo es el de integrar un conjunto de métricas que han sido propuestas por diferentes autores, de tal manera que sean consistentes con las etapas y elementos de implementaciones de Lean Manufacturing. Para lograrlo se presentan dos marcos de referencia para implementaciones Lean y los principales factores de éxito se utilizan como base para proponer métricas que identifiquen el avance en estos factores. Posteriormente se propone una tabla que cruza el impacto de las “Actividades Lean” sobre las métricas, postulando que muchos de los supuestos a priori sobre estos impactos deberían ser precisos. Finalmente se proponen algunas ideas para proyectos de investigación hacia el futuro y posibles extensiones de las aplicaciones propuestas aquí.

LEAN PRACTICES FOR PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

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Guilherme Luz Tortorella

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Lean product development (LPD is an approach that comprises lean principles and management practices that aim to reduce waste and improve operational effectiveness throughout the entire value stream in continuous improvement endless journey. Due to that, the ability to innovate, change and learn continuously is a key element in order to minimize product development problems. Several LPD techniques are presented in the literature as possible enablers for lean implementation. However, little has been known about the impact of these enablers on the problems related to product development processes. Thus, this paper aims to examine the relationship between five LPD practices’ constructs and the occurrence frequency of eleven LPD problems’ constructs in companies that are implementing lean. Moreover, the identification of relevant relationships between LPD practices’ and problems’ constructs may contribute to specify the contexts in which problems are expected to occur. The study sample comprises sixty four companies already undergoing lean implementation both in shop floor and offices area. The results indicate that the same practices’ constructs, which are deemed as influential for minimizing LPD problems, present different relationship intensities among them.

[Three dimensional finite element model of a modified posterior cervical single open-door laminoplasty].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Q; Yang, Y; Fei, Q; Li, D; Li, J J; Meng, H; Su, N; Fan, Z H; Wang, B Q

2017-06-06

Objective: To build a three-dimensional finite element models of a modified posterior cervical single open-door laminoplasty with short-segmental lateral mass screws fusion. Methods: The C(2)-C(7) segmental data were obtained from computed tomography (CT) scans of a male patient with cervical spondylotic myelopathy and spinal stenosis.Three-dimensional finite element models of a modified cervical single open-door laminoplasty (before and after surgery) were constructed by the combination of software package MIMICS, Geomagic and ABAQUS.The models were composed of bony vertebrae, articulating facets, intervertebral disc and associated ligaments.The loads of moments 1.5Nm at different directions (flexion, extension, lateral bending and axial rotation)were applied at preoperative model to calculate intersegmental ranges of motion.The results were compared with the previous studies to verify the validation of the models. Results: Three-dimensional finite element models of the modified cervical single open- door laminoplasty had 102258 elements (preoperative model) and 161 892 elements (postoperative model) respectively, including C(2-7) six bony vertebraes, C(2-3)-C(6-7) five intervertebral disc, main ligaments and lateral mass screws.The intersegmental responses at the preoperative model under the loads of moments 1.5 Nm at different directions were similar to the previous published data. Conclusion: Three-dimensional finite element models of the modified cervical single open- door laminoplasty were successfully established and had a good biological fidelity, which can be used for further study.

Lean production teams and health in garment manufacture.

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, P R; Mullarkey, S

2000-04-01

The impact of lean production on psychological health was assessed by comparing lean production teams in garment manufacture with a traditional system for making similar garments. Work design characteristics were examined as mediators of the impact of work organization on health. Findings indicate both positive and negative direct effects of teamworking on aspects of autonomy, work demands, and social climate. In turn, both positive and negative direct effects of work design on psychological health were found, which combine to give no overall difference between the groups. This study suggests that the balance between positive and negative effects of lean production teamworking depends on management choices in the form of work design.

Meal Elements and Lean Manufacturing: Two Frameworks for Institutional Meal Production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Engelund, Eva Høy

2008-01-01

produktkvaliteten vha produktionsledelse af måltidsproduktion diskuteres i forhold til anvendeligheden af produktionsprincippet ”Lean” i storkøkkener. Implementeringen af Lean følges i et case studie i Centralkøkkenet på Glostrup Hospital og de lovende effekter heraf præsenteres. På baggrund af resultaterne i disse...... cases blev det konkluderet, at både måltidselementer og Lean kan anvendes i offentlig måltidsproduktion og føre til forbedring af produktkvaliteten. Afhandlingen præsenterer således to nye inputs til designet af offentlige måltidssystemer; en ny form for ingredienser og en ramme for forbedring af...

Large meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies identifies five loci for lean body mass.

Science.gov (United States)

Zillikens, M Carola; Demissie, Serkalem; Hsu, Yi-Hsiang; Yerges-Armstrong, Laura M; Chou, Wen-Chi; Stolk, Lisette; Livshits, Gregory; Broer, Linda; Johnson, Toby; Koller, Daniel L; Kutalik, Zoltán; Luan, Jian'an; Malkin, Ida; Ried, Janina S; Smith, Albert V; Thorleifsson, Gudmar; Vandenput, Liesbeth; Hua Zhao, Jing; Zhang, Weihua; Aghdassi, Ali; Åkesson, Kristina; Amin, Najaf; Baier, Leslie J; Barroso, Inês; Bennett, David A; Bertram, Lars; Biffar, Rainer; Bochud, Murielle; Boehnke, Michael; Borecki, Ingrid B; Buchman, Aron S; Byberg, Liisa; Campbell, Harry; Campos Obanda, Natalia; Cauley, Jane A; Cawthon, Peggy M; Cederberg, Henna; Chen, Zhao; Cho, Nam H; Jin Choi, Hyung; Claussnitzer, Melina; Collins, Francis; Cummings, Steven R; De Jager, Philip L; Demuth, Ilja; Dhonukshe-Rutten, Rosalie A M; Diatchenko, Luda; Eiriksdottir, Gudny; Enneman, Anke W; Erdos, Mike; Eriksson, Johan G; Eriksson, Joel; Estrada, Karol; Evans, Daniel S; Feitosa, Mary F; Fu, Mao; Garcia, Melissa; Gieger, Christian; Girke, Thomas; Glazer, Nicole L; Grallert, Harald; Grewal, Jagvir; Han, Bok-Ghee; Hanson, Robert L; Hayward, Caroline; Hofman, Albert; Hoffman, Eric P; Homuth, Georg; Hsueh, Wen-Chi; Hubal, Monica J; Hubbard, Alan; Huffman, Kim M; Husted, Lise B; Illig, Thomas; Ingelsson, Erik; Ittermann, Till; Jansson, John-Olov; Jordan, Joanne M; Jula, Antti; Karlsson, Magnus; Khaw, Kay-Tee; Kilpeläinen, Tuomas O; Klopp, Norman; Kloth, Jacqueline S L; Koistinen, Heikki A; Kraus, William E; Kritchevsky, Stephen; Kuulasmaa, Teemu; Kuusisto, Johanna; Laakso, Markku; Lahti, Jari; Lang, Thomas; Langdahl, Bente L; Launer, Lenore J; Lee, Jong-Young; Lerch, Markus M; Lewis, Joshua R; Lind, Lars; Lindgren, Cecilia; Liu, Yongmei; Liu, Tian; Liu, Youfang; Ljunggren, Östen; Lorentzon, Mattias; Luben, Robert N; Maixner, William; McGuigan, Fiona E; Medina-Gomez, Carolina; Meitinger, Thomas; Melhus, Håkan; Mellström, Dan; Melov, Simon; Michaëlsson, Karl; Mitchell, Braxton D; Morris, Andrew P; Mosekilde, Leif; Newman, Anne; Nielson, Carrie M; O'Connell, Jeffrey R; Oostra, Ben A; Orwoll, Eric S; Palotie, Aarno; Parker, Stephen C J; Peacock, Munro; Perola, Markus; Peters, Annette; Polasek, Ozren; Prince, Richard L; Räikkönen, Katri; Ralston, Stuart H; Ripatti, Samuli; Robbins, John A; Rotter, Jerome I; Rudan, Igor; Salomaa, Veikko; Satterfield, Suzanne; Schadt, Eric E; Schipf, Sabine; Scott, Laura; Sehmi, Joban; Shen, Jian; Soo Shin, Chan; Sigurdsson, Gunnar; Smith, Shad; Soranzo, Nicole; Stančáková, Alena; Steinhagen-Thiessen, Elisabeth; Streeten, Elizabeth A; Styrkarsdottir, Unnur; Swart, Karin M A; Tan, Sian-Tsung; Tarnopolsky, Mark A; Thompson, Patricia; Thomson, Cynthia A; Thorsteinsdottir, Unnur; Tikkanen, Emmi; Tranah, Gregory J; Tuomilehto, Jaakko; van Schoor, Natasja M; Verma, Arjun; Vollenweider, Peter; Völzke, Henry; Wactawski-Wende, Jean; Walker, Mark; Weedon, Michael N; Welch, Ryan; Wichmann, H-Erich; Widen, Elisabeth; Williams, Frances M K; Wilson, James F; Wright, Nicole C; Xie, Weijia; Yu, Lei; Zhou, Yanhua; Chambers, John C; Döring, Angela; van Duijn, Cornelia M; Econs, Michael J; Gudnason, Vilmundur; Kooner, Jaspal S; Psaty, Bruce M; Spector, Timothy D; Stefansson, Kari; Rivadeneira, Fernando; Uitterlinden, André G; Wareham, Nicholas J; Ossowski, Vicky; Waterworth, Dawn; Loos, Ruth J F; Karasik, David; Harris, Tamara B; Ohlsson, Claes; Kiel, Douglas P

2017-07-19

Lean body mass, consisting mostly of skeletal muscle, is important for healthy aging. We performed a genome-wide association study for whole body (20 cohorts of European ancestry with n = 38,292) and appendicular (arms and legs) lean body mass (n = 28,330) measured using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry or bioelectrical impedance analysis, adjusted for sex, age, height, and fat mass. Twenty-one single-nucleotide polymorphisms were significantly associated with lean body mass either genome wide (p lean body mass and in 45,090 (42,360 of European ancestry) subjects from 25 cohorts for appendicular lean body mass was successful for five single-nucleotide polymorphisms in/near HSD17B11, VCAN, ADAMTSL3, IRS1, and FTO for total lean body mass and for three single-nucleotide polymorphisms in/near VCAN, ADAMTSL3, and IRS1 for appendicular lean body mass. Our findings provide new insight into the genetics of lean body mass.Lean body mass is a highly heritable trait and is associated with various health conditions. Here, Kiel and colleagues perform a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies for whole body lean body mass and find five novel genetic loci to be significantly associated.

A Comparison of Combustion Dynamics for Multiple 7-Point Lean Direct Injection Combustor Configurations

Science.gov (United States)

Tacina, K. M.; Hicks, Y. R.

2017-01-01

The combustion dynamics of multiple 7-point lean direct injection (LDI) combustor configurations are compared. LDI is a fuel-lean combustor concept for aero gas turbine engines in which multiple small fuel-air mixers replace one traditionally-sized fuel-air mixer. This 7-point LDI configuration has a circular cross section, with a center (pilot) fuel-air mixer surrounded by six outer (main) fuel-air mixers. Each fuel-air mixer consists of an axial air swirler followed by a converging-diverging venturi. A simplex fuel injector is inserted through the center of the air swirler, with the fuel injector tip located near the venturi throat. All 7 fuel-air mixers are identical except for the swirler blade angle, which varies with the configuration. Testing was done in a 5-atm flame tube with inlet air temperatures from 600 to 800 F and equivalence ratios from 0.4 to 0.7. Combustion dynamics were measured using a cooled PCB pressure transducer flush-mounted in the wall of the combustor test section.

A framework for effective implementation of lean production in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amine Belhadi

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The present paper aims at developing an effective framework including all the components necessary for implementing lean production properly in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. Design/methodology/approach: The paper begins with the review of the main existing framework of lean implementation in order to highlight shortcomings in the literature through a lack of suitable framework for small companies. To overcome this literature gap, data of successful initiatives of lean implementation were collected based on a multiple case study approach. These initiatives has been juxtaposed in order to develop a new, practical and effective framework that includes all the components (process, tools, success factors that are necessary to implement lean in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. Findings: The proposed framework presents many significant contributions: First, it provides an overcoming for the limitations of the existing frameworks by proposing for consultants, researchers and organizations an effective framework for lean implementation in SMEs that allows SMEs to benefit from competitive advantages  gained by lean. Second, it brings together a set of the more essential and critical elements of lean implementation commonly used by SMEs and derived from the practical experiences of them in lean implementation. Finally, it highlights the successful experiences of small companies in implementing lean programs and then proves that lean can give a relevant results even for SMEs. Research limitations/implications: The proposed framework presents a number of limitations and still evokes extension for further researches: Although it was derived from practical experiences of SMEs, the proposed framework is not supported by practical implementation. On the other hand and even though the elements in the proposed framework from the practical experiences of four SMEs, the identified elements need to be generalized and enriching by conducting

Lean environmental management integration system for sustainability of ISO 14001:2004 standard implementation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Perumal Puvanasvaran

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The purpose of this study is to present a model for integrating Lean Principles with ISO 14001 Environmental Management System.Design/methodology/approach: To achieve the objective of the study, the methodology used in this study is based on preliminary literature review of ISO 14001 standards and Lean Principles as well as certain case reports from various proponents and authors of ISO 14001 and Lean as noted in various articles and journals and some books.Findings and Originality/value: The findings of this study are a new model called Lean Environmental Management Integration System (LEMIS has been developed and leads to the creation of these measurement standards for evaluating the organization, making its environmental efforts more realistic, focused and attainable.Research limitations/implications: Future research should be conducted case studies in this direction are required to be conducted for examining the feasibility of amalgamation and implementing ISO 14001:2004 standards with the philosophy of Lean Principles to enable the achievement of world class standards.Practical implications: This model helps to eliminate any wasteful processes in the organization’s implementation of the ISO 14001 standard thus leading to higher environmental performance.  Integrating the standard with Lean principles through LEMIS model helps to specify these performance measures making the standard achieve sustainability and continual improvement.Originality/value: This study presents a unique approach of integrating the two main models, namely Lean Principles and ISO 14001 Environmental Management System, as a single framework benefiting contemporary organizations.

Lean healthcare from a change management perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

van Rossum, Lisa; Aij, Kjeld Harald; Simons, Frederique Elisabeth; van der Eng, Niels; Ten Have, Wouter Dirk

2016-05-16

Purpose - Lean healthcare is used in a growing number of hospitals to increase efficiency and quality of care. However, healthcare organizations encounter problems with the implementation of change initiatives due to an implementation gap: the gap between strategy and execution. From a change management perspective, the purpose of this paper is to increase scientific knowledge regarding factors that diminish the implementation gap and make the transition from the "toolbox lean" toward an actual transformation to lean healthcare. Design/methodology/approach - A cross-sectional study was executed in an operating theatre of a Dutch University Medical Centre. Transformational leadership was expected to ensure the required top-down commitment, whereas team leadership creates the required active, bottom-up behavior of employees. Furthermore, professional and functional silos and a hierarchical structure were expected to impede the workforce flexibility in adapting organizational elements and optimize the entire process flow. Findings - The correlation and regression analyses showed positive relations between the transformational leadership and team leadership styles and lean healthcare implementation. The results also indicated a strong relation between workforce flexibility and the implementation of lean healthcare. Originality/value - With the use of a recently developed change management model, the Change Competence Model, the authors suggest leadership and workforce flexibility to be part of an organization's change capacity as crucial success factor for a sustainable transformation to lean healthcare.

Direct quantification of rare earth element concentrations in natural waters by ICP-MS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lawrence, Michael G.; Greig, Alan; Collerson, Kenneth D.; Kamber, Balz S.

2006-01-01

A direct quadrupole ICP-MS technique has been developed for the analysis of the rare earth elements and yttrium in natural waters. The method has been validated by comparison of the results obtained for the river water reference material SLRS-4 with literature values. The detection limit of the technique was investigated by analysis of serial dilutions of SLRS-4 and revealed that single elements can be quantified at single-digit fg/g concentrations. A coherent normalised rare earth pattern was retained at concentrations two orders of magnitude below natural concentrations for SLRS-4, demonstrating the excellent inter-element accuracy and precision of the method. The technique was applied to the analysis of a diluted mid-salinity estuarine sample, which also displayed a coherent normalised rare earth element pattern, yielding the expected distinctive marine characteristics

What Determines Lean Manufacturing Implementation? A CB-SEM Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tan Ching Ng

2018-02-01

Full Text Available This research aims to ascertain the determinants of effective Lean Manufacturing (LM. In this research, Covariance-based Structural Equation Modeling (CB-SEM analysis will be used in order to analyze the determinants. Through CB-SEM analysis, the significant key determinants can be determined and the direct relationships among determinants can be analyzed. Thus, the findings of this research can act as guidelines for achievement of LM effectiveness, not only providing necessary steps for successful implementation of lean, but also helping lean companies to achieve higher level of lean cost and time savings.

Methods of measuring the effectiveness of Lean Management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcel Lizak

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Invalid organisation of the production environment in an enterprise is the cause of many disruptions during the implementation of production processes. Lean Management is aimed at improving processes and eliminating interference in accordance with the Kaizen principle. A significant element of management constantly analyses and measures the improved results. The article presents the results of the literature research from the scope of observation methods and measuring the effects of the use of Lean Management instruments in manufacturing companies.

Lean accounting – as a future accounting system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.V. Koryagin

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The historical development of lean accounting is researched. The comparison of lean accounting and accounting is carried out. The article determines the lean accounting basic principles, which are the basis for the selection of main ten steps of upgrading to the system of lean accounting: the evaluation of the current situation and the expected development prospects of the enterprise; the development of the principles of implementing lean accounting; the determining the production parameters and methodology of the economic model construction; the organization of lean manufacturing environment and reducing most of the stock; the determining the flow of value creation; the rejection of variable accounting and reverse cancellation of all labor costs and the cost of materials; the rejection of tracking stocks and assign of the costs directly to the costs of sales when occurred; the definition of client-targeted spending; the relationship with suppliers and automation of the accounts payable; the relationship with customers and automation of the payments received.

Operational practices of lean manufacturing: Potentiating environmental improvements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcos José Alves Pinto Junior

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The objective of this paper is to investigate how environmental improvements can be achieved through operational practices of Lean Manufacturing. Design/methodology/approach: A literature review was conducted to analyze the relationship between operational practices of Lean and reduction of environmental impact in organizational contexts. Verified theoretically, this relationship was observed in a company of the electronics industry, through an exploratory research which contemplated a mixed approach. The adopted research method consisted of a single case study, by providing greater depth and detail of the study. Utilized a research protocol, validated test pilot. The instruments for data collection were semi-structured interviews, direct observation and document analysis. The information was examined qualitatively considering the technique for content analysis. Findings: As a result of the study, it was found that there is evidence for the existence of relationship between the practices of Lean, for example, Kaizen, PDCA (plan, do, check, act, Ishikawa Diagram, Poka-Yoke, Standardized Work and Value Stream Mapping, with the reduction of environmental impacts of an organization. This reduction was observed after application of these practices that resulted in the reduction of energy consumption, water and waste generation. These results were accounted for financially, contributing to a reduction of annual costs by about US$ 20,900. Originality/value: The study presents in detail, the application of operational practices of Lean Manufacturing, with an effective view to reducing the environmental impact and cost reduction. The literature review, a detailed description of the application process and financial results are important information that contributes to the scientific studies that address traditional operating practices and the search for better environmental performance.

Operational practices of lean manufacturing: Potentiating environmental improvements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pinto, Marcos José Alves Junior; Mendes, Juliana Veiga

2017-07-01

Purpose: The objective of this paper is to investigate how environmental improvements can be achieved through operational practices of Lean Manufacturing. Design/methodology/approach: A literature review was conducted to analyze the relationship between operational practices of Lean and reduction of environmental impact in organizational contexts. Verified theoretically, this relationship was observed in a company of the electronics industry, through an exploratory research which contemplated a mixed approach. The adopted research method consisted of a single case study, by providing greater depth and detail of the study. Utilized a research protocol, validated test pilot. The instruments for data collection were semi-structured interviews, direct observation and document analysis. The information was examined qualitatively considering the technique for content analysis. Findings: As a result of the study, it was found that there is evidence for the existence of relationship between the practices of Lean, for example, Kaizen, PDCA (plan, do, check, act), Ishikawa Diagram, Poka-Yoke, Standardized Work and Value Stream Mapping, with the reduction of environmental impacts of an organization. This reduction was observed after application of these practices that resulted in the reduction of energy consumption, water and waste generation. These results were accounted for financially, contributing to a reduction of annual costs by about US$ 20,900. Originality/value: The study presents in detail, the application of operational practices of Lean Manufacturing, with an effective view to reducing the environmental impact and cost reduction. The literature review, a detailed description of the application process and financial results are important information that contributes to the scientific studies that address traditional operating practices and the search for better environmental performance.

Operational practices of lean manufacturing: Potentiating environmental improvements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pinto, Marcos José Alves Junior; Mendes, Juliana Veiga

2017-01-01

Purpose: The objective of this paper is to investigate how environmental improvements can be achieved through operational practices of Lean Manufacturing. Design/methodology/approach: A literature review was conducted to analyze the relationship between operational practices of Lean and reduction of environmental impact in organizational contexts. Verified theoretically, this relationship was observed in a company of the electronics industry, through an exploratory research which contemplated a mixed approach. The adopted research method consisted of a single case study, by providing greater depth and detail of the study. Utilized a research protocol, validated test pilot. The instruments for data collection were semi-structured interviews, direct observation and document analysis. The information was examined qualitatively considering the technique for content analysis. Findings: As a result of the study, it was found that there is evidence for the existence of relationship between the practices of Lean, for example, Kaizen, PDCA (plan, do, check, act), Ishikawa Diagram, Poka-Yoke, Standardized Work and Value Stream Mapping, with the reduction of environmental impacts of an organization. This reduction was observed after application of these practices that resulted in the reduction of energy consumption, water and waste generation. These results were accounted for financially, contributing to a reduction of annual costs by about US$ 20,900. Originality/value: The study presents in detail, the application of operational practices of Lean Manufacturing, with an effective view to reducing the environmental impact and cost reduction. The literature review, a detailed description of the application process and financial results are important information that contributes to the scientific studies that address traditional operating practices and the search for better environmental performance.

Extending Lean and Exhaust Gas Recirculation-Dilute Operating Limits of a Modern Gasoline Direct-Injection Engine Using a Low-Energy Transient Plasma Ignition System

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sevik, James; Wallner, Thomas; Pamminger, Michael; Scarcelli, Riccardo; Singleton, Dan; Sanders, Jason

2016-05-24

The efficiency improvement and emissions reduction potential of lean and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR)-dilute operation of spark-ignition gasoline engines is well understood and documented. However, dilute operation is generally limited by deteriorating combustion stability with increasing inert gas levels. The combustion stability decreases due to reduced mixture flame speeds resulting in significantly increased combustion initiation periods and burn durations. A study was designed and executed to evaluate the potential to extend lean and EGR-dilute limits using a low-energy transient plasma ignition system. The low-energy transient plasma was generated by nanosecond pulses and its performance compared to a conventional transistorized coil ignition (TCI) system operated on an automotive, gasoline direct-injection (GDI) single-cylinder research engine. The experimental assessment was focused on steady-state experiments at the part load condition of 1500 rpm 5.6 bar indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP), where dilution tolerance is particularly critical to improving efficiency and emission performance. Experimental results suggest that the energy delivery process of the low-energy transient plasma ignition system significantly improves part load dilution tolerance by reducing the early flame development period. Statistical analysis of relevant combustion metrics was performed in order to further investigate the effects of the advanced ignition system on combustion stability. Results confirm that at select operating conditions EGR tolerance and lean limit could be improved by as much as 20% (from 22.7 to 27.1% EGR) and nearly 10% (from λ = 1.55 to 1.7) with the low-energy transient plasma ignition system.

Comparative Analysis between Lean, Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma Concepts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandra Mirela Cristina MUNTEANU

2017-06-01

Full Text Available This paper analyzes the benefits of Lean Six Sigma in comparison with Lean and Six Sigma, traditional improvement methodologies. The introduction highlights the appearance of Lean Six Sigma, early 2000s, as well as the benefits brought by the integrated approach. The following parts of the study emphasize the main differences between methodologies and their commonalities based on their synergy. Finally the advantages of Lean Six Sigma versus Lean and Six Sigma are analyzed and systematized by author in order to reveal Lean Six Sigma’s benefits.

Lean management in academic surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Collar, Ryan M; Shuman, Andrew G; Feiner, Sandra; McGonegal, Amy K; Heidel, Natalie; Duck, Mary; McLean, Scott A; Billi, John E; Healy, David W; Bradford, Carol R

2012-06-01

Lean is a management system designed to enhance productivity by eliminating waste. Surgical practice offers many opportunities for improving efficiency. Our objective was to determine whether systematic implementation of lean thinking in an academic otolaryngology operating room improves efficiency and profitability and preserves team morale and educational opportunities. In an 18-month prospective quasi-experimental study, a multidisciplinary task force systematically implemented lean thinking within an otolaryngology operating room of an academic health system. Operating room turnover time and turnaround time were measured during a baseline period; an observer-effect period in which workers were made aware that their efficiency was being measured but before implementing lean changes; and an intervention period after redesign principles had been used. The impact on teamwork, morale, and surgical resident education were measured during the baseline and intervention periods through validated surveys. A profit model was applied to estimate the financial implications of the study. There was no difference between the baseline and observer-effect periods of the study for turnover time (p = 0.98) or turnaround time (p = 0.20). During the intervention period, the mean turnover time and turnaround time were significantly shorter than during the baseline period (29 vs 38 minutes; p improved morale after implementation (p = 0.011). Educational metrics were unchanged before and after implementation. The annual opportunity revenue for the involved operating room is $330,000; when extrapolated throughout the operating rooms, lean thinking could create 6,500 hours of capacity annually. Application of lean management techniques to a single operating room and surgical service improved operating room efficiency and morale, sustained resident education, and can provide considerable financial gains when scaled to an entire academic surgical suite. Copyright © 2012. Published by

Healthcare Lean.

Science.gov (United States)

Long, John C

2003-01-01

Lean Thinking is an integrated approach to designing, doing and improving the work of people that have come together to produce and deliver goods, services and information. Healthcare Lean is based on the Toyota production system and applies concepts and techniques of Lean Thinking to hospitals and physician practices.

Establishing a Lean Six Sigma Program in Higher Education

KAUST Repository

Svensson, Carsten; Baessa, Mohamed A.; Bakhsh, Majed M.

2013-01-01

Purpose: The objective of this paper is a contribution to the body of Lean Six Sigma knowledge within the vertical of higher education institutions. The paper will review the initial phase of an implementation and highlight future challenges. Approach: The observations presented in this paper, originates from rolling out a large lean six sigma implementation at a newly established university. The paper is supported with secondary data from literature. Findings: The paper will discuss the challenges of applying the lean six sigma method in a complex transactional environment. Research limitations: This paper is based on an empirical study of a single instance and authors’ experiences as practitioners. Originality: This paper is the first description of what is believed to be one of the largest implementations of Lean Six Sigma in higher education.

Establishing a Lean Six Sigma Program in Higher Education

KAUST Repository

Svensson, Carsten

2013-09-12

Purpose: The objective of this paper is a contribution to the body of Lean Six Sigma knowledge within the vertical of higher education institutions. The paper will review the initial phase of an implementation and highlight future challenges. Approach: The observations presented in this paper, originates from rolling out a large lean six sigma implementation at a newly established university. The paper is supported with secondary data from literature. Findings: The paper will discuss the challenges of applying the lean six sigma method in a complex transactional environment. Research limitations: This paper is based on an empirical study of a single instance and authors’ experiences as practitioners. Originality: This paper is the first description of what is believed to be one of the largest implementations of Lean Six Sigma in higher education.

Lean versus Quick Response Manufacturing og andre koncepter - er Lean den eneste ene?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Michelsen, Aage U

2005-01-01

Begrebet Lean har gennem de senere år vundet en enorm udbredelse. Antallet af publikationer om Lean har været eksplosivt stigende, og mange virksomheder har gennemført eller gennemfører Lean-projekter. Er Lean et nyt koncept? Er Lean den eneste løsning? Kan Lean kombineres med tankegange og princ...... løsning af en anden produktionsopgave. I fjerde afsnit skitseres kort relationerne mellem Lean og to andre begreber, Six Sigma og TPM, der begge har samme mål som Lean, men forskellige udgangspunkter og forskellige indfaldsvinkler....

Lean Production Control at a High-Variety, Low-Volume Parts Manufacturer

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bokhorst, Jos A. C.; Slomp, Jannes

2010-01-01

Eaton Electric General Supplies, a parts manufacturing unit that supplies parts for Eaton's electrical business unit, implemented several lean control elements in its high-variety, low-volume production units. These control elements include a constant work-in-process mechanism to limit and control

Comparative Analysis between Lean, Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma Concepts

OpenAIRE

Alexandra Mirela Cristina MUNTEANU

2017-01-01

This paper analyzes the benefits of Lean Six Sigma in comparison with Lean and Six Sigma, traditional improvement methodologies. The introduction highlights the appearance of Lean Six Sigma, early 2000s, as well as the benefits brought by the integrated approach. The following parts of the study emphasize the main differences between methodologies and their commonalities based on their synergy. Finally the advantages of Lean Six Sigma versus Lean and Six Sigma are analyzed and systematized by...

Negotiating Lean

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rahbek Pedersen, Esben; Muniche, Mahad

2011-01-01

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse how negotiations between the constituencies affect the processes and outcomes of lean projects in Danish public sector organisations. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a qualitative analysis of interviews with managers...... projects in the Danish public sector. It cannot be concluded that the findings can be generalised to reflect all types of lean projects across organisational and geographical settings. Originality/value – The paper adds value to the relatively scarce literature on lean management in the public sector...... and employees who have participated in lean projects in the Danish public sector. Negotiated order theory serves as the overarching theoretical framework for the analysis. Findings – The paper concludes that the processes and outcomes of lean depend not only on the technology itself, but also the negotiation...

Lean og arbejdsmiljø

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Kenneth

Bogen tager udgangspunkt i en undersøgelse af 10 private og offentlige virksomheders erfaringer med lean. Undersøgelsen viser at der ikke findes entydige sammenhænge mellem lean og det psykosociale arbejdsmiljø. Bogen forholder sig til sammenhængen mellem lean og ledelse, lean og medarbejderens...... rolle, lean og lean og forandringsprocessen. Bogen kommer desuden med anbefalinger til hvorledes virksomheden kan gribe dialogen an for at opnå et godt lean forløb der inddrager hensynet til og effekterne af et godt psykosocialt arbejdsmiljø....

Single cell elemental analysis using nuclear microscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ren, M.Q.; Thong, P.S.P.; Kara, U.; Watt, F.

1999-01-01

The use of Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE), Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) and Scanning Transmission Ion Microscopy (STIM) to provide quantitative elemental analysis of single cells is an area which has high potential, particularly when the trace elements such as Ca, Fe, Zn and Cu can be monitored. We describe the methodology of sample preparation for two cell types, the procedures of cell imaging using STIM, and the quantitative elemental analysis of single cells using RBS and PIXE. Recent work on single cells at the Nuclear Microscopy Research Centre,National University of Singapore has centred around two research areas: (a) Apoptosis (programmed cell death), which has been recently implicated in a wide range of pathological conditions such as cancer, Parkinson's disease etc, and (b) Malaria (infection of red blood cells by the malaria parasite). Firstly we present results on the elemental analysis of human Chang liver cells (ATTCC CCL 13) where vanadium ions were used to trigger apoptosis, and demonstrate that nuclear microscopy has the capability of monitoring vanadium loading within individual cells. Secondly we present the results of elemental changes taking place in individual mouse red blood cells which have been infected with the malaria parasite and treated with the anti-malaria drug Qinghaosu (QHS)

Lean Supply Chain Planning: A Performance Evaluation through Simulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rossini Matteo

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Nowadays companies look more and more for improving their efficiency to excel in the market. At the same time, the competition has moved from firm level to whole supply chain level. Supply chain are very complex systems and lacks of coordination among their members leads to inefficiency. Supply chain planning task is to improve coordination among supply chain members. Which is the best planning solution to improve efficiency is an open issue. On the other hand, Lean approach is becoming more and more popular among managers. Lean approach is recognize as efficiency engine for production systems, but effects of Lean implementation out of single firm boundaries is not clear. This paper aims at providing a theoretical and practical starting point for Lean implementation in supply chain planning issue. To reach it, a DES simulation model of a three-echelon and multi-product supply chain has been set. Lean management is a very broad topic and this paper focuses on two principles of “pull” and “create the flow”. Kanban system and setup-time and batch-size reductions are implemented in the lean-configured supply chain to apply “pull” and “create the flow” respectively. Lean principles implementations have been analyzed and compared with other supply chain planning policies: EOQ and information sharing (Visibility. Supported by the simulation study, this paper points Lean supply chain planning is a competitive planning policies to increase efficiency.

["Lean management" in hospitals: potentials and limitations].

Science.gov (United States)

Glossmann, J P; Schliebusch, O; Diehl, V; Walshe, R

2000-08-15

Little attention has yet been payed on establishing modern and competitive organizational structures in German hospitals. In this paper, we attempt to apply elements of lean management to the work of physicians working in an inpatient setting. Traditional ways of communication and their disadvantages are discussed. These include loss of motivation, bureaucratic structures and a lack of interdisciplinary cooperation. Using Maslow's theory of motivation, possible improvements are discussed, such as the reduction of restrictive job characteristics, an increase of physicians' spheres of competence and the use of their innovative potentials. These suggestions are explained using practical examples. The aim of the study is to contribute to quality management in hospitals by increasing personal responsibilities according to lean management.

Direct numerical simulations of ignition of a lean n-heptane/air mixture with temperature and composition inhomogeneities relevant to HCCI and SCCI combustion

KAUST Repository

Luong, Minh Bau; Yu, Gwang Hyeon; Lu, Tianfeng; Chung, Suk-Ho; Yoo, Chun Sang

2015-01-01

The effects of temperature and composition stratifications on the ignition of a lean n-heptane/air mixture at three initial mean temperatures under elevated pressure are investigated using direct numerical simulations (DNSs) with a 58-species

Internal lean practitioner's challenges in lean principles ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The approach to this paper is to answer the questions such as “how does internal management commitment impact the Lean principles?”, “how does Supply Chain Management practices impact the lean principles?”, “can Supply Chain Management practices be embedded with internal management commitment?

An economic analysis of a system wide Lean approach: cost estimations for the implementation of Lean in the Saskatchewan healthcare system for 2012-2014.

Science.gov (United States)

Sari, Nazmi; Rotter, Thomas; Goodridge, Donna; Harrison, Liz; Kinsman, Leigh

2017-08-03

The costs of investing in health care reform initiatives to improve quality and safety have been underreported and are often underestimated. This paper reports direct and indirect cost estimates for the initial phase of the province-wide implementation of Lean activities in Saskatchewan, Canada. In order to obtain detailed information about each type of Lean event, as well as the total number of corresponding Lean events, we used the Provincial Kaizen Promotion Office (PKPO) Kaizen database. While the indirect cost of Lean implementation has been estimated using the corresponding wage rate for the event participants, the direct cost has been estimated using the fees paid to the consultant and other relevant expenses. The total cost for implementation of Lean over two years (2012-2014), including consultants and new hires, ranged from $44 million CAD to $49.6 million CAD, depending upon the assumptions used. Consultant costs accounted for close to 50% of the total. The estimated cost of Lean events alone ranged from $16 million CAD to $19.5 million CAD, with Rapid Process Improvement Workshops requiring the highest input of resources. Recognizing the substantial financial and human investments required to undertake reforms designed to improve quality and contain cost, policy makers must carefully consider whether and how these efforts result in the desired transformations. Evaluation of the outcomes of these investments must be part of the accountability framework, even prior to implementation.

Lean i Norge : opplever norske bedrifter som er mer lean, større økning i kundetilfredshet enn de som er mindre lean?

OpenAIRE

Fagereng, Hanne Eline; Askevold, Elisabeth Cathrine

2010-01-01

Vi ønsker å måle i hvor stor grad norske bedrifter har implementert lean, og for å måle grad av lean har vi utviklet et rammeverk basert på lean teori. Hovedformålet med lean er å øke kundeverdi med minst mulig ressursbruk, anstrengelse, energi, utstyr, tid, plass, material og kapital (Womack, Roos and Jones 2007). Vi vil utforske om høyere grad av lean fører til mer tilfredse kunder enn de som har lavere grad av lean. Altså om hovedformålet med lean blir oppnådd hvis man implementerer lean i...

A Study on Lean Manufacturing Practice Carried Out for Axle Housing Plant

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rishi J. P.

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Lean Manufacturing is a way to deal with the elimination of waste through persistent change within the system. The assembling units in India should likewise hope to take its preferences. The Industries are energetically following the Lean assembling strategies to reduce waste and cost. The present work is the study of a manufacturing process for axle housing and to decide how Lean manufacturing process carried out for axle housing plant to improve productivity. The new shot peening machine was installed in a heat treatment plant of a housing line in an automobile rear axle assembly plant and material handling time from storage to this new machine was more and this increased lead time subsequently. To reduce this Kaizens technique was employed and a direct gravity conveyor was chosen and installed between two work stations and the part was directly fed to the new machine installed and this reduces the material handling time considerably. A cost analysis was done to realize the benefits of implementing this lean technique. Therefore reducing lead time and increasing productivity is the Prime benefits of lean manufacturing practices like lean assembly.

Contribution of Lean Management to Excellence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

López-Fresno Palmira

2014-11-01

Full Text Available To continuously and systematically improve efficiency and efficacy of processes, organizations need the implication of all employees in continuous improvement and innovation through suitable Quality Management Programs (QMPs. Effectiveness of these programs is directly linked to the requirement employees understand the methodologies and tools used for QM and the benefits that will derivate from their implementation, individually and collectively, so they can commit and implicate. Lean Management is a friendly methodology to continuously and systematically achieve process improvement, so helping the organization seeking operational excellence that contributes to overall excellence. This paper identifies Critical Success Factors (CSFs for an effective implementation of QMPs, suggests Lean Management as an easy-to-understand, powerful and friendly methodology for operational excellence and overall excellence, and presents a case experience of implementation of Lean Management in a health care organization that applies the EFQM model, and the lessons learnt.

The Influence of Lean on K-12 District Management: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Beverly

2011-01-01

For decades, policymakers and educators have focused on public school equity and adequacy, while paying little attention to efficiency. This qualitative single case study was designed to capture explicit information about Lean management, operations, and culture in a K-12 Michigan school district engaged in Lean training and implementation for a…

Lean Manufacturing, Mass Customization and their relationships - empirical findings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christiansen, Thomas Bøhm

2004-01-01

manufacturing companies in 2001-02. This study fills a void in existing research by exploring relationships between bundles of lean manufacturing practices and bundles of mass customization practices. This study is based on a questionnaire that is developed from two existing questionnaires each investigating...... bundles of lean manufacturing practices and bundles of mass customization practices separately. Here, these bundles of practices are related. The results indicate that there are no direct relationships between the lean manufacturing and the mass customization practices, but that the combination of some...... sets of practices can explain differences in performance on important dimensions. The general conclusion, however, is that there are only weak relationships between the two concepts, hence this study suggests that the concepts of lean manufacturing and mass customization at present are more mutually...

Antecedents and characteristics of lean thinking implementation in a Swedish hospital: a case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ulhassan, Waqar; Sandahl, Christer; Westerlund, Hugo; Henriksson, Peter; Bennermo, Marie; von Thiele Schwarz, Ulrica; Thor, Johan

2013-01-01

Despite the reported success of Lean in health care settings, it is unclear why and how organizations adopt Lean and how Lean transforms work design and, in turn, affects employees' work. This study investigated a cardiology department's journey to adopt and adapt Lean. The investigation was focused on the rationale and evolution of the Lean adoption to illuminate how a department with a long quality improvement history arrived at the decision to introduce Lean, and how Lean influenced employees' daily work. This is an explanatory single case study based on semistructured interviews, nonparticipant observations, and document studies. Guided by a Lean model, we undertook manifest content analysis of the data. We found that previous improvement efforts may facilitate the introduction of Lean but may be less important when forecasting whether Lean will be sustained over time. Contextual factors seemed to influence both what Lean tools were implemented and how well the changes were sustained. For example, adoption of Lean varied with the degree to which staff saw a need for change. Work redesign and teamwork were found helpful to improve patient care whereas problem solving was found helpful in keeping the staff engaged and sustaining the results over time.

Lean information management

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hammer, D.K.

1997-01-01

The concept of a Lean Enterprise has proven to be extremely valuable for making companies fit for today's competitive business environment. Lean Information Management denotes the type of information management that is appropriate for such all organization. According to the paradigm of a Lean

Lean production

OpenAIRE

Veselková, Jana

2011-01-01

The goal of this Bachelor's Thesis is to describe the general principles of lean production and afterwards apply these principles in a particular company. Due to the changing conditions on the world market is among companies growing concern about such innovative business systems. The theoretical part of this work deals with the general characteristics of lean production, including their history and focus on Toyota, as the originator of most lean systems. Mentioned are also the economic aspect...

EPA Lean Government Initiative: How to Replicate Lean Successes

Science.gov (United States)

This Lean Replication Primer describes how EPA Offices and Regions can identify and adapt successful practices from previous Lean projects to “replicate” their successes and generate further improvements.

A Lean Six Sigma program in higher education

KAUST Repository

Svensson, Carsten

2015-01-01

Purpose The objective of this paper is to contribute to the body of Lean Six Sigma knowledge within the field of higher education institutions. The paper will review the initial phase of an implementation and highlight future challenges of applying the Lean Six Sigma method in a complex transactional environment. Design/methodology/approach The observations presented in this paper originate from rolling out a large Lean Six Sigma implementation at a recently established university. The paper is supported with secondary data from literature. Findings The implementation of Lean Six Sigma methodology at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) has resulted in improvements in business processes and efficiency. This has been achieved through project execution and training programs. Approximately 350 staff members have completed awareness training, 50 yellow belts and 150 green belts have been trained, and the first round of seven black belts have completed training of which two have completed certification. Research limitations/implications This paper is based on an empirical study of a single instance and the authors’ experiences as practitioners. Originality/value This paper is the first description of what is believed to be one of the largest implementations of Lean Six Sigma in higher education.

The effectiveness of lean manufacturing audits in measuring operational performance improvements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Taggart, P.

2013-08-01

Full Text Available The hypothesis that lean manufacturing audits are an effective way to measure improvements in operational performance was tested using 64 manufacturing sites owned by a FTSE 100 company. Commonly-used lean characteristics were evaluated: policy deployment, standardised work, visual management and housekeeping, quick changeover techniques, total productive maintenance, continuous improvement (kaizen, error proofing, cultural awareness, material control, and levelling (heijunka. Operational performance was assessed employing commonly-used operational performance measures: on-time-delivery, inventory turns, and direct labour utilisation. The findings are that lean manufacturing audits are effective in measuring improvements in operational performance provided that the audit scope and the lean characteristics are aligned up front.

Aplikace lean managementu ve vybrané firmě

OpenAIRE

Zeman, Tomáš

2014-01-01

Abstract: The bachelor thesis is about approaches of lean management in operational ma-nagement. This way of thinking is based on Japanese methods of lean management and continuous improvement kaizen. These methods aim to eliminate all types of wasteing, shorten lead time and increase quality of output. The bachelor thesis is divided into two parts. In the theoretical part will be described theoretical knowledge and practical part, which will include direct practical solutions to problems in ...

Lean management systems: creating a culture of continuous quality improvement.

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, David M; Silvester, Kate; Knowles, Simon

2013-08-01

This is the first in a series of articles describing the application of Lean management systems to Laboratory Medicine. Lean is the term used to describe a principle-based continuous quality improvement (CQI) management system based on the Toyota production system (TPS) that has been evolving for over 70 years. Its origins go back much further and are heavily influenced by the work of W Edwards Deming and the scientific method that forms the basis of most quality management systems. Lean has two fundamental elements--a systematic approach to process improvement by removing waste in order to maximise value for the end-user of the service and a commitment to respect, challenge and develop the people who work within the service to create a culture of continuous improvement. Lean principles have been applied to a growing number of Healthcare systems throughout the world to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of services for patients and a number of laboratories from all the pathology disciplines have used Lean to shorten turnaround times, improve quality (reduce errors) and improve productivity. Increasingly, models used to plan and implement large scale change in healthcare systems, including the National Health Service (NHS) change model, have evidence-based improvement methodologies (such as Lean CQI) as a core component. Consequently, a working knowledge of improvement methodology will be a core skill for Pathologists involved in leadership and management.

Analysis Of Lean Accounting JIT And Balance Scorecard In The Companys Lean Manufacturing

OpenAIRE

Irwan Sutirman Wahdiat

2015-01-01

This research purpose to analyze the concept of Lean Manufacturing which is influenced by the role of JIT. This research uses a theoretical approach. This study portrait thinking companies that have yet to implement lean manufacturing and after doing the concept of lean manufacturing. This study shows that the concept of lean manufacturing can make the company more efficient and effective. This paper shows some lean manufacturing dimensions of the researchers previous researchers. This study ...

How does lean work in emergency care? A case study of a lean-inspired intervention at the Astrid Lindgren Children's hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.

Science.gov (United States)

Mazzocato, Pamela; Holden, Richard J; Brommels, Mats; Aronsson, Håkan; Bäckman, Ulrika; Elg, Mattias; Thor, Johan

2012-02-01

There is growing interest in applying lean thinking in healthcare, yet, there is still limited knowledge of how and why lean interventions succeed (or fail). To address this gap, this in-depth case study examines a lean-inspired intervention in a Swedish pediatric Accident and Emergency department. We used a mixed methods explanatory single case study design. Hospital performance data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and statistical process control techniques to assess changes in performance one year before and two years after the intervention. We collected qualitative data through non-participant observations, semi-structured interviews, and internal documents to describe the process and content of the lean intervention. We then analyzed empirical findings using four theoretical lean principles (Spear and Bowen 1999) to understand how and why the intervention worked in its local context as well as to identify its strengths and weaknesses. Improvements in waiting and lead times (19-24%) were achieved and sustained in the two years following lean-inspired changes to employee roles, staffing and scheduling, communication and coordination, expertise, workspace layout, and problem solving. These changes resulted in improvement because they: (a) standardized work and reduced ambiguity, (b) connected people who were dependent on one another, (c) enhanced seamless, uninterrupted flow through the process, and (d) empowered staff to investigate problems and to develop countermeasures using a "scientific method". Contextual factors that may explain why not even greater improvement was achieved included: a mismatch between job tasks, licensing constraints, and competence; a perception of being monitored, and discomfort with inter-professional collaboration. Drawing on Spear and Bowen's theoretical propositions, this study explains how a package of lean-like changes translated into better care process management. It adds new knowledge regarding how lean

Sustainable cost reduction by lean management in metallurgical processes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. V. Todorut

2016-10-01

Full Text Available This paper focuses on the need for sustainable cost reduction in the metallurgical industry by applying Lean Management (LM tools and concepts in metallurgical production processes leading to increased competitiveness of corporations in a global market. The paper highlights that Lean Management is a novel way of thinking, adapting to change, reducing waste and continuous improvement, leading to sustainable development of companies in the metallurgical industry. The authors outline the main Lean Management instruments based on recent scientific research and include a comparative analysis of other tools, such as Sort, Straighten, Shine, Standardize, Sustain (5S, Visual Management (VM, Kaizen, Total Productive Maintenance (TPM, Single-Minute Exchange of Dies (SMED, leading to a critical appraisal of their application in the metallurgical industry.

Single-particle Glauber matrix elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oset, E.; Strottman, D.

1983-01-01

The single-particle matrix elements of the Glauber profile function are tabulated for harmonic oscillator single-particle wave functions. The tables are presented in such a manner as to be applicable if the hadron--nucleon elementary scattering amplitude is specified by either a partial wave expansion or a Gaussian in momentum transfer squared. The table is complete through the 1 g/sub 9/2/ orbital and contains entries for the 3s/sub 1/2/ orbital for use if realistic wave functions are expanded in terms of harmonic oscillator functions

Aplikace lean managementu v konkrétní společnosti

OpenAIRE

Kleinová, Kateřina

2013-01-01

The aim of this work is to analyze the effectiveness of processes and administration in a particular project in the company of engineering sector and to suggest possible measures to help the company become lean. The theoretical part presents the issue of lean management, describes its history and basic elements, corporate culture and also the philosophy of the Toyota Production System. This thesis also describes in detail particular methodological tools, including Kaizen philosophy, furthermo...

Lean and Six Sigma Methodologies in NHS Scotland: An Empirical Study and Directions for Future Research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiju Antony

2012-12-01

Full Text Available In recent years, the healthcare industry is constantly concerned to provide better quality of patient care with less waste of resources through application of continuous improvement (CI initiatives such as Lean and Six Sigma. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the status of Lean and Six Sigma methodologies in the National Health Service (NHS Scotland. Data was collected using survey instrument to determine the status of these strategies within the NHS. Although the personnel of NHS do seem to have the basic skills to successfully implement Lean Six Sigma, there appears to be a failure on the part of senior management to successfully communicate the desires and needs of these powerful CI initiatives with personnel. Moreover, a lack of encouragement and motivation, resistance to change and blame culture are quite prevalent across the sector which prevents Lean and Six Sigma strategies from being utilized in a systematic manner.

Making it lean applying lean practices to the work of it

CERN Document Server

Williams, Howard

2013-01-01

Making IT Lean: Applying Lean Practices to the Work of IT presents Lean concepts and techniques for improving processes and eliminating waste in IT operations and IT Service Management, in a manner that is easy to understand. The authors provide a context for discussing several areas of application within this domain, allowing you to quickly gain insight into IT processes and Lean principles.The text reviews IT Service Management, with reference to the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL®) as a framework for best practices-explaining how to use it to accommod

Intermittent hypoxia induces hyperlipidemia in lean mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jianguo; Thorne, Laura N; Punjabi, Naresh M; Sun, Cheuk-Kwan; Schwartz, Alan R; Smith, Philip L; Marino, Rafael L; Rodriguez, Annabelle; Hubbard, Walter C; O'Donnell, Christopher P; Polotsky, Vsevolod Y

2005-09-30

Obstructive sleep apnea, a syndrome leading to recurrent intermittent hypoxia (IH), has been associated previously with hypercholesterolemia, independent of underlying obesity. We examined the effects of experimentally induced IH on serum lipid levels and pathways of lipid metabolism in the absence and presence of obesity. Lean C57BL/6J mice and leptin-deficient obese C57BL/6J-Lep(ob) mice were exposed to IH for five days to determine changes in serum lipid profile, liver lipid content, and expression of key hepatic genes of lipid metabolism. In lean mice, exposure to IH increased fasting serum levels of total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, phospholipids (PLs), and triglycerides (TGs), as well as liver TG content. These changes were not observed in obese mice, which had hyperlipidemia and fatty liver at baseline. In lean mice, IH increased sterol regulatory element binding protein 1 (SREBP-1) levels in the liver, increased mRNA and protein levels of stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase 1 (SCD-1), an important gene of TG and PL biosynthesis controlled by SREBP-1, and increased monounsaturated fatty acid content in serum, which indicated augmented SCD-1 activity. In addition, in lean mice, IH decreased protein levels of scavenger receptor B1, regulating uptake of cholesterol esters and HDL by the liver. We conclude that exposure to IH for five days increases serum cholesterol and PL levels, upregulates pathways of TG and PL biosynthesis, and inhibits pathways of cholesterol uptake in the liver in the lean state but does not exacerbate the pre-existing hyperlipidemia and metabolic disturbances in leptin-deficient obesity.

Lean Startup and Lean Canvas Using for Innovative Product Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alena Buchalcevová

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Recently, new approaches to product development have emerged that focus on idea generation techniques and customer itself. One of them is the Lean Startup method that is described in this article along with the Lean Canvas method. The main goal of the article is to demonstrate the application of both methods to an innovative product development focused on providing interactive trips for families with children. The development of the product during individual phases is described and application of the Lean Startup and Lean Canvas principles is demonstrated. Finally, benefits of both methods contributing to the product success are discussed. Similar case studies start emerging worldwide, however in the Czech context are quite rare.

Moving on - beyond lean thinking

OpenAIRE

Koskela, Lauri

2004-01-01

Lean Thinking is currently often positioned as the underlying theory of lean production among practitioners and academics, although its originators, Womack and Jones, seem not to have presented it as a theory. This paper endeavors to analyze whether Lean Thinking can be viewed as a theory of lean production. For this purpose, a critical assessment of Lean Thinking is carried out. Lean Thinking is argued to lack an adequate conceptualization of production, which has led to imprecise concepts, ...

lean-ISD.

Science.gov (United States)

Wallace, Guy W.

2001-01-01

Explains lean instructional systems design/development (ISD) as it relates to curriculum architecture design, based on Japan's lean production system. Discusses performance-based systems; ISD models; processes for organizational training and development; curriculum architecture to support job performance; and modular curriculum development. (LRW)

Lean Leadership - Organizational Buy - Ins

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dr. Revathi Iyer

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Great organizations have become leaders due to their leadership and sustainable initiatives. One such initiative is adoption of lean leadership to align core strategies with all functional areas of business. Leadership is likely to take place in a lean environment because improvements that happen are continual and can only be supported by leadership which understands this important aspect. The topic of lean leadership organizational buy ins speaks on how lean leadership could affect organizations that adopt lean and other quality tools. Purpose of the study This study has been undertaken to understand When leadership more of is likely to take place in lean . Leadership plays a very important role while adopting lean processes and how lean leadership can address the process problem. Application of leadership lenses to lean processes needs great foresight thought and creativity. It has been also observed that lean management and lean processes can happen only if leadership is able to effectively communicate the thought of continual improvement to bring in a lean organization and a future state of processes where everything of a firm process and procedure is continually improving and the best strategies to manage this change becomes a philosophy. Lean leadership is associated with such a change. This enables leadership vision to be clear as it paves the way for current state and is clear to everyone. It is this leadership vision which enables employees to think and act in a way that perpetrates continual improvement. Hence leadership buys ins for lean are very necessary. The purpose of the study is also to understand how leaders can not only use cost reduction but also reducing time-to-market improving service quality and reducing risk exposure by adopting lean methods . it has been also seen that there is overall productivity and efficiency in organizations holistically when leadership endorses lean methodology. Radnor Z. and Bucci G. 2007

Performance effect of Lean

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristensen, Thomas Borup; Israelsen, Poul

2016-01-01

To understand how the practices of Lean affect performance, we tested and validated a system-wide approach using mediating relationships in a structural equation model. We used a cross-sectional survey of 200 Danish companies that indicated that they used Lean. Thus, this study is especially...... relevant to Denmark, but the approach is empirically more generalizable. We show that the effect of Lean standardized flow production practices on performance is mediated by analytical continuous improvement empowerment practices and by delegation of decision rights practices. Thus, standardized flow...... of decision rights. The paper provides evidence that supports the view that middle managers’ actions further enhance performance in Lean companies. The right Lean behavior by middle managers increases the level of analytical continuous improvement empowerment. In total, high-performing Lean companies...

Readiness factors for lean implementation in healthcare settings--a literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Balushi, S; Sohal, A S; Singh, P J; Al Hajri, A; Al Farsi, Y M; Al Abri, R

2014-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to determine the readiness factors that are critical to the application and success of lean operating principles in healthcare organizations through a review of relevant literature. A comprehensive review of literature focussing on lean and lean healthcare was conducted. Leadership, organizational culture, communication, training, measurement, and reward systems are all commonly attributed readiness factors throughout general change management and lean literature. However, directly related to the successful implementation of lean in healthcare is that a setting is able to authorize a decentralized management style and undertake an end-to-end process view. These can be particularly difficult initiatives for complex organizations such as healthcare settings. The readiness factors identified are based on a review of the published literature. The external validity of the findings could be enhanced if tested using an empirical study. The readiness factors identified will enable healthcare practitioners to be better prepared as they begin their lean journeys. Sustainability of the lean initiative will be at stake if these readiness factors are not addressed. To the best of the knowledge, this is the first paper that provides a consolidated list of key lean readiness factors that can guide practice, as well as future theory and empirical research.

Lean Principles’Potential Measurement Framework for Service Organization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. D. Vadhvani

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Role of service sector can be considered vital as these industries are accountable for accelerating the major functions of the secondary organizations. Hence it is a very important element of economy in enhancing competitive dimensions- quality, flexibility, cost and delivery. Improvement initiatives such as Total Quality Management, Lean Practices, and Leansigma focus on increasing the competitive dimensions. Among these Lean Practices are having the inherent principles of reducing the cost and increasing the quality by focusing the non value added activities from the value chain of the service or product. Lean Principles (LPs are being practiced since long by the organizations of secondary sectors and followed by that of the tertiary sectors. Albeit the reported improvement achieved are limited by the drawbacks such as lack of proper set of guidelines, partial features of measurable characteristics, lack of guideline for measurement. Present work proposes a measurement frame work with aids of flowchart and questionnaire for measuring the potential of LPs in service organization which help them to take accompanying initiatives to implement the LPs.

How does lean work in emergency care? A case study of a lean-inspired intervention at the Astrid Lindgren Children's hospital, Stockholm, Sweden

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mazzocato Pamela

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background There is growing interest in applying lean thinking in healthcare, yet, there is still limited knowledge of how and why lean interventions succeed (or fail. To address this gap, this in-depth case study examines a lean-inspired intervention in a Swedish pediatric Accident and Emergency department. Methods We used a mixed methods explanatory single case study design. Hospital performance data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA and statistical process control techniques to assess changes in performance one year before and two years after the intervention. We collected qualitative data through non-participant observations, semi-structured interviews, and internal documents to describe the process and content of the lean intervention. We then analyzed empirical findings using four theoretical lean principles (Spear and Bowen 1999 to understand how and why the intervention worked in its local context as well as to identify its strengths and weaknesses. Results Improvements in waiting and lead times (19-24% were achieved and sustained in the two years following lean-inspired changes to employee roles, staffing and scheduling, communication and coordination, expertise, workspace layout, and problem solving. These changes resulted in improvement because they: (a standardized work and reduced ambiguity, (b connected people who were dependent on one another, (c enhanced seamless, uninterrupted flow through the process, and (d empowered staff to investigate problems and to develop countermeasures using a "scientific method". Contextual factors that may explain why not even greater improvement was achieved included: a mismatch between job tasks, licensing constraints, and competence; a perception of being monitored, and discomfort with inter-professional collaboration. Conclusions Drawing on Spear and Bowen's theoretical propositions, this study explains how a package of lean-like changes translated into better care process

How does lean work in emergency care? A case study of a lean-inspired intervention at the Astrid Lindgren Children's hospital, Stockholm, Sweden

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background There is growing interest in applying lean thinking in healthcare, yet, there is still limited knowledge of how and why lean interventions succeed (or fail). To address this gap, this in-depth case study examines a lean-inspired intervention in a Swedish pediatric Accident and Emergency department. Methods We used a mixed methods explanatory single case study design. Hospital performance data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and statistical process control techniques to assess changes in performance one year before and two years after the intervention. We collected qualitative data through non-participant observations, semi-structured interviews, and internal documents to describe the process and content of the lean intervention. We then analyzed empirical findings using four theoretical lean principles (Spear and Bowen 1999) to understand how and why the intervention worked in its local context as well as to identify its strengths and weaknesses. Results Improvements in waiting and lead times (19-24%) were achieved and sustained in the two years following lean-inspired changes to employee roles, staffing and scheduling, communication and coordination, expertise, workspace layout, and problem solving. These changes resulted in improvement because they: (a) standardized work and reduced ambiguity, (b) connected people who were dependent on one another, (c) enhanced seamless, uninterrupted flow through the process, and (d) empowered staff to investigate problems and to develop countermeasures using a "scientific method". Contextual factors that may explain why not even greater improvement was achieved included: a mismatch between job tasks, licensing constraints, and competence; a perception of being monitored, and discomfort with inter-professional collaboration. Conclusions Drawing on Spear and Bowen's theoretical propositions, this study explains how a package of lean-like changes translated into better care process management. It adds

Improving Healthcare through Lean Management

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Anders Paarup; Edwards, Kasper

2011-01-01

The ideas and principles from lean management are now widely being adopted within the healthcare sector. The analysis in this paper shows that organizations within healthcare most often only implement a limited set of tools and methods from the lean tool-box. Departing from a theoretical analysis...... of the well-known and universal lean management principles in the context of the healthcare this paper will attempt to formulate and test four hypotheses about possible barriers to the successful implementation of lean management in healthcare. The first hypothesis states that lean management in healthcare....... The paper concludes by discussing the implications of hypothesis two, three, and four for the successful application of lean management within healthcare. Is it concluded that this requires a transformative and contingent approach to lean management where the universal principles of the lean philosophy...

Lean programm as a method of managing lean changes in the company

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suetina Tatiana Aleksandrovna

2012-12-01

Full Text Available This article is about methods and ways of providing changes on enterprices which introduce instruments of lean production. The main accent is how to use metodology of the project management by providing lean-changes. Lean program is proposed as a program of strategic developement of enterprices.

Physical model construction for electrical anisotropy of single crystal zinc oxide micro/nanobelt using finite element method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, Guangbin; Tang, Chaolong; Song, Jinhui; Lu, Wenqiang

2014-01-01

Based on conductivity characterization of single crystal zinc oxide (ZnO) micro/nanobelt (MB/NB), we further investigate the physical mechanism of nonlinear intrinsic resistance-length characteristic using finite element method. By taking the same parameters used in experiment, a model of nonlinear anisotropic resistance change with single crystal MB/NB has been deduced, which matched the experiment characterization well. The nonlinear resistance-length comes from the different electron moving speed in various crystal planes. As the direct outcome, crystallography of the anisotropic semiconducting MB/NB has been identified, which could serve as a simple but effective method to identify crystal growth direction of single crystal semiconducting or conductive nanomaterial

Implementation of lean leadership

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Trenkner Małgorzata

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The Toyota case proves that lean leadership is of critical importance for the successful implementation and permanent functioning of Lean Production System. There is no ready formula for developing Toyota style lean leadership. However, one may gain inspiration from its experience.

Dissemination strategy for Lean thinking in health care.

Science.gov (United States)

Dannapfel, Petra; Poksinska, Bozena; Thomas, Kristin

2014-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to knowledge about dissemination strategies for Lean thinking throughout multiple healthcare organisations. The Ostergötland county council, Sweden (CCO) was chosen as a case study for an healthcare Lean-thinking dissemination strategies. Document analysis and interviews were used and results were compared with similar strategies employed by staff at the National Health Service Institute for Innovation (NHSI) and improvement in Great Britain and the Odense University Hospital in Denmark. The Lean improvement programme was introduced to tackle challenges such as an ageing society, rising care expectations and budgetary and economic constraints. It was designed as a long-term programme to create added value for patients and employee involvement. The dissemination strategy was: forming clear visions and objectives; piloting; training potential adopters; and formal dissemination. The CCO strategy was focused primarily on managers and was not meant to involve all staff until the implementation stage. Staff at the NHSI attempted to address nurses needs during dissemination, which questioned whether the CCO managers' dissemination strategy is sustainable. This paper inspires healthcare managers and decision makers who aim to disseminate Lean production in their organisations. There are many case studies describing Lean implementation in single healthcare organisations, but little is known about effective dissemination and implementation strategies in large healthcare systems. The authors, therefore, suggest activities for developing and implementing dissemination strategies in multiple healthcare organisations.

Lean leadership: an ethnographic study.

Science.gov (United States)

Aij, Kjeld Harald; Visse, Merel; Widdershoven, Guy A M

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study is to provide a critical analysis of contemporary Lean leadership in the context of a healthcare practice. The Lean leadership model supports professionals with a leading role in implementing Lean. This article presents a case study focusing specifically on leadership behaviours and issues that were experienced, observed and reported in a Dutch university medical centre. This ethnographic case study provides auto-ethnographic accounts based on experiences, participant observation, interviews and document analysis. Characteristics of Lean leadership were identified to establish an understanding of how to achieve successful Lean transformation. This study emphasizes the importance for Lean leaders to go to the gemba, to see the situation for one's own self, empower health-care employees and be modest. All of these are critical attributes in defining the Lean leadership mindset. In this case study, Lean leadership is specifically related to healthcare, but certain common leadership characteristics are relevant across all fields. This article shows the value of an auto-ethnographic view on management learning for the analysis of Lean leadership. The knowledge acquired through this research is based on the first author's experiences in fulfilling his role as a health-care leader. This may help the reader examining his/her own role and reflecting on what matters most in the field of Lean leadership.

LEAN and energy efficiency; Lean og energieffektivisering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jespersen, Per T; Vesterager Christensen, D; Andersen, Hans [Teknologisk Institut, Energi og Klima, Taastrup (Denmark); Dam Wied, M; Dam, M [NRGi Raadgivning, Aarhus (Denmark); Thorndahl, M [Horsens Kommune, Horsens (Denmark); Weldingh, P [Lokal Energi, Viby J. (Denmark); Maagoee, P; Kristensen, Kenneth T [Viegand og Maagoee, Copenhagen (Denmark); Kirketerp Friis, A [Novozymes, Bagsvaerd (Denmark)

2010-03-15

By means of theoretical reports and three specific cases, the project showed how Lean principles can improve energy consulting efficiency, thus making it easier for end-users and energy consultants to record and document energy savings achieved. The three cases documented various types of extra benefits of integrating energy efficiency improvement in Lean processes. As a result of process optimisation, one manufacturing company successfully reduced both staffing and energy consumption, thus making production in Denmark competitive with out-sourced production in Asia. (LN)

LEAN dig ikke tilbage

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Weirsøe, Mathilde

2011-01-01

Fit, slankere, hurtigst. Lean-konceptet ruller ind over de offentlige institutioner, hvor det skal trimme og effektivisere arbejdsprocesser. Men hvor er den maksimale grænse for effektivitet? Er der et ’tipping point’, hvor Lean ikke længere motiverer, men snarere udmatter......Fit, slankere, hurtigst. Lean-konceptet ruller ind over de offentlige institutioner, hvor det skal trimme og effektivisere arbejdsprocesser. Men hvor er den maksimale grænse for effektivitet? Er der et ’tipping point’, hvor Lean ikke længere motiverer, men snarere udmatter...

Orchestrating Lean Implementation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Riis, Jens Ove; Mikkelsen, Hans; Andersen, Jesper Rank

2008-01-01

The notion of Lean Manufacturing is not merely confined to a set of well defined techniques, but represents a broad approach to managing a company. Working with lean entails many aspects, such as production planning and control, production engineering, product development, supply chain......, and organizational issues. To become effective, many functional areas and departments must be involved. At the same time companies are embedded in a dynamic environment. The aim of the paper is to propose a comprehensive approach to better implementation of lean initiatives, based on two empirical studies. The paper...... will discuss how a concerted effort can be staged taking into account the interdependencies among individual improvement initiatives. The notion of orchestration will be introduced, and several means for orchestration will be presented. Critical behavioral issues for lean implementation will be discussed....

Single-stage three-phase AC to DC conversion with isolation and Bi-directional power flow

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vermulst, B.J.D.; Duarte, J.L.; Wijnands, C.G.E.; Lomonova, E.A.

2014-01-01

An approach for three-phase AC to DC conversion is proposed, which consists of a single-stage while offering galvanic isolation, soft-switching, bi-directional power flow and a significant reduction of inductive and capacitive energy storage. Two elements enable this approach, namely a neutral

Large meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies identifies five loci for lean body mass

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zillikens, M Carola; Demissie, Serkalem; Hsu, Yi-Hsiang

2017-01-01

Lean body mass, consisting mostly of skeletal muscle, is important for healthy aging. We performed a genome-wide association study for whole body (20 cohorts of European ancestry with n = 38,292) and appendicular (arms and legs) lean body mass (n = 28,330) measured using dual energy X-ray absorpt...... a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies for whole body lean body mass and find five novel genetic loci to be significantly associated.......-ray absorptiometry or bioelectrical impedance analysis, adjusted for sex, age, height, and fat mass. Twenty-one single-nucleotide polymorphisms were significantly associated with lean body mass either genome wide (p 

Rapidly-steered single-element ultrasound for real-time volumetric imaging and guidance

Science.gov (United States)

Stauber, Mark; Western, Craig; Solek, Roman; Salisbury, Kenneth; Hristov, Dmitre; Schlosser, Jeffrey

2016-03-01

Volumetric ultrasound (US) imaging has the potential to provide real-time anatomical imaging with high soft-tissue contrast in a variety of diagnostic and therapeutic guidance applications. However, existing volumetric US machines utilize "wobbling" linear phased array or matrix phased array transducers which are costly to manufacture and necessitate bulky external processing units. To drastically reduce cost, improve portability, and reduce footprint, we propose a rapidly-steered single-element volumetric US imaging system. In this paper we explore the feasibility of this system with a proof-of-concept single-element volumetric US imaging device. The device uses a multi-directional raster-scan technique to generate a series of two-dimensional (2D) slices that were reconstructed into three-dimensional (3D) volumes. At 15 cm depth, 90° lateral field of view (FOV), and 20° elevation FOV, the device produced 20-slice volumes at a rate of 0.8 Hz. Imaging performance was evaluated using an US phantom. Spatial resolution was 2.0 mm, 4.7 mm, and 5.0 mm in the axial, lateral, and elevational directions at 7.5 cm. Relative motion of phantom targets were automatically tracked within US volumes with a mean error of -0.3+/-0.3 mm, -0.3+/-0.3 mm, and -0.1+/-0.5 mm in the axial, lateral, and elevational directions, respectively. The device exhibited a mean spatial distortion error of 0.3+/-0.9 mm, 0.4+/-0.7 mm, and -0.3+/-1.9 in the axial, lateral, and elevational directions. With a production cost near $1000, the performance characteristics of the proposed system make it an ideal candidate for diagnostic and image-guided therapy applications where form factor and low cost are paramount.

Determination of the NOx Loading of an Automotive Lean NOx Trap by Directly Monitoring the Electrical Properties of the Catalyst Material Itself

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ralf Moos

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Recently, it has been shown that the degree of loading of several types of automotive exhaust aftertreatment devices can be directly monitored in situ and in a contactless way by a microwave-based method. The goal of this study was to clarify whether this method can also be applied to NOx storage and reduction catalysts (lean NOx traps in order to obtain further knowledge about the reactions occurring in the catalyst and to compare the results with those obtained by wirebound NOx loading sensors. It is shown that both methods are able to detect the different catalyst loading states. However, the sensitivity of the microwave-based method turned out to be small compared to that previously observed for other exhaust aftertreatment devices. This may limit the practical applicability of the microwave-based NOx loading detection in lean NOx traps.

Cultural Aspects when Implementing Lean Production and Lean Product Development – Experiences from a Swedish Perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Promporn Wangwacharakul

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Lean principles and methods, originating in a Japanese cultural context, have spread to a large number of companies throughout the world. The aim of this case study research is to identify and compare national cultural aspects that influence Lean Production and Lean Product Development implementation in Swedish companies. Data were collected through questionnaires, interviews and an industrial workshop with Swedish Lean practitioners. The study shows that some sub-areas in Lean, such as value definition, control systems, leadership, team development, knowledge management, and strategies, are highly dependent on contextual factors related to human, cultural and organizational aspects. These are related to the national culture and should be considered to a higher extent for successful sustainable implementation of Lean in different cultural contexts. As for implementing Lean in Sweden, national cultural characteristics, such as individualism, autonomy and supportive management style fit well with Lean thinking.

The Regional Special Operations Headquarters: Franchising the NATO Model as a Hedge in Lean Times

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-01

1 AIR FORCE FELLOWS AIR UNIVERSITY THE REGIONAL SPECIAL OPERATIONS HEADQUARTERS: FRANCHISING THE NATO MODEL AS A HEDGE IN LEAN...Headquarters: Franchising The NATO Model As A Hedge In Lean Times 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d...it is not copyrighted, but is the property of the United States government. 3 The Regional Special Operations Headquarters: Franchising the

Diccionario Lean Manufacturing

OpenAIRE

Muñoz Ellner, Sarah María

2016-01-01

El Diccionario Bilingüe de Lean Manufacturing pretende ser un instrumento de apoyo a todo aquel que tenga la responsabilidad de planear, ejecutar o simplemente algún interés con las actividades de Lean Manufacturing, aportando así también conceptos claros tanto en castellano como en inglés, con el fin de entender de forma integral el alcance mismo que puede llegar a tener dicha filosofía, al igual que se proporcionara una serie de siglas y herramientas para la implementación del Lean Manufact...

Impedance matching through a single passive fractional element

KAUST Repository

Radwan, Ahmed Gomaa

2012-07-01

For the first time, a generalized admittance Smith chart theory is introduced to represent fractional order circuit elements. The principles of fractional order matching circuits are described. We show that for fractional order α < 1, a single parallel fractional element can match a wider range of load impedances as compared to its series counterpart. Several matching examples demonstrate the versatility of fractional order series and parallel element matching as compared to the conventional approach. © 2012 IEEE.

Clinical and Metabolic Characterization of Lean Caucasian Subjects With Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver.

Science.gov (United States)

Feldman, Alexandra; Eder, Sebastian K; Felder, Thomas K; Kedenko, Lyudmyla; Paulweber, Bernhard; Stadlmayr, Andreas; Huber-Schönauer, Ursula; Niederseer, David; Stickel, Felix; Auer, Simon; Haschke-Becher, Elisabeth; Patsch, Wolfgang; Datz, Christian; Aigner, Elmar

2017-01-01

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is closely linked to obesity; however, 5-8% of lean subjects also have evidence of NAFLD. We aimed to investigate clinical, genetic, metabolic and lifestyle characteristics in lean Caucasian subjects with NAFLD. Data from 187 subjects allocated to one of the three groups according to body mass index (BMI) and hepatic steatosis on ultrasound were obtained: lean healthy (BMI≤25 kg/m 2 , no steatosis, N=71), lean NAFLD (BMI≤25 kg/m 2 , steatosis, N=55), obese NAFLD (BMI≥30 kg/m 2 , steatosis; N=61). All subjects received a detailed clinical and laboratory examination including oral glucose tolerance test. The serum metabolome was assessed using the Metabolomics AbsoluteIDQ p180 kit (BIOCRATES Life Sciences). Genotyping for single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with NAFLD was performed. Lean NAFLD subjects had fasting insulin concentrations similar to lean healthy subjects but had markedly impaired glucose tolerance. Lean NAFLD subjects had a higher rate of the mutant PNPLA3 CG/GG variant compared to lean controls (P=0.007). Serum adiponectin concentrations were decreased in both NAFLD groups compared to controls (Pphosphatidylcholines (PCaa C36:3; false discovery rate (FDR)-corrected P-value<0.001) as well as lysine, tyrosine, and valine (FDR<0.001). Lean subjects with evidence of NAFLD have clinically relevant impaired glucose tolerance, low adiponectin concentrations and a distinct metabolite profile with an increased rate of PNPLA3 risk allele carriage.

Lean management beyond manufacturing a holistic approach

CERN Document Server

Bhasin, Sanjay

2015-01-01

Exploring Lean manufacturing in a holistic manner, this book helps organizations to implement Lean principles successfully by offering theoretical, empirical and practical knowledge. It empirically demonstrates how a successful Lean initiative can improve organizational efficiency, and incorporates valuable primary research to substantiate findings. It argues that Lean principles need to be applied throughout the value chain in order to be successful , and suggests that these tools need to be aligned with culture and change management. Chapters examine issues including Lean cultures, impediments to Lean, Lean and performance measurement, and the impact of Lean. Viewing Lean as a never-ending journey, this book provides a valuable resource to practising Lean managers, and specialist researchers and students, and also offers an important reference for organizations embarking on their Lean voyage.

Lean approach in knowledge work

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hanna Kropsu-Vehkapera

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Purpose: Knowledge work productivity is a key area of improvement for many organisations. Lean approach is a sustainable way to achieve operational excellence and can be applied in many areas. The purpose of this novel study is to examine the potential of using lean approach for improving knowledge work practices. Design/methodology/approach: A systematic literature review has been carried out to study how lean approach is realised in knowledge work. The research is conceptual in nature and draws upon earlier research findings. Findings: This study shows that lean studies’ in knowledge work is an emerging research area. This study documents the methods and practices implemented in knowledge work to date, and presents a knowledge work continuum, which is an essential framework for effective lean approach deployment and to frame future research focus in knowledge work productivity. Research limitations/implications: This study structures the concept of knowledge work and outlines a concrete concept derived from earlier literature. The study summarises the literature on lean in knowledge work and highlights, which methods are used. More research is needed to understand how lean can be implemented in complex knowledge work environment and not only on the repetitive knowledge work. The limitations of this research are due to the limited availability of previous research. Practical implications: To analyse the nature of knowledge work, we implicate the areas where lean methods especially apply to improving knowledge work productivity. When applying lean in knowledge work context the focus should be using the people better and improving information flow. Originality/value: This study focuses on adapting lean methods into a knowledge work context and summarises earlier research done in this field. The study discusses the potential to improve knowledge work productivity by implementing lean methods and presents a unique knowledge work continuum to

Lean and Information Technology Toolkit

Science.gov (United States)

The Lean and Information Technology Toolkit is a how-to guide which provides resources to environmental agencies to help them use Lean Startup, Lean process improvement, and Agile tools to streamline and automate processes.

Lean Production : Werkzeuge zur Realisierung

OpenAIRE

Binner, Hartmut F.

2008-01-01

INHALT: l. Einleitung und Standortbestimmung 2. Japanische Wertvorstellungen 3. Inhalte der Lean Production 4. Fertigungssegmentierung 5. Informationsmanagement mit CIM- und Logistik-Komponenten 6. Logistikgerechte Strukturen der Lean Production 7. Realisierung der Lean Production 8. Zusammenfassung

Sequential induction of three recombination directionality factors directs assembly of tripartite integrative and conjugative elements.

Science.gov (United States)

Haskett, Timothy L; Terpolilli, Jason J; Ramachandran, Vinoy K; Verdonk, Callum J; Poole, Phillip S; O'Hara, Graham W; Ramsay, Joshua P

2018-03-01

Tripartite integrative and conjugative elements (ICE3) are a novel form of ICE that exist as three separate DNA regions integrated within the genomes of Mesorhizobium spp. Prior to conjugative transfer the three ICE3 regions of M. ciceri WSM1271 ICEMcSym1271 combine and excise to form a single circular element. This assembly requires three coordinated recombination events involving three site-specific recombinases IntS, IntG and IntM. Here, we demonstrate that three excisionases-or recombination directionality factors-RdfS, RdfG and RdfM are required for ICE3 excision. Transcriptome sequencing revealed that expression of ICE3 transfer and conjugation genes was induced by quorum sensing. Quorum sensing activated expression of rdfS, and in turn RdfS stimulated transcription of both rdfG and rdfM. Therefore, RdfS acts as a "master controller" of ICE3 assembly and excision. The dependence of all three excisive reactions on RdfS ensures that ICE3 excision occurs via a stepwise sequence of recombination events that avoids splitting the chromosome into a non-viable configuration. These discoveries expose a surprisingly simple control system guiding molecular assembly of these novel and complex mobile genetic elements and highlight the diverse and critical functions of excisionase proteins in control of horizontal gene transfer.

The integration of lean, green and best practice business principles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Annelize Wiese

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Background: Whilst there are separate streams of established research on lean, green and best practice initiatives, the intersection of these three strategic principles has not been addressed extensively in the past. Objectives: In this study a framework to integrate lean, green and best practice principles into an integrated business model was developed as a strategy for businesses to develop sustainable competitive advantages. Method: A descriptive case study was conducted on Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM to understand whether a clear link between the company’s environmental approach, lean principles and established best practice culture could be determined. In addition, the case study tested the view that the implementation of these three principles concurrently resulted in improved business results. Results: The main findings of the study revealed that TSAM’s commitment to lean, green and best practice business principles contributed and was directly linked to its business success in terms of sales and market position. Conclusion: It is recommended that businesses implement an integrated lean, green and best practice business model as a strategy to reduce costs and sustainably enhance profitably and competitiveness.

Teaching Lean Manufacturing with Simulations and Games: A Survey and Future Directions

Science.gov (United States)

Badurdeen, Fazleena; Marksberry, Philip; Hall, Arlie; Gregory, Bob

2010-01-01

Problem-based learning focuses on small groups using authentic problems as a means to help participants obtain knowledge and problem-solving skills. This approach makes problem-based learning ideal for teaching lean manufacturing, which is driven by a culture of problem solving that values learning as one key output of manufacturing production.…

Researching Lean: Methodological Implications of Loose Definitions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mikael Brännmark

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Recently, Lean Production (Lean has become a prevailing management concept in Sweden. However, previous research seems to show that the Lean concept and the impact of Lean vary considerably between organizations. This paper illustrates some key methodological issues that need to be considered when researching loosely defined management concepts such as Lean. The paper is based on a review of the literature and five comparative Swedish cases studies. Our study indicates that Lean has changed over time and that operationalization and interpretations of the concept vary considerably. This study concludes that future Lean studies should include a thorough assessment of the Lean interventions, study settings, and in particular non-Lean factors mediating the outcomes of Lean-inspired change programs.

Lean Application to Manufacturing Ramp-Up

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Irene; Rymaszewska, Anna

2016-01-01

. Abstracting from the extant literature, the authors considered the competitiveness of manufacturing companies from two principal perspectives: the leanness of the ramp-up process and the new-value creation of quality managers. While much of the literature fails to acknowledge that the roots of lean actually......This article provides a theoretical overview of the concepts of lean and manufacturing ramp-up in an attempt to conceptualize the strategic areas in which lean philosophy and principles can be applied for continuous improvements. The application of lean principles during the final stage of a new...... product development process, that is, the ramp-up process, is a critical, early enabler of lean manufacturing. The manufacturing strategy literature conceptualizes a state of “leanness in operations,” which can consolidate both the concepts of lean and manufacturing ramp-up, providing a dual perspective...

LEAN thinking in Finnish healthcare.

Science.gov (United States)

Jorma, Tapani; Tiirinki, Hanna; Bloigu, Risto; Turkki, Leena

2016-01-01

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to evaluate how LEAN thinking is used as a management and development tool in the Finnish public healthcare system and what kind of outcomes have been achieved or expected by using it. The main focus is in managing and developing patient and treatment processes. Design/methodology/approach - A mixed-method approach incorporating the Webropol survey was used. Findings - LEAN is quite a new concept in Finnish public healthcare. It is mainly used as a development tool to seek financial savings and to improve the efficiency of patient processes, but has not yet been deeply implemented. However, the experiences from LEAN initiatives have been positive, and the methodology is already quite well-known. It can be concluded that, because of positive experiences from LEAN, the environment in Finnish healthcare is ready for the deeper implementation of LEAN. Originality/value - This paper evaluates the usage of LEAN thinking for the first time in the public healthcare system of Finland as a development tool and a management system. It highlights the implementation and achieved results of LEAN thinking when used in the healthcare environment. It also highlights the expectations for LEAN thinking in Finnish public healthcare.

Distribution of inorganic elements in single cells of Chara corallina

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Zijie; Zhang Zhiyong; Chai Zhifang; Yu Ming; Zhou Yunlong

2005-01-01

There are actually 20 chemical elements necessary or beneficial for plant growth. Carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen are supplied by air and water. The six macronutrients, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium., calcium, magnesium, and sulfur are required by plants in large amounts. The rest of the elements are required in trace amounts (micronutrients). Essential trace elements include boron, chlorine, copper, iron, manganese, sodium, zinc, molybdenum, and nickel. Beneficial mineral elements include silicon and cobalt. The functions of the inorganic elements closely related to their destinations in plant cells. Plant cells have unique structures, including a central vacuole, plastids, and a thick cell wall that surrounds the cell membrane. Generally, it is very difficult to determine concentrations of inorganic elements in a single plant cell. Chara corallina is a freshwater plant that inhabits temperate zone ponds and lakes. It consists of alternating nodes and internodes. Each internodal segment is a single large cell, up to 10 cm in length, and 1 mm in diameter. With this species it was possible to isolate subcellular fractions with surgical methods with minimal risk of cross contamination. In this study, concentrations of magnesium, calcium, manganese, iron, copper, zinc, and molybdenum in the cell wall, cytoplasm, and vacuole of single cells of Chara corallina were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The distribution characteristics of these elements in the cell components were discussed.

Lean Design and Management for Manufactoring

OpenAIRE

NIU, Zhanwen

2009-01-01

Most enterprises inducting lean production were confined by the innate limitations of existing production systems, which make it difficult to fulfill lean production comprehensively. To solve this problem, the theory of lean design and management for the manufacturing enterprise lifecycle was proposed. First, the necessities of lean design were analyzed and its theoretical system was established; second, the principles, process, methods and tools for lean design was introduced. Techniques and...

Lean mass and insulin resistance in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Comerford, Kevin B; Almario, Rogelio U; Kim, Kyoungmi; Karakas, Sidika E

2012-09-01

Insulin resistance is common in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Muscle is the major tissue utilizing glucose while excess adipose tissue relates to insulin resistance. Thus, body composition is likely to be an important regulator of insulin sensitivity. Thirty-nine PCOS patients (age: 29.9±1.0 years; BMI: 33.8±1.2 kg/m(2)) participated in a cross sectional study. Body composition was measured by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Insulin resistance and secretion were assessed using oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test (FS-IVGTT). In contrast with the conventional expectations, lean mass correlated directly (Plean mass (52.8±1.8 vs 44.4±1.6 kg), those with higher lean mass had a higher glucose response during OGTT (AUC(Glucose); P=.034). In contrast, 17 pairs matched for lean mass (48.7±1.7 and 48.9±1.6 kg) but discordant for fat mass (43.3±2.6 vs 30.3±8.9 kg) showed no differences in insulin resistance parameters. These novel findings indicate that lean mass relates directly to insulin resistance in PCOS. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Growth of tourmaline single crystals containing transition metal elements in hydrothermal solutions

Science.gov (United States)

Setkova, Tatiana; Shapovalov, Yury; Balitsky, Vladimir

2011-03-01

Interest in the growth of tourmaline single crystals is based on the promising piezoelectric and pyroelectric properties of this material compared to quartz crystals currently in use. Moreover, synthetic tourmaline can be used as a substitute for the natural stone in the jewelry industry similar to other synthetic analogues of gemstones. Single crystals of colored Co-, Ni-, Fe-, (Ni,Cr)-, (Ni,Fe)-, and (Co,Ni,Cr)-containing tourmalines with concentration of transition metal elements up to 16 wt% on a seed have been grown from complex boron-containing hydrothermal solutions at a range of temperatures 400-750 °C and pressures 100 MPa. Experiments were conducted under conditions of a thermal gradient in titanium and chromium-nickel autoclaves. Tourmaline growth on a seed crystal occurs only if separate tourmaline-forming components (monocrystalline corundum and quartz bars) are used as charge. All tourmalines specified above grow in analogous (+) direction of the optical axis with a speed of 0.05 mm/day by faces of the trigonal pyramid, except tourmalines containing chromium. They grow in analogous (+0001) direction with a speed 0.05 mm/day, and in antilogous (-0001) direction with a speed of 0.01 mm/day by faces of the trigonal pyramid and in prism direction with a speed of 0.001 mm/day. Along with the large single crystals, a great amount of finest (30-150 μm in size) tourmaline crystals was formed during the runs by spontaneous nucleation both on the surface of the seed crystals and in the charge.

Lean With a Human Face

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hasle, Peter; Jensen, Per Langaa

2008-01-01

The consequences for quality of work of lean manufacturing is discussed in the international litterature, and several authors suggest increased work speed, stress, and muscoskeletal diseases as a consequence of lean. The Danish experience with lean has been studied through interviews with managers...

Can Teachers “Lean in”? Family Responsibilities Discrimination

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lauren Bock Mullins

2016-02-01

Full Text Available This qualitative study uses grounded theory to explore family responsibilities discrimination (FRD as it relates to school teacher discretion at work and at home, and career advancement within the context of leaning in. The results of the analysis of the data from semi-structured interviews and exit surveys provide preliminary evidence that teachers’ discretion is affected by their family responsibilities and perception of FRD, and that career advancement is directly and indirectly affected by FRD. Impediments to school teachers’ willingness and ability to lean in are identified as themes, and suggestions are offered to improve workplace rights for teachers with family responsibilities.

A Methodology for the Assessment of Experiential Learning Lean: The Lean Experience Factory Study

Science.gov (United States)

De Zan, Giovanni; De Toni, Alberto Felice; Fornasier, Andrea; Battistella, Cinzia

2015-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present a methodology to assess the experiential learning processes of learning lean in an innovative learning environment: the lean model factories. Design/methodology/approach: A literature review on learning and lean management literatures was carried out to design the methodology. Then, a case study…

The lean approach for improvement of the sustainability of a remanufacturing process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paulina Golińska

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Background: The lean production is a well-established managerial concept, which helps companies to provide the customer value and to reduce cost. Recently it gains a lot of attention among the remanufacturers. In this paper the assumption is made that remanufacturing process is more sustainable, if there will be efficient utilization of the resources. The resource utilization is efficient when there is no waste of resources. The implementation of lean principles and tools into a remanufacturing process can benefit to improved sustainability but also it suffers some constrains, which are identified in this paper. Methods: The research methodology consists of a literature review, where research papers from the Scopus, Science Direct and Business Source Premier databases were used. The search criterion was the phrase "lean remanufacturing". On the basis of literature review the lean remanufacturing problems are identified. The framework for lean remanufacturing analysis was established. Author presents also case studies on assessment of the leanness of remanufacturing process and discusses the potential for waste elimination in order to improve sustainability of remanufacturing process. Results: Problem identification and analysis framework of lean remanufacturing process is discussed. The case studies results are analysed in the context of the finding of the literature review. The advantages and constrains of lean remanufacturing are discussed. Conclusions: A remanufacturing process is more complex than the respective production process. The implementation of lean production principles and tools into remanufacturing process is at a very early stage comparing to the traditional manufacturing. There are evidences from the industrial studies and the academic research on lean remanufacturing benefits. There is a need to distinguish between lean remanufacturing on an operational and a strategic level. From the perspective of sustainability of

Applying lean thinking in construction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Remon Fayek Aziz

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The productivity of the construction industry worldwide has been declining over the past 40 years. One approach for improving the situation is using lean construction. Lean construction results from the application of a new form of production management to construction. Essential features of lean construction include a clear set of objectives for the delivery process, aimed at maximizing performance for the customer at the project level, concurrent design, construction, and the application of project control throughout the life cycle of the project from design to delivery. An increasing number of construction academics and professionals have been storming the ramparts of conventional construction management in an effort to deliver better value to owners while making real profits. As a result, lean-based tools have emerged and have been successfully applied to simple and complex construction projects. In general, lean construction projects are easier to manage, safer, completed sooner, and cost less and are of better quality. Significant research remains to complete the translation to construction of lean thinking in Egypt. This research will discuss principles, methods, and implementation phases of lean construction showing the waste in construction and how it could be minimized. The Last Planner System technique, which is an important application of the lean construction concepts and methodologies and is more prevalent, proved that it could enhance the construction management practices in various aspects. Also, it is intended to develop methodology for process evaluation and define areas for improvement based on lean approach principles.

Lean leadership: an ethnographic study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aij, K.H.; Visse, M.A.; Widdershoven, G.A.M.

2015-01-01

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to provide a critical analysis of contemporary Lean leadership in the context of a healthcare practice. The Lean leadership model supports professionals with a leading rolein implementing Lean.This article presents a case study focusing specifcally on

Effects of Exercise Training on Fat Loss and Lean Mass Gain in Mexican-American and Korean Premenopausal Women

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shenghui Wu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available We investigated the effect of exercise training on body composition change in women. Nineteen Mexican-American and 18 Korean premenopausal overweight/obese women were randomized into one of the following groups: control, low-intensity training group (LI, and high-intensity training group (HI. Subjects completed 12 weeks of training at 50–56% maximal oxygen consumption (LI or 65–70% maximal oxygen consumption (HI. Body composition components were measured at baseline and after training using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry for Mexican-Americans, while whole-body composition was measured by the direct segmental multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis and abdominal fat was measured by single-slice computed tomography for Koreans. Data were analyzed using mixed-model repeated measures independent of age, ethnicity, and body mass index (BMI. Exercise training showed a significant effect on BMI, fat percentage, fat mass, lean mass, and visceral adipose tissue area. HI significantly decreased fat mass and fat percentage but increased lean mass (all P<0.05. LI significantly reduced BMI, fat mass, fat percentage, and visceral adipose tissue area but increased lean mass (all P<0.05. Exercise training had a beneficial effect on reducing BMI, fat percentage, fat mass, and visceral adipose tissue area but had no effect on increasing lean mass for Mexican-American and Korean premenopausal overweight/obese women.

Development of a fast, lean and agile direct pelletization process using experimental design techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Politis, Stavros N; Rekkas, Dimitrios M

2017-04-01

A novel hot melt direct pelletization method was developed, characterized and optimized, using statistical thinking and experimental design tools. Mixtures of carnauba wax (CW) and HPMC K100M were spheronized using melted gelucire 50-13 as a binding material (BM). Experimentation was performed sequentially; a fractional factorial design was set up initially to screen the factors affecting the process, namely spray rate, quantity of BM, rotor speed, type of rotor disk, lubricant-glidant presence, additional spheronization time, powder feeding rate and quantity. From the eight factors assessed, three were further studied during process optimization (spray rate, quantity of BM and powder feeding rate), at different ratios of the solid mixture of CW and HPMC K100M. The study demonstrated that the novel hot melt process is fast, efficient, reproducible and predictable. Therefore, it can be adopted in a lean and agile manufacturing setting for the production of flexible pellet dosage forms with various release rates easily customized between immediate and modified delivery.

Ares Launch Vehicles Lean Practices Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Doreswamy, Rajiv, N.; Self, Timothy A.

2008-01-01

This viewgraph presentation describes test strategies and lean philisophies and practices that are applied to Ares Launch Vehicles. The topics include: 1) Testing strategy; 2) Lean Practices in Ares I-X; 3) Lean Practices Applied to Ares I-X Schedule; 4) Lean Event Results; 5) Lean, Six Sigma, and Kaizen Practices in the Ares Projects Office; 6) Lean and Kaizen Success Stories; and 7) Ares Six Sigma Practices.

Fuel-element failures in Hanford single-pass reactors 1944--1971

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gydesen, S.P.

1993-07-01

The primary objective of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction (HEDR) Project is to estimate the radiation dose that individuals could have received as a result of emissions since 1944 from the US Department of Energy`s (DOE) Hanford Site near Richland, Washington. To estimate the doses, the staff of the Source Terms Task use operating information from historical documents to approximate the radioactive emissions. One source of radioactive emissions to the Columbia River came from leaks in the aluminum cladding of the uranium metal fuel elements in single-pass reactors. The purpose of this letter report is to provide photocopies of the documents that recorded these failures. The data from these documents will be used by the Source Terms Task to determine the contribution of single-pass reactor fuel-element failures to the radioactivity of the reactor effluent from 1944 through 1971. Each referenced fuel-element failure occurring in the Hanford single-pass reactors is addressed. The first recorded failure was in 1948, the last in 1970. No records of fuel-element failures were found in documents prior to 1948. Data on the approximately 2000 failures which occurred during the 28 years (1944--1971) of Hanford single-pass reactor operations are provided in this report.

Lean software development in action

CERN Document Server

Janes, Andrea

2014-01-01

This book illustrates how goal-oriented, automated measurement can be used to create Lean organizations and to facilitate the development of Lean software, while also demonstrating the practical implementation of Lean software development by combining tried and trusted tools. In order to be successful, a Lean orientation of software development has to go hand in hand with a company's overall business strategy. To achieve this, two interrelated aspects require special attention: measurement and experience management. In this book, Janes and Succi provide the necessary knowledge to establish "

Lean Management

OpenAIRE

Picot, Arnold

1994-01-01

In this article the possibility of increase of competitiveness of the domestic enterprises by means of Lean management system is considered, and also the analysis of introduction of the mentioned system at the Russian enterprises is carried out. Besides, the key conditions necessary for successful introduction of system are presented. Lean management is a world-spread way of solving the problems, aimed at making the company competitive; it is the organized activity of staff of the company, fo...

Polycystic ovary syndrome: association of a C/T single nucleotide polymorphism at tyrosine kinase domain of insulin receptor gene with pathogenesis among lean Japanese women.

Science.gov (United States)

Kashima, Katsunori; Yahata, Tetsuro; Fujita, Kazuyuki; Tanaka, Kenichi

2013-01-01

To assess whether the insulin receptor (INSR) gene contributes to genetic susceptibility to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in a Japanese population. We ex-amined the frequency of the His 1058 C/T single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) found in exon 17 of the INSR gene in 61 Japanese PCOS patients and 99 Japanese healthy controls. In addition, we analyzed the association between the genotype of this SNP and the clinical phenotypes. The frequency of the C/C genotype was not significantly different between all PCOS patients (47.5%) and controls (35.4%). However, among the lean cases (body mass index PCOS patients (65.0%) as compared with controls (36.6%). We concluded that the His 1058 C/T polymorphism at the tyrosine kinase domain of the INSR gene had a relationship to the pathogenesis of lean PCOS patients in a Japanese population.

Investigation of distribution microhomogeneity of doped elements in oxide single crystals by means of LMA-AES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nikolova, L.; Krasnobaeva, N.; Manuilov, N.

1989-01-01

The distribution of V and Ti in oxide single crystals Al 2 O 3 :V 3+ , Y 3 Al 5 O 12 :V 3+ , Al 2 O 3 :Ti 3+ , Y 3 Al 5 O 12 :Ti 3+ is investigated by laser emission microspectral analysis with photographic registration of spectra. Single crystals have been grown by the method of vertical directed crystallization (method of Bridgman-Stockbarger). For evaluation of microhomogeneity of the investigated elements distribution the following statistical methods are applied: one-way variance analysis, two-way variance analysis, regression models and gradient method. A PC programme package is developed allowing to process photoregistration data, to choose the internal standard line by scatter diagrams, to perform all statistical analysis and to plot the distribution diagrams of the elements in the samples. 2 refs. (author)

Sequential induction of three recombination directionality factors directs assembly of tripartite integrative and conjugative elements.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Timothy L Haskett

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Tripartite integrative and conjugative elements (ICE3 are a novel form of ICE that exist as three separate DNA regions integrated within the genomes of Mesorhizobium spp. Prior to conjugative transfer the three ICE3 regions of M. ciceri WSM1271 ICEMcSym1271 combine and excise to form a single circular element. This assembly requires three coordinated recombination events involving three site-specific recombinases IntS, IntG and IntM. Here, we demonstrate that three excisionases-or recombination directionality factors-RdfS, RdfG and RdfM are required for ICE3 excision. Transcriptome sequencing revealed that expression of ICE3 transfer and conjugation genes was induced by quorum sensing. Quorum sensing activated expression of rdfS, and in turn RdfS stimulated transcription of both rdfG and rdfM. Therefore, RdfS acts as a "master controller" of ICE3 assembly and excision. The dependence of all three excisive reactions on RdfS ensures that ICE3 excision occurs via a stepwise sequence of recombination events that avoids splitting the chromosome into a non-viable configuration. These discoveries expose a surprisingly simple control system guiding molecular assembly of these novel and complex mobile genetic elements and highlight the diverse and critical functions of excisionase proteins in control of horizontal gene transfer.

Implementing lean in Malaysian universities: Lean awareness level in an engineering faculty of a local university

Science.gov (United States)

Azim Khairi, M.; Rahman, Mohamed Abd

2018-01-01

Many academic articles were published in Malaysia promoting the goodness of lean in manufacturing and industrial sectors but less attention was apparently given to the possibility of obtaining the same universal benefits when applying lean in non-manufacturing sectors especially higher education. This study aims to determine the level of lean awareness among a local university’s community taking its Faculty of Engineering (FoE) as the case study. It also seeks to identify typical FoE’s staff perception on lean regarding its benefits and the obstacles in implementing it. A web-based survey using questionnaires was carried out for 215 respondents consisting of academic and administrative staff of the faculty. Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) was used to analyze the survey data collected. A total of 13.95% of respondents returned the forms. Slightly more than half of those responded (56.7%) have encountered some of the lean terms with mean 1.43 and standard deviation 0.504. However, the large amount of standard deviation somewhat indicates that the real level of lean awareness of FoE as a group was low. In terms of lean benefits, reduction of waste was favored (93.3%) by the respondents with mean 0.93 and standard deviation 0.254. For obstacles in implementing lean, lack of knowledge was selected by most respondents (86.7%) to be the major factor with mean 0.87 and standard deviation 0.346. Through the analysis done, the study may conclude that level of lean awareness among the university‘s community was low thus may hinder implementation of lean concept.

The Impact of Lean Six Sigma on the Overall Results of Companies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Corina DUMITRESCU

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Lean Six Sigma represents a management approach for driving innovating processes inside a company in order to achieve superior results. It involves a practical analysis based on facts, aiming the innovation and growth, not only the efficiency of processes. It is a long term process of gradual and continuous improvement. The application of Lean Six Sigma in companies led to attaining superior financial performance by addressing new needs, by differentiating the products and services or by adjusting the business lines to new processes. Quality is more than making things without errors. It is about making a product or service meet the individual perception of a customer about the quality or value. Therefore, in what regards Lean Six Sigma, the concern is not only to "do the things right" but also to "do the right things right". We focus on the impact of implementing the Lean Six Sigma approach on companies, seeking for what changes and benefits it brings. The key elements it aims at are achieving the best quality, the lowest cost, getting the shortest lead-time, stressing on waste elimination. The requirements of a company for its implementation and the strategy to obtain the maximum practical outcome are investigated. Furthermore, we conduct a comparison analysis with the other methods of the total quality management and see why Lean Six Sigma is a more desirable approach.

A Web-Based Lean Simulation Game for Office Operations: Training the Other Side of a Lean Enterprise

Science.gov (United States)

Kuriger, Glenn W.; Wan, Huang-da; Mirehei, S. Moussa; Tamma, Saumya; Chen, F. Frank

2010-01-01

This research proposes a Web-based version of a lean office simulation game (WeBLOG). The game is designed to be used to train lean concepts to office and administrative personnel. This group belongs to the frequently forgotten side of a lean enterprise. Over four phases, the game presents the following seven lean tools: one-piece flow,…

The maintenance management for lean organization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel D. GEORGESCU

2010-12-01

Full Text Available The goal of lean maintenance approach is to maintain organization international competitiveness. In the spirit of continuously improvement, in the paper it is shown how by adjusting some Lean manufacturing specific techniques for Total Productive Maintenance (TPM system, was born new maintenance system named Lean TPM. This is a systemic approach with three techniques, which don’t exclude specific techniques of TPM pillars, but complete them: the 7Ss as a critical first step in any improvement program; instantaneous maintenance; improvement setup operations. In the spirit of Lean principle, Lean TPM adjusts overall equipment effectiveness concept for all supply-chain from supplier to customer. Maintaining equipment in its optimal state and continually improving its productivity is the whole strategy behind Lean TPM.

The human side of lean teams.

Science.gov (United States)

Wackerbarth, Sarah B; Strawser-Srinath, Jamie R; Conigliaro, Joseph C

2015-05-01

Organizations use lean principles to increase quality and decrease costs. Lean projects require an understanding of systems-wide processes and utilize interdisciplinary teams. Most lean tools are straightforward, and the biggest barrier to successful implementation is often development of the team aspect of the lean approach. The purpose of this article is to share challenges experienced by a lean team charged with improving a hospital discharge process. Reflection on the experience provides an opportunity to highlight lessons from The Team Handbook by Peter Scholtes and colleagues. To improve the likelihood that process improvement initiatives, including lean projects, will be successful, organizations should consider providing training in organizational change principles and team building. The authors' lean team learned these lessons the hard way. Despite the challenges, the team successfully implemented changes throughout the organization that have had a positive impact. Training to understand the psychology of change might have decreased the resistance faced in implementing these changes. © 2014 by the American College of Medical Quality.

Industry 4.0 implies lean manufacturing: Research activities in industry 4.0 function as enablers for lean manufacturing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adam Sanders

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Purpose: Lean Manufacturing is widely regarded as a potential methodology to improve productivity and decrease costs in manufacturing organisations. The success of lean manufacturing demands consistent and conscious efforts from the organisation, and has to overcome several hindrances. Industry 4.0 makes a factory smart by applying advanced information and communication systems and future-oriented technologies. This paper analyses the incompletely perceived link between Industry 4.0 and lean manufacturing, and investigates whether Industry 4.0 is capable of implementing lean. Executing Industry 4.0 is a cost-intensive operation, and is met with reluctance from several manufacturers. This research also provides an important insight into manufacturers’ dilemma as to whether they can commit into Industry 4.0, considering the investment required and unperceived benefits. Design/methodology/approach: Lean manufacturing is first defined and different dimensions of lean are presented. Then Industry 4.0 is defined followed by representing its current status in Germany. The barriers for implementation of lean are analysed from the perspective of integration of resources. Literatures associated with Industry 4.0 are studied and suitable solution principles are identified to solve the abovementioned barriers of implementing lean. Findings: It is identified that researches and publications in the field of Industry 4.0 held answers to overcome the barriers of implementation of lean manufacturing. These potential solution principles prove the hypothesis that Industry 4.0 is indeed capable of implementing lean. It uncovers the fact that committing into Industry 4.0 makes a factory lean besides being smart. Originality/value: Individual researches have been done in various technologies allied with Industry 4.0, but the potential to execute lean manufacturing was not completely perceived. This paper bridges the gap between these two realms, and identifies

Lean Production Applications in a Manufacturing Company

OpenAIRE

Ali Görener; Humeyra Baser; Ali Turkyilmaz

2013-01-01

Lean production is a production model which comes about the pursuit of companies to be able to meet competition and make effective production. The main purpose of lean production is to get control about the wastage. This study includes the requirements for the success of the lean production and how the lean production system can be established. In this paper, lean production techniques were applied to the electric water heater line. Measurements using lean initiatives were made, operation cyc...

Exploring the impact of Lean manufacturing on flexibility in SMEs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lucherini, Franco; Rapaccini, Mario

2017-07-01

This paper describes the use of simulation and case-study research to assess flexibility gains induced by the adoption of three Lean Manufacturing practices. Design/methodology/approach: We gather useful material and information about the manufacturing process of a selected Small-Medium Enterprise by adopting a case-research approach. The Value Stream Mapping is the method used for visualizing flows of products and information along the production system. Starting from the current arrangement of the company, computer simulation is used to assess the benefits arising from Cellular Manufacturing, Just-in-Time Delivery by Suppliers, and Single Minute Exchange of Dies. Findings: To investigate the flexibility improvements coming from the introduction of Lean Manufacturing, we present a simulation model of the described company on which we performed our analysis. We quantify the flexibility of different configurations according to the new 5-step approach in order to segregate the contribution of different lean techniques. Originality/value: We extend the combined use of Case Research and Computer Simulation to the research on Manufacturing Flexibility within Small-Medium Enterprises. We enhance the knowledge on this under investigated context collecting quantitative field data. Moreover, building on the factorial Design of Experiment, we introduce a new 5-step method to appraise the cost benefit ratio of lean techniques for flexibility. The managerial implication of this research is mostly related to the provision of a supporting method for the decision making process propaedeutic to Lean Manufacturing introduction.

Exploring the impact of Lean manufacturing on flexibility in SMEs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Franco Lucherini

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Purpose: This paper describes the use of simulation and case-study research to assess flexibility gains induced by the adoption of three Lean Manufacturing practices. Design/methodology/approach: We gather useful material and information about the manufacturing process of a selected Small-Medium Enterprise by adopting a case-research approach. The Value Stream Mapping is the method used for visualizing flows of products and information along the production system. Starting from the current arrangement of the company, computer simulation is used to assess the benefits arising from Cellular Manufacturing, Just-in-Time Delivery by Suppliers, and Single Minute Exchange of Dies. Findings: To investigate the flexibility improvements coming from the introduction of Lean Manufacturing, we present a simulation model of the described company on which we performed our analysis. We quantify the flexibility of different configurations according to the new 5-step approach in order to segregate the contribution of different lean techniques. Originality/value: We extend the combined use of Case Research and Computer Simulation to the research on Manufacturing Flexibility within Small-Medium Enterprises. We enhance the knowledge on this under investigated context collecting quantitative field data. Moreover, building on the factorial Design of Experiment, we introduce a new 5-step method to appraise the cost benefit ratio of lean techniques for flexibility. The managerial implication of this research is mostly related to the provision of a supporting method for the decision making process propaedeutic to Lean Manufacturing introduction.

Exploring the impact of Lean manufacturing on flexibility in SMEs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lucherini, Franco; Rapaccini, Mario

2017-01-01

This paper describes the use of simulation and case-study research to assess flexibility gains induced by the adoption of three Lean Manufacturing practices. Design/methodology/approach: We gather useful material and information about the manufacturing process of a selected Small-Medium Enterprise by adopting a case-research approach. The Value Stream Mapping is the method used for visualizing flows of products and information along the production system. Starting from the current arrangement of the company, computer simulation is used to assess the benefits arising from Cellular Manufacturing, Just-in-Time Delivery by Suppliers, and Single Minute Exchange of Dies. Findings: To investigate the flexibility improvements coming from the introduction of Lean Manufacturing, we present a simulation model of the described company on which we performed our analysis. We quantify the flexibility of different configurations according to the new 5-step approach in order to segregate the contribution of different lean techniques. Originality/value: We extend the combined use of Case Research and Computer Simulation to the research on Manufacturing Flexibility within Small-Medium Enterprises. We enhance the knowledge on this under investigated context collecting quantitative field data. Moreover, building on the factorial Design of Experiment, we introduce a new 5-step method to appraise the cost benefit ratio of lean techniques for flexibility. The managerial implication of this research is mostly related to the provision of a supporting method for the decision making process propaedeutic to Lean Manufacturing introduction.

Lean Production Applications in a Manufacturing Company

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Görener

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Lean production is a production model which comes about the pursuit of companies to be able to meet competition and make effective production. The main purpose of lean production is to get control about the wastage. This study includes the requirements for the success of the lean production and how the lean production system can be established. In this paper, lean production techniques were applied to the electric water heater line. Measurements using lean initiatives were made, operation cycle times were determined, and Kaizen improvement methods and line balancing methods were applied according to the results. And the last section of study showed conclusion of lean implementation.

The lean service machine.

Science.gov (United States)

Swank, Cynthia Karen

2003-10-01

Jefferson Pilot Financial, a life insurance and annuities firm, like many U.S. service companies at the end of the 1990s was looking for new ways to grow. Its top managers recognized that JPF needed to differentiate itself in the eyes of its customers, the independent life-insurance advisers who sell and service policies. To establish itself as these advisers' preferred partner, it set out to reduce the turnaround time on policy applications, simplify the submission process, and reduce errors. JPF's managers looked to the "lean production" practices that U.S. manufacturers adopted in response to competition from Japanese companies. Lean production is built around the concept of continuous-flow processing--a departure from traditional production systems, in which large batches are processed at each step. JPF appointed a "lean team" to reengineer its New Business unit's operations, beginning with the creation of a "model cell"--a fully functioning microcosm of JPF's entire process. This approach allowed managers to experiment and smooth out the kinks while working toward an optimal design. The team applied lean-manufacturing practices, including placing linked processes near one another, balancing employees' workloads, posting performance results, and measuring performance and productivity from the customer's perspective. Customer-focused metrics helped erode the employees' "My work is all that matters" mind-set. The results were so impressive that JPF is rolling out similar systems across many of its operations. To convince employees of the value of lean production, the lean team introduced a simulation in which teams compete to build the best paper airplane based on invented customer specifications. This game drives home lean production's basic principles, establishing a foundation for deep and far-reaching changes in the production system.

Reducing liver transplant length of stay: a Lean Six Sigma approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Toledo, Alexander H; Carroll, Tracy; Arnold, Emily; Tulu, Zeynep; Caffey, Tom; Kearns, Lauren E; Gerber, David A

2013-12-01

Organ transplant centers are under increasing scrutiny to maintain outcomes while controlling cost in a challenging population of patients. Throughout health care and transplant specifically, length of stay is used as a benchmark for both quality and resource utilization. To decrease our length of stay for liver transplant by using Lean Six Sigma methods. The Six Sigma DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) method was used to systematically analyze our process from transplant listing to hospital discharge after transplant, identifying many factors affecting length of stay. Adult, single-organ, primary liver transplant recipients between July 2008 and June 2012 were included in the study. Recipients with living donors or fulminant liver failure were excluded. Multiple interventions, including a clinical pathway and enhanced communication, were implemented. Length of stay after liver transplant and readmission after liver transplant.R ESULTS: Median length of stay decreased significantly from 11 days before the intervention to 8 days after the intervention. Readmission rate did not change throughout the study. The improved length of stay was maintained for 24 months after the study. Using a Lean Six Sigma approach, we were able to significantly decrease the length of stay of liver transplant patients. These results brought our center's outcomes in accordance with our goal and industry benchmark of 8 days. Clear expectations, improved teamwork, and a multidisciplinary clinical pathway were key elements in achieving and maintaining these gains.

Lean philosophy and its applications in the service industry: a review of the current knowledge

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Higor dos Reis Leite

2015-09-01

Full Text Available This article presents an in-depth bibliographic study about the creation, principles, evolution, and practices of the lean philosophy oriented to the services sector. More than 70 papers about “lean thinking” – specially with focus on services – have been carefully reviewed. It presents the principles of lean service in an organized way, companies applying lean service, and best practices and tools in the implementation of lean service. It shows that lean service does not have a single or specific model of tools, practices or standards. In fact, it is a mix of tools and practices that must be applied according the situation found to be improved. Despite the lack of a standards and methodology for use in services, its best practices, inherited from manufacturing, when applied to services can generate large economic and financial results, as well as improvement of workers’ behavior. But, like any change process, this study shows that the application of lean in services also suffers resistance. There might be limitations when evaluating lean practices and principles to services, specially those that have not yet been well defined and reported. Other limitations are due to the scarce articles in the literature. However, this research showed that the use of the lean philosophy in services proved to be effective and quite worthwhile. Several cases analyzed presented significant gains and confirmed an increasing and promising future for service companies “thinking lean”.

Lean methodology for performance improvement in the trauma discharge process.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Mara, Michael Shaymus; Ramaniuk, Aliaksandr; Graymire, Vickie; Rozzell, Monica; Martin, Stacey

2014-07-01

High-volume, complex services such as trauma and acute care surgery are at risk for inefficiency. Lean process improvement can reduce health care waste. Lean allows a structured look at processes not easily amenable to analysis. We applied lean methodology to the current state of communication and discharge planning on an urban trauma service, citing areas for improvement. A lean process mapping event was held. The process map was used to identify areas for immediate analysis and intervention-defining metrics for the stakeholders. After intervention, new performance was assessed by direct data evaluation. The process was completed with an analysis of effect and plans made for addressing future focus areas. The primary area of concern identified was interservice communication. Changes centering on a standardized morning report structure reduced the number of consult questions unanswered from 67% to 34% (p = 0.0021). Physical therapy rework was reduced from 35% to 19% (p = 0.016). Patients admitted to units not designated to the trauma service had 1.6 times longer stays (p miscommunication exists around patient education at discharge. Lean process improvement is a viable means of health care analysis. When applied to a trauma service with 4,000 admissions annually, lean identifies areas ripe for improvement. Our inefficiencies surrounded communication and patient localization. Strategies arising from the input of all stakeholders led to real solutions for communication through a face-to-face morning report and identified areas for ongoing improvement. This focuses resource use and identifies areas for improvement of throughput in care delivery.

Training for successful lean manufacturing implementation

OpenAIRE

Ichimura, Maki; Jahankhani, Hamid; Arunachalam, Subramaniam

2006-01-01

Implementing lean manufacturing is a complex and everlasting task. The workers involving in production processes are the pivot of the lean manufacturing implementation. Training is known as a vehicle to assist the implementation process. Despite awareness of the training importance, so far, a little is available to assist to organise an efficient training. This paper summarises the overview of lean manufacturing and discuss the importance of human resource within lean implementation process. ...

Lean Six Sigma in financial services

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Koning, H.; Does, R.J.M.M.; Bisgaard, S.

2008-01-01

Lean Thinking and Six Sigma are typically considered as separate approaches to process innovation, with complementary strengths. When combined as Lean Six Sigma, this approach provides a unified framework for systematically developing innovations. Lean Six Sigma can also bring about significant

Appendicular and whole body lean mass outcomes are associated with finite element analysis-derived bone strength at the distal radius and tibia in adults aged 40years and older.

Science.gov (United States)

Gibbs, Jenna C; Giangregorio, Lora M; Wong, Andy K O; Josse, Robert G; Cheung, Angela M

2017-10-01

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to determine how appendicular lean mass index (ALMI), and whole body lean (LMI) and fat mass indices (FMI) associate with estimated bone strength outcomes at the distal radius and tibia in adults aged 40 years and older. Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans were performed to determine body composition, including whole body lean and fat mass, and appendicular lean mass. ALMI (appendicular lean mass/height 2 ), LMI (lean tissue mass/height 2 ) and FMI (fat mass/height 2 ) were calculated. High-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HRpQCT) scans were performed to assess bone structural properties at the distal radius and tibia. Using finite element analysis, failure load (N), stiffness (N/mm), ultimate stress (MPa), and cortical-to-trabecular load ratio were estimated from HRpQCT scans. The associations between body composition (ALMI, LMI, FMI) and estimated bone strength were examined using bivariate and multivariable linear regression analyses adjusting for age, sex, and other confounding variables. In 197 participants (127 women; mean±SD, age: 69.5±10.3y, body mass index: 27.95±4.95kg/m 2 , ALMI: 7.31±1.31kg/m 2 ), ALMI and LMI were significantly associated with failure load at the distal radius and tibia (explained 39%-48% of the variance) and remained significant after adjusting for confounding variables and multiple testing (R 2 =0.586-0.645, p<0.001). ALMI, LMI, and FMI did not have significant associations with ultimate stress in our multivariable models. FMI was significantly associated with cortical-to-trabecular load ratio at the distal radius and tibia (explained 6%-12% of the variance) and remained significant after adjusting for confounders and multiple testing (R 2 =0.208-0.243, p<0.001). FMI was no longer significantly associated with failure load after adjusting for confounders. These findings suggest that ALMI and LMI are important determinants of estimated bone strength

Healthy Lean Through HRD

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Frances

2008-01-01

The paper reports on findings from the initial, exploratory phase of a longitudinal research study aimed at developing a framework for implementing lean while ensuring employee well-being. Data from observations and in-depth dialogues with persons involved in lean implementation, along...

Lean management - an effective way to arrange maintenance?; Lean Management - ein effektiver Weg zur Gestaltung der Instandhaltung?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tschuschke, W. [Inst. fuer Instandhaltung gGmbH, Iserlohn (Germany)

1996-08-01

Lean management/lean production wishes to attain more through intelligent operation system/production at less expense (personnel, materials, energy, costs). The object is not harder but more intelligent and production work; we do not need to run faster but to find shorter routes. The idea of lean management`s effects and changes have consequences for the field of maintenance as an equivalent and legitimate business area which are discussed in this paper. (orig.) [Deutsch] Lean Management/Lean Production will durch ein intelligentes Arbeitssystem/Produzieren mit weniger Aufwand (Personal, Material, Energie, Kosten) mehr erreichen. Ziel ist nicht das haertere, sondern das intelligentere und produktivere Arbeiten; wir sollen nicht schneller laufen, sondern kuerzere Wege finden. Fuer den Bereich Instandhaltung als gleichwertiger und gleichberechtigter Unternehmensbereich haben die Gedanken des Lean Managements Auswirkungen und Veraenderungen zur Folge, die im Beitrag genannt werden. (orig.)

Lean manufacturing como herramienta de competitividad en las PYMEs españolas

OpenAIRE

AÑAGUARI YARASCA, MILUSKA AYLIN; Gisbert Soler, Víctor

2016-01-01

[EN] This article, based on previous studies and multiple written literature, aims to raise awareness of the importance of the implementation of lean manufacturing tools in the Spanish industrial SMEs, showing which are the critical factors that directly affect the performance competitive SMEs today. As well as raise awareness of Lean Manufacturing, strategies for implementation and the benefits this brings to the company. [ES] El presente artículo, en base a estudios previos y a la múltip...

The Finnish healthcare services lean management.

Science.gov (United States)

Hihnala, Susanna; Kettunen, Lilja; Suhonen, Marjo; Tiirinki, Hanna

2018-02-05

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss health services managers' experiences of management in a special health-care unit and development efforts from the point of view of the Lean method. Additionally, the aim is to deepen the knowledge of the managers' work and nature of the Lean method development processes in the workplace. The research focuses on those aspects and results of Lean method that are currently being used in health-care environments. Design/methodology/approach These data were collected through a number of thematic interviews. The participants were nurse managers ( n = 7) and medical managers ( n = 7) who applied Lean management in their work at the University Hospital in the Northern Ostrobothnia Health Care District. The data were analysed with a qualitative content analysis. Findings A common set of values in specialized health-care services, development of activities and challenges for management in the use of the Lean manager development model to improve personal management skills. Practical implications Managers in specialized health-care services can develop and systematically manage with the help of the Lean method. This emphasizes assumptions, from the point of view of management, about systems development when the organization uses the Lean method. The research outcomes originate from specialized health-care settings in Finland in which the Lean method and its associated management principles have been implemented and applied to the delivery of health care. Originality/value The study shows that the research results and in-depth knowledge on Lean method principles can be applied to health-care management and development processes. The research also describes health services managers' experiences of using the Lean method. In the future, these results can be used to improve Lean management skills, identify personal professional competencies and develop skills required in development processes. Also, the research findings can be used

Skaber lean bedre arbejdsmiljø?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Nanette Juhler

2007-01-01

rationalization strategies, among others Lean, claim to improve working conditions. The aim of this thesis is to identify whether the application of Lean strategies leads to a reduction of the occupational health and safety problem repetitive work. Repetitive work is a problem created by the Taylorisation of work......, and therefore it is to be expected that a break with one or more of the Tayloristic principles can lead to a reduction of repetitive work. This thesis points out a number of areas within which Lean breaks with Tayloristic principles, whilst other principles are maintained. These breaks between Lean...... and Taylorism are also found in the study of the case company. By linking breaks with Taylorism with solutions for the reduction of repetitive work, I point out a number of openings in Lean that may lead to a reduction of repetitive work. By using the concept of openings I present the possibilities offered...

TOWARDS GREEN THROUGH LEAN/LEAN SIX SIGMA APPROACHES: A LITERATURE REVIEW AT SERVICE INDUSTRY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

RODRIGO GOYANNES GUSMÃO CAIADO

2017-08-01

Full Text Available In the last decades, sustainable development have increasingly gained importance to service industry and lean/Six Sigma approaches are becoming more and more outstanding in order to improve sustainability performance. In the post-modern era the integration between those approaches are necessary in order to aid organisations to balance the need for operational efficiency in their production and service systems with environmental commitment and social fairness. Because of that, Lean Six Sigma practices are progressively becoming widespread in studies about service, as way to improve quality, efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of services. The purpose of this paper is to critically review the Lean and Lean Six Sigma (L6σ methodologies and highlight their importance to achieve sustainable development in service industry. To do this, a systematic literature review (SLR of the subjects under investigation was conducted. We examine the compatibility and divergences of the green, lean and Six Sigma concepts and implications regarding its sustainable implementation in service industry. The study has two major contributions. First, it is one of the first researches that investigate the potential benefits of integrating green, lean and Six Sigma in service sector. Second, it supports and expands current literature, providing both academicians and practitioners a better panorama to understand the present status of L6σ for achieving sustainability in service sector.

Exploiting HRM in support of lean manufacturing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Frances; Matthiesen, Rikke

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the ways in HRM practices are-and could potentially be-exploited to support lean manufacturing in practice. First, a review of the pertinent literature regarding HRM, SHRM, and lean manufacturing is presented to provide an understanding of the mechanisms...... by which HRM practices could, theoretically, be used to support a lean implementation. Data presented in the paper are derived from 1) a longitudinal case study on lean implementation and 2) from managers currently involved with lean manufacturing in a second company. The relevant literature and the data...... depicting the potential role in supporting HRM/lean integrated practices. The analysis of the model with respect to the theoretical background emphasizes a number of areas in which HRM could be more fully exploited in order to more successfully support lean implementation, for example, by stressing HRM...

Applying lean principles to continuous renal replacement therapy processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Benfield, C Brett; Brummond, Philip; Lucarotti, Andrew; Villarreal, Maria; Goodwin, Adam; Wonnacott, Rob; Talley, Cheryl; Heung, Michael

2015-02-01

The application of lean principles to continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) processes in an academic medical center is described. A manual audit over six consecutive weeks revealed that 133 5-L bags of CRRT solution were discarded after being dispensed from pharmacy but before clinical use. Lean principles were used to examine the workflow for CRRT preparation and develop and implement an intervention. An educational program was developed to encourage and enhance direct communication between nursing and pharmacy about changes in a patient's condition or CRRT order. It was through this education program that the reordering workflow shifted from nurses to pharmacy technicians. The primary outcome was the number of CRRT solution bags delivered in the preintervention and postintervention periods. Nurses and pharmacy technicians were surveyed to determine their satisfaction with the workflow change. After implementation of lean principles, the mean number of CRRT solution bags dispensed per day of CRRT decreased substantially. Respondents' overall satisfaction with the CRRT solution preparation process increased during the postintervention period, and the satisfaction scores for each individual component of the workflow after implementation of lean principles. The decreased solution waste resulted in projected annual cost savings exceeding $70,000 in product alone. The use of lean principles to identify medication waste in the CRRT workflow and implementation of an intervention to shift the workload from intensive care unit nurses to pharmacy technicians led to reduced CRRT solution waste, improved efficiency of CRRT workflow, and increased satisfaction among staff. Copyright © 2015 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved.

Lean Transformation Guidance: Why Organizations Fail To Achieve and Sustain Excellence Through Lean Improvement

OpenAIRE

Mohammed Hamed Ahmed

2013-01-01

Many companies are complaining that lean didn’t achieve their long-term goals, and the improvement impact was very short-lived. 7 out of each 10 lean projects fail as companies try to use lean like a toolkit, copying and pasting the techniques without trying to adapt the employee’s culture, manage the improvement process, sustain the results, and develop their leaders. When the Toyota production system was created, the main goal was to remove wastes from the shop floor us...

An empirical review of lean manufacturing and their strategies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Virender Chahal

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The theory of lean manufacturing provides the quality of the products in minimum cost and pro-vides customer satisfaction. Today, the competition level is very high and every industry tries to supply high quality products in nominal cost, so lean is the latest tool to achieve. The objective of this paper is to study different lean concepts under various lean strategies. This study helps to find out the status of lean manufacturing and its ways of implementation. Also in this paper, there is a discussion about lean manufacturing concept, lean waste, lean strategies, lean barriers and cycle of lean implementation. This paper presents a literature review to clear the status of lean manufacturing and their strategies with help of collection of relevant papers.

Management simulations for Lean healthcare: exploiting the potentials of role-playing.

Science.gov (United States)

Barnabè, Federico; Giorgino, Maria Cleofe; Guercini, Jacopo; Bianciardi, Caterina; Mezzatesta, Vincenzo

2018-04-09

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the potentials of role-playing (RP) both in training healthcare (HC) professionals to implement tools and improvement actions based on Lean principles, and in supporting group discussion and the sharing of different competencies for the development of Lean HC. Design/methodology/approach The paper presents the case study of an RP simulation called LEAN HEALTHCARE LAB, which is used to train HC professionals at Siena University Hospital. The paper reports and discusses the results of a specific two-day simulation session and of a questionnaire that was distributed to gather feedback from the participants. Findings The paper verifies the potentials of RP to be a powerful educational and training tool that is able to stimulate the HC participants to apply Lean thinking principles and share their competencies in collaborative decision-making processes. Research limitations/implications The study provides data in reference to one single simulation session, although the game has already been applied several times in different HC organizations with very similar outcomes. Moreover, a more in-depth analysis of players' perceptions and decisions could be performed using different tools in addition to the adopted questionnaire. Practical implications RP games (RPGs) are effective training and educational tools for HC professionals. They offer benefits and learning conditions which are definitely different if compared with more conventional education programs for HC professionals. Originality/value While previous studies have extensively discussed the potentialities of RPG and simulations in training programs, only a few articles have discussed the RP adoption for Lean thinking and even less to educate HC professionals on Lean principles and tools.

Understanding lean & safety projects: analysis of case studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Crema

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Facing the current socio-economic contingency while guaranteeing a high level of care quality is particularly challenging in the field of healthcare. Through an integrated adoption of emerging managerial solutions, projects that allow organizations to achieve both efficiency and patient safety improvements could be implemented, thereby transposing policy directives towards a safer and more sustainable healthcare system. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the features of Lean & Safety (L&S projects. Three Health Lean Management (HLM projects that had unexpected patient safety results were selected from the same region. Differences and similarities among the cases have been highlighted and interesting points of evidence have been noted. Despite the fact that the projects were pursuing similar objectives and benefiting from comparable support, the obtained changes had direct impact on patient safety enhancement in the cases that involved the front-office processes, and an indirect impact on patient safely for the L&S project that focused on back-office activities. The implementation processes and the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT adoption of the cases are also different.

Lean in healthcare from employees' perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Drotz, Erik; Poksinska, Bozena

2014-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to contribute toward a deeper understanding of the new roles, responsibilities, and job characteristics of employees in Lean healthcare organizations. The paper is based on three cases studies of healthcare organizations that are regarded as successful examples of Lean applications in the healthcare context. Data were collected by methods including interviews, observations, and document studies. The implementation of Lean in healthcare settings has had a great influence on the roles, responsibilities, and job characteristics of the employees. The focus has shifted from healthcare professionals, where clinical autonomy and professional skills have been the guarding principles of patient care, to process improvement and teamwork. Different job characteristics may make it difficult to implement certain Lean practices in healthcare. Teamwork and decentralization of authority are examples of Lean practices that could be considered countercultural because of the strong professional culture and uneven power distribution, with doctors as the dominant decision makers. Teamwork, value flow orientation, and company-wide involvement in CI were associated with positive effects on the organizations' working environment, staff development, and organizational performance. In order to succeed with Lean healthcare, it is important to understand and recognize the differences in job characteristics between Lean manufacturing and healthcare. This paper provides insights into how Lean implementation changes the roles, responsibilities, and job characteristics of healthcare staff and the challenges and implications that may follow from this.

Lean and the quality of work

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Per Langaa

2008-01-01

Lean has for the last decade developed as the dominating model for developing productions processes not only within industry but also in health care, administration and service industries in general. With this development a discussion on human factors aspects of lean has developed internationally....... Literature studies documents that it is not possible to establish a clear relation between lean and the psychosocial aspects of work. The studies also indicate that the context and the implementations process play a dominating role in how lean is experienced. This has been the basis for establishing...

Organizational change through Lean Thinking.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsasis, Peter; Bruce-Barrett, Cindy

2008-08-01

In production and manufacturing plants, Lean Thinking has been used to improve processes by eliminating waste and thus enhancing efficiency. In health care, Lean Thinking has emerged as a comprehensive approach towards improving processes embedded in the diagnostic, treatment and care activities of health-care organizations with cost containment results. This paper provides a case study example where Lean Thinking is not only used to improve efficiency and cost containment, but also as an approach to effective organizational change.

Virtual modelling of components of a production system as the tool of lean engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Monica, Z.

2015-11-01

Between the most effective techniques of manufacturing management is considered the Lean Engineering. The term “lean engineering” was created by Japanese manufacturers. The high efficiency of this method resulted in a meaningful growth in concern in the philosophy of Lean among European companies, and consequently the use of its European markets. Lean philosophy is an approach to manufacturing to minimize the use of all resources, including time. These are resources that are used in the company for a variety of activities. This implies, first identify and then eliminate activities which does not generate added value in the field of design, manufacturing, supply chain management, and customer relations. The producers of these principles not only employ teams multi-professional employees at all levels of the organization, but also use a more automated machines to produce large quantities of products with a high degree of diversity. Lean Engineering is to use a number of principles and practical guidelines that allow you to reduce costs by eliminating absolute extravagance, and also simplification of all manufacturing processes and maintenance. Nowadays it could be applied the powerful engineering programs to realize the concept of Lean Engineering. They could be described using the term CAD/CAM/CAE. They consist of completely different packages for both the design of elements, as well process design. Their common feature is generally considered with their application area. They are used for computer programs assisting the design, development and manufacturing phases of a manufacturing process. The idea of the presented work is to use the Siemens NX software for aiding the process of Lean Engineering system creating. The investigated system is a robotized workcell. In the NX system are created the components of the designed workcell such as machine tools, as industrial robot, as conveyors and buffers. The system let to functionally link these components to

Lean - set i et historisk perspektiv

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Michelsen, Aage U

2006-01-01

I kapitlet redegøres for, hvordan begrebet Lean opstod som en karakteristik af Toyota Production System (TPS), der igen har sin rod i scientific management. Gennem eksempler illustreres det, at centrale Lean-principper således har været anvendt i årtier. Der argumenteres for, at Lean i mange...

Direct observation of elemental segregation in InGaN nanowires by X-ray nanoprobe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Segura-Ruiz, J.; Martinez-Criado, G.; Sans, J.A.; Tucoulou, R.; Cloetens, P.; Snigireva, I.; Denker, C.; Malindretos, J.; Rizzi, A.; Gomez-Gomez, M.; Garro, N.; Cantarero, A.

2011-01-01

Using synchrotron radiation nanoprobe, this work reports on the elemental distribution in single In x Ga 1-x N nanowires (NWs) grown by molecular beam epitaxy directly on Si(111) substrates. Single NWs dispersed on Al covered sapphire were characterized by nano-X-ray fluorescence, Raman scattering and photoluminescence spectroscopy. Both Ga and In maps reveal an inhomogeneous axial distribution inside sin- gle NWs. The analysis of NWs from the same sample but with different dimensions suggests a decrease of In segregation with the reduction of NW diameter, while Ga distribution seems to remain unaltered. Photoluminescence and Raman scattering measurements carried out on ensembles of NWs exhibit relevant signatures of the compositional disorder. (copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

The Lean and Environment Toolkit

Science.gov (United States)

This Lean and Environment Toolkit assembles practical experience collected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and partner companies and organizations that have experience with coordinating Lean implementation and environmental management.

Lean og professionel autonomi på hospitaler

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hasle, Peter

2014-01-01

Hospitaler står overfor store udfordringer fra voksende krav fra både patienter og samfund samtidig med begrænsede budgetter og stadig flere medicinske muligheder. Hospitalsledelserne anvender lean som en af de væsentligste metoder til at løse disse udfordringer. Lean stammer imidlertid fra...... industrien, og det er spørgsmålet, hvordan lean bliver tilpasset i til en hospitalssammenhæng, og hvilke konsekvenser lean får for medarbejderne. Dette spørgsmål er undersøgt i forbindelse med introduktion af lean i en kræftafdeling på et universitetshospital. Det viste sig vanskeligere end forventet...... at implementere lean, og konsekvenserne for henholdsvis laboranter og sygeplejersker viste sig at være meget forskelligartede. Laboranterne oplevede et forbedret arbejdsmiljø, mens det modsatte var tilfældet for sygeplejerskerne. En mulig forklaring er, at lean øgede kontrollen over eget arbejde for laboranterne...

Prioritizing lean management practices in public and private hospitals.

Science.gov (United States)

Hussain, Matloub; Malik, Mohsin

2016-05-16

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to prioritize 21 healthcare wastes in public and private hospitals of United Arab Emirates (UAE). Design/methodology/approach - Seven healthcare wastes linked with lean management are further decomposed in to sub-criteria and to deal with this complexity of multi criteria decision-making process, analytical hierarchical process (AHP) method is used in this research. Findings - AHP framework for this study resulted in a ranking of 21 healthcare wastes in public and private hospitals of UAE. It has been found that management in private healthcare systems of UAE is putting more emphasis on the inventory waste. On the other hand, over processing waste has got highest weight in public hospitals of UAE. Research limitations/implications - The future directions of this research would be to apply a lean set of tools for the value stream optimization of the prioritized key improvement areas. Practical implications - This is a contribution to the continuing research into lean management, giving practitioners and designers a practical way for measuring and implementing lean practices across health organizations. Originality/value - The contribution of this research, through successive stages of data collection, measurement analysis and refinement, is a set of reliable and valid framework that can be subsequently used in conceptualization, prioritization of the waste reduction strategies in healthcare management.

Lean automation development : applying lean principles to the automation development process

OpenAIRE

Granlund, Anna; Wiktorsson, Magnus; Grahn, Sten; Friedler, Niklas

2014-01-01

By a broad empirical study it is indicated that automation development show potential of improvement. In the paper, 13 lean product development principles are contrasted to the automation development process and it is suggested why and how these principles can facilitate, support and improve the automation development process. The paper summarises a description of what characterises a lean automation development process and what consequences it entails. Main differences compared to current pr...

Elimination of waste: creation of a successful Lean colonoscopy program at an academic medical center.

Science.gov (United States)

Damle, Aneel; Andrew, Nathan; Kaur, Shubjeet; Orquiola, Alan; Alavi, Karim; Steele, Scott R; Maykel, Justin

2016-07-01

Lean processes involve streamlining methods and maximizing efficiency. Well established in the manufacturing industry, they are increasingly being applied to health care. The objective of this study was to determine feasibility and effectiveness of applying Lean principles to an academic medical center colonoscopy unit. Lean process improvement involved training endoscopy personnel, observing patients, mapping the value stream, analyzing patient flow, designing and implementing new processes, and finally re-observing the process. Our primary endpoint was total colonoscopy time (minutes from check-in to discharge) with secondary endpoints of individual segment times and unit colonoscopy capacity. A total of 217 patients were included (November 2013-May 2014), with 107 pre-Lean and 110 post-Lean intervention. Pre-Lean total colonoscopy time was 134 min. After implementation of the Lean process, mean colonoscopy time decreased by 10 % to 121 min (p = 0.01). The three steps of the process affected by the Lean intervention (time to achieve adequate sedation, time to recovery, and time to discharge) decreased from 3.7 to 2.4 min (p Lean patient satisfaction surveys demonstrated an average score of 4.5/5.0 (n = 73) regarding waiting time, 4.9/5.0 (n = 60) regarding how favorably this experienced compared to prior colonoscopy experiences, and 4.9/5.0 (n = 74) regarding professionalism of staff. One hundred percentage of respondents (n = 69) stated they would recommend our institution to a friend for colonoscopy. With no additional utilization of resources, a single Lean process improvement cycle increased productivity and capacity of our colonoscopy unit. We expect this to result in increased patient access and revenue while maintaining patient satisfaction. We believe these results are widely generalizable to other colonoscopy units as well as other process-based interventions in health care.

Perancangan Model Pengukuran Kinerja Lean dan Green Rantai Pasok Semen Secara Terintegrasi

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dina Rahmayanti

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract PT. Semen Padang is one of the reputable cement companies in Indonesia which is producing types of cement. Implementation of supply chain concept in PT. Semen Padang is very important to satisfy customers and stakeholders requirement. Performance measurement is a process to evaluate the supply chain effectiveness and efficiency in lean and green aspect. The problem is how to design performance measurement model which is integrating lean and green supply chain concepts. The objective of research is integrating lean and green supply chain concepts to design supply chain performance measurement of bag cement type. Integration of lean and green concept is designed by Balanced Scorecard (BSC perspectives that consist of financial, customer, internal process business and learning and growth. Key performance indicators (KPI are formulated and classified based on BSC perspectives. Next stage is pair wise comparison process to the weight value. Evaluation of KPI pair wise comparison based is conducted on expert opinion which is selected by consideration of their relevance knowledge and experience. The process of pair wise comparison is calculated to determine priority of the KPIs based on weight value by using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP method. The weight of KPI will be arrange by descending to determine the priority. Model of performance measurement is validated by face validity method. Research result is obtaining 25 KPIs that derived from integration of lean and green supply chain concept of bag cement type. Grouping is consisting of 3 KPIs of financial, 4 KPIs of customer, 11 KPI s of internal process business and 7 KPI s of learning & growth. Result is showing that customer is most prioritized element in supply chain of bag cement type. Implementation of proposing model is coordination of departments and employee in context of information accessibility. Keywords: Supply chain, lean, green, BSC, performance measurement

PERANCANGAN MODEL PENGUKURAN KINERJA LEAN DAN GREEN RANTAI PASOK SEMEN SECARA TERINTEGRASI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dina Rahmayanti

2017-06-01

Full Text Available PT. Semen Padang is one of the reputable cement companies in Indonesia which is producing types of cement. Implementation of supply chain concept in PT. Semen Padang is very important to satisfy customers and stakeholders requirement. Performance measurement is a process to evaluate the supply chain effectiveness and efficiency in lean and green aspect. The problem is how to design performance measurement model which is integrating lean and green supply chain concepts. The objective of research is integrating lean and green supply chain concepts to design supply chain performance measurement of bag cement type. Integration of lean and green concept is designed by Balanced Scorecard (BSC perspectives that consist of financial, customer, internal process business and learning and growth. Key performance indicators (KPI are formulated and classified based on BSC perspectives. Next stage is pair wise comparison process to the weight value. Evaluation of KPI pair wise comparison based is conducted on expert opinion which is selected by consideration of their relevance knowledge and experience. The process of pair wise comparison is calculated to determine priority of the KPIs based on weight value by using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP method. The weight of KPI will be arrange by descending to determine the priority. Model of performance measurement is validated by face validity method. Research result is obtaining 25 KPIs that derived from integration of lean and green supply chain concept of bag cement type. Grouping is consisting of 3 KPIs of financial, 4 KPIs of customer, 11 KPI s of internal process business and 7 KPI s of learning & growth. Result is showing that customer is most prioritized element in supply chain of bag cement type. Implementation of proposing model is coordination of departments and employee in context of information accessibility.     Keywords: Supply chain, lean, green, BSC, performance measurement

The Development Of A Theoretical Lean Culture Causal Framework To Support The Effective Implementation Of Lean In Automotive Component Manufacturers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Van der Merwe, Karl Robert

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Although it is generally accepted that lean manufacturing improves operational performance, many organisations are struggling to adapt to the lean philosophy. The purpose of this study is to contribute to a more effective strategy for implementing the lean manufacturing improvement philosophy. The study sets out both to integrate well-researched findings and theories related to generic organisational culture with more recent research and experience related to lean culture, and to examine the role that culture plays in the effective implementation of lean manufacturing principles and techniques. The ultimate aim of this exercise is to develop a theoretical lean culture causal framework.

Push piece for spent fuel elements magazine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Griveau, R.; Kerlau, D.; Tucoulat, D.; Colas, J.; Pellier, R.

1989-01-01

The push piece permits the displacement of little section elements in a magazine of high section. At the end of cut, the push piece leans its flank against an auxiliary blank holder and the element is pushed by a paddle, the push piece being immobilized [fr

Prevalence and hemodynamic effects of leaning during CPR

Science.gov (United States)

Niles, Dana E.; Sutton, Robert M.; Nadkarni, Vinay M.; Glatz, Andrew; Zuercher, Mathias; Maltese, Matthew R.; Eilevstjønn, Joar; Abella, Benjamin S.; Becker, Lance B.; Berg, Robert A.

2013-01-01

Background Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) guidelines recommend complete release between chest compressions (CC). Objective Evaluate the hemodynamic effects of leaning (incomplete chest wall release) during CPR and the prevalence of leaning during CPR. Results In piglet ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrests, 10% and 20% (1.8 kg and 3.6 kg, respectively), leaning during CPR increased right atrial pressures, decreased coronary perfusion pressures, and decreased cardiac index and left ventricular myocardial blood flow by nearly 50%. In contrast, residual leaning of a 260 g accelerometer/ force feedback device did not adversely affect cardiac index or myocardial blood flow. Among 108 adult in-hospital CPR events, leaning ≥2.5 kg was demonstrable in 91% of the events and 12% of the evaluated CC. For 12 children with in-hospital CPR, 28% of CC had residual leaning ≥2.5 kg and 89% had residual leaning ≥0.5 kg. Conclusions Leaning during CPR increases intrathoracic pressure, decreases coronary perfusion pressure, and decreases cardiac output and myocardial blood flow. Leaning is common during CPR. PMID:22208173

Lean Transformation Guidance: Why Organizations Fail To Achieve and Sustain Excellence Through Lean Improvement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammed Hamed Ahmed

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Many companies are complaining that lean didn’t achieve their long-term goals, and the improvement impact was very short-lived. 7 out of each 10 lean projects fail as companies try to use lean like a toolkit, copying and pasting the techniques without trying to adapt the employee’s culture, manage the improvement process, sustain the results, and develop their leaders. When the Toyota production system was created, the main goal was to remove wastes from the shop floor using some lean techniques and tools. What was not clear is that this required from Toyota a long process of leadership development, and a high commitment to training and coaching their employee. A Failure to achieve and sustain the improvement is a problem of both management and leadership as well as the improper understanding of the human behavior, and the required culture to success.

Multiuser underwater acoustic communication using single-element virtual time reversal mirror

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

YIN JingWei; WANG YiLin; WANG Lei; HUI JunYing

2009-01-01

Pattern time delay shift coding (PDS) scheme is introduced and combined with spread spectrum tech-nique called SS-PDS for short which is power-saving and competent for long-range underwater acous-tic networks.Single-element virtual time reversal mirror (VTRM) is presented in this paper and validated by the lake trial results.Employing single-element VTRM in multiuser communication system based on SS-PDS can separate different users' information simultaneously at master node as indicated in the simulation results.

Lean management in a non-manufacturing organization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mladen Žvorc

2013-12-01

Full Text Available This paper examines the possibilities of a lean approach to non-manufacturing functions, i.e. a market-oriented organization. This refers to purchasing, shipment, storage, sale and delivery of goods; marketing, etc. A lean approach to business operations is discussed and several lean business methods are developed on the basis of which lean management can be used not only in manufacturing, but also in non-manufacturing organizations.

Lean in Air Permitting Guide

Science.gov (United States)

The Lean in Air Permitting Guide is designed to help air program managers at public agencies better understand the potential value and results that can be achieved by applying Lean improvement methods to air permitting processes.

Lean-Prinzipien für verbesserte Kosteneffizienz: Instandhaltungseffizienz durch Lean Maintenance

OpenAIRE

Bandow, G.; Schmidt, A.

2008-01-01

Die Bedeutung der Instandhaltung nimmt weiter zu. In einem Lean Umfeld mit einer immer verschwendungsärmeren Produktion stehen nicht nur die Kosteneffizienz und Verfügbarkeit der Produktionsmittel im Fokus. Unplanmäßige Stillstände kosten Geld und gefährden häufig auch Personal und Produkt. Lean Maintenance vermeidet Verschwendung und optimiert so die Effektivität und Effizienz der Instandhaltung. Das zielgerichtete Zusammenspiel von Menschen, Prozessen und Technik garantiert dabei den Erfolg...

Direct numerical simulations of the ignition of lean primary reference fuel/air mixtures with temperature inhomogeneities

KAUST Repository

Luong, Minhbau

2013-10-01

The effects of fuel composition, thermal stratification, and turbulence on the ignition of lean homogeneous primary reference fuel (PRF)/air mixtures under the conditions of constant volume and elevated pressure are investigated by direct numerical simulations (DNSs) with a new 116-species reduced kinetic mechanism. Two-dimensional DNSs were performed in a fixed volume with a two-dimensional isotropic velocity spectrum and temperature fluctuations superimposed on the initial scalar fields with different fuel compositions to elucidate the influence of variations in the initial temperature fluctuation and turbulence intensity on the ignition of three different lean PRF/air mixtures. In general, it was found that the mean heat release rate increases slowly and the overall combustion occurs fast with increasing thermal stratification regardless of the fuel composition under elevated pressure and temperature conditions. In addition, the effect of the fuel composition on the ignition characteristics of PRF/air mixtures was found to vanish with increasing thermal stratification. Chemical explosive mode (CEM), displacement speed, and Damköhler number analyses revealed that the high degree of thermal stratification induces deflagration rather than spontaneous ignition at the reaction fronts, rendering the mean heat release rate more distributed over time subsequent to thermal runaway occurring at the highest temperature regions in the domain. These analyses also revealed that the vanishing of the fuel effect under the high degree of thermal stratification is caused by the nearly identical propagation characteristics of deflagrations of different PRF/air mixtures. It was also found that high intensity and short-timescale turbulence can effectively homogenize mixtures such that the overall ignition is apt to occur by spontaneous ignition. These results suggest that large thermal stratification leads to smooth operation of homogeneous charge compression-ignition (HCCI

TH-C-9A-01: Lean Tools and Methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rangaraj, D; Chan, K; Boddu, S; Pawlicki, T; Dieterich, S

2014-01-01

Lean thinking has revolutionized the manufacturing industry. Toyota has pioneered and leveraged this aspect of Lean thinking. Application of Lean thinking and Lean Six Sigma techniques into Healthcare and in particular in Radiation Oncology has its merits and challenges. To improve quality, safety and patient satisfaction with available resources or reducing cost in terms of time, staff and resources is demands of today's healthcare. Radiation oncology treatment involves many processes and steps, identifying and removing the non-value added steps in a process can significantly improve the efficiency. Real projects undertaken in radiation oncology department in cutting down the procedure time for MRI guided brachytherapy to 40% less using lean thinking will be narrated. Simple Lean tools and techniques such as Gemba walk, visual control, daily huddles, standard work, value stream mapping, error-proofing, etc. can be applied with existing resources and how that improved the operation in a Radiation Oncology department's two year experience will be discussed. Lean thinking focuses on identifying and solving the root-cause of a problem by asking “Why” and not “Who” and this requires a culture change of no blame. Role of leadership in building lean culture, employee empowerment and trains and develops lean thinkers will be presented. Why Lean initiatives fail and how to implement lean successfully in your clinic will be discussed. Learning Objectives: Concepts of lean management or lean thinking. Lean tools and techniques applied in Radiation Oncology. Implement no blame culture and focus on system and processes. Leadership role in implementing lean culture. Challenges for Lean thinking in healthcare

TH-C-9A-01: Lean Tools and Methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rangaraj, D [Baylor Scott and White Health, Temple, TX (United States); Chan, K [Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto (Canada); Boddu, S [Temple, TX (United States); Pawlicki, T [UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States); Dieterich, S [UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA (United States)

2014-06-15

Lean thinking has revolutionized the manufacturing industry. Toyota has pioneered and leveraged this aspect of Lean thinking. Application of Lean thinking and Lean Six Sigma techniques into Healthcare and in particular in Radiation Oncology has its merits and challenges. To improve quality, safety and patient satisfaction with available resources or reducing cost in terms of time, staff and resources is demands of today's healthcare. Radiation oncology treatment involves many processes and steps, identifying and removing the non-value added steps in a process can significantly improve the efficiency. Real projects undertaken in radiation oncology department in cutting down the procedure time for MRI guided brachytherapy to 40% less using lean thinking will be narrated. Simple Lean tools and techniques such as Gemba walk, visual control, daily huddles, standard work, value stream mapping, error-proofing, etc. can be applied with existing resources and how that improved the operation in a Radiation Oncology department's two year experience will be discussed. Lean thinking focuses on identifying and solving the root-cause of a problem by asking “Why” and not “Who” and this requires a culture change of no blame. Role of leadership in building lean culture, employee empowerment and trains and develops lean thinkers will be presented. Why Lean initiatives fail and how to implement lean successfully in your clinic will be discussed. Learning Objectives: Concepts of lean management or lean thinking. Lean tools and techniques applied in Radiation Oncology. Implement no blame culture and focus on system and processes. Leadership role in implementing lean culture. Challenges for Lean thinking in healthcare.

Magnifications of Single and Dual Element Accommodative Intraocular Lenses: Paraxial Optics Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Ale, Jit B; Manns, Fabrice; Ho, Arthur

2010-01-01

Purpose Using an analytical approach of paraxial optics, we evaluated the magnification of a model eye implanted with single-element (1E) and dual-element (2E) translating-optics accommodative intraocular lenses (AIOL) with an objective of understanding key control parameters relevant to their design. Potential clinical implications of the results arising from pseudophakic accommodation were also considered. Methods Lateral and angular magnifications in a pseudophakic model eye were analyzed using the matrix method of paraxial optics. The effects of key control parameters such as direction (forward or backward) and distance (0 to 2 mm) of translation, power combinations of the 2E-AIOL elements (front element power range +20.0 D to +40.0 D), and amplitudes of accommodation (0 to 4 D) were tested. Relative magnification, defined as the ratio of the retinal image size of the accommodated eye to that of unaccommodated phakic (rLM1) or pseudophakic (rLM2) model eyes, was computed to determine how retinal image size changes with pseudophakic accommodation. Results Both lateral and angular magnifications increased with increased power of the front element in 2E-AIOL and amplitude of accommodation. For a 2E-AIOL with front element power of +35 D, rLM1 and rLM2 increased by 17.0% and 16.3%, respectively, per millimetre of forward translation of the element, compared to the magnification at distance focus (unaccommodated). These changes correspond to a change of 9.4% and 6.5% per dioptre of accommodation, respectively. Angular magnification also increased with pseudophakic accommodation. 1E-AIOLs produced consistently less magnification than 2E-AIOLs. Relative retinal image size decreased at a rate of 0.25% with each dioptre of accommodation in the phakic model eye. The position of the image space nodal point shifted away from the retina (towards the cornea) with both phakic and pseudophakic accommodation. Conclusion Power of the mobile element, and amount and direction of

Perceptions of Lean Six Sigma: a multiple case study in the financial services industry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lameijer, B.A.; Veen, D.T.J.; Does, R.J.M.M.; de Mast, J.

2016-01-01

From 2001 onward, books and papers about the application of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in service industries describe typical LSS deployment characteristics, such as the human element. The objective of this paper is to identify which LSS attributes affect employee and management attitudes and how the

Rethinking Lean Service

Science.gov (United States)

Seddon, John; O'Donovan, Brendan; Zokaei, Keivan

Ever since Levitt's influential Harvard Business Review article 'Production-Line Approach to Service' was published in 1972, it has been common for services to be treated like production lines in both the academic literature and more widely in management practice. The belief that achieving economies of scale will reduce unit costs is a common feature of management decision-making. As technological advancement has produced ever more sophisticated IT and telephony, it has become increasingly easier for firms to standardise and off-shore services. The development of the 'lean' literature has only helped to emphasise the same underlying management assumptions: by managing cost and workers' activity, organisational performance is expected to improve. This chapter argues that through misinterpretation of the core paradigm 'lean' has become subsumed into the 'business as usual' of conventional service management. As a result, 'lean' has become synonymous with 'process efficiency' and the opportunity for significant performance improvement - as exemplified by Toyota - has been missed.

Lean consumption.

Science.gov (United States)

Womack, James P; Jones, Daniel T

2005-03-01

During the past 20 years, the real price of most consumer goods has fallen worldwide, the variety of goods and the range of sales channels offering them have continued to grow, and product quality has steadily improved. So why is consumption often so frustrating? It doesn't have to be--and shouldn't be--the authors say. They argue that it's time to apply lean thinking to the processes of consumption--to give consumers the full value they want from goods and services with the greatest efficiency and the least pain. Companies may think they save time and money by off-loading work to the consumer but, in fact, the opposite is true. By streamlining their systems for providing goods and services, and by making it easier for customers to buy and use those products and services, a growing number of companies are actually lowering costs while saving everyone time. In the process, these businesses are learning more about their customers, strengthening consumer loyalty, and attracting new customers who are defecting from less user-friendly competitors. The challenge lies with the retailers, service providers, manufacturers, and suppliers that are not used to looking at total cost from the standpoint of the consumer and even less accustomed to working with customers to optimize the consumption process. Lean consumption requires a fundamental shift in the way companies think about the relationship between provision and consumption, and the role their customers play in these processes. It also requires consumers to change the nature of their relationships with the companies they patronize. Lean production has clearly triumphed over similar obstacles in recent years to become the dominant global manufacturing model. Lean consumption, its logical companion, can't be far behind.

Lean Six Sigma in financial services

OpenAIRE

de Koning, H.; Does, R.J.M.M.; Bisgaard, S.

2008-01-01

Lean Thinking and Six Sigma are typically considered as separate approaches to process innovation, with complementary strengths. When combined as Lean Six Sigma, this approach provides a unified framework for systematically developing innovations. Lean Six Sigma can also bring about significant results and breakthrough improvements in financial services, as demonstrated with four case studies from Dutch multinational insurance companies. These cases demonstrate the importance of incremental i...

Lean and psychosocial work environment in manufacturing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Edwards, Kasper; Thye, Nina; Nielsen, Anders P.

2011-01-01

Lean is currently the rationalization method of choice in the Danish manufacturing industry. This paper reports finding from three lean implementation cases. All cases are manufacturing companies focusing on upmarket products produced in small series. Prior to lean production was organized as sel...

A Sand Cone Model of Lean Implementation

OpenAIRE

Yestemessov, Azamat

2011-01-01

Over the past 20 years Lean Production system has been a focus of researches by different academicians. A numerous works have been written in the field of Lean implementation in manufacturing companies. However, as shown, most of the academic topics relate to the issues of implementing Lean tools and techniques. Critical Success Factors have been also described widely; however, no efforts in systematization have been made. Only several works have a focus on integration of Lean implementation ...

Direct observation of elemental segregation in InGaN nanowires by X-ray nanoprobe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Segura-Ruiz, J.; Martinez-Criado, G.; Sans, J.A.; Tucoulou, R.; Cloetens, P.; Snigireva, I. [European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Experiments Division, 38043 Grenoble (France); Denker, C.; Malindretos, J.; Rizzi, A. [Georg-August-University Goettingen, IV. Physikalisches Institut, 37077 Goettingen (Germany); Gomez-Gomez, M.; Garro, N.; Cantarero, A. [University of Valencia, Materials Science Institute, 46071 Valencia (Spain)

2011-03-15

Using synchrotron radiation nanoprobe, this work reports on the elemental distribution in single In{sub x} Ga{sub 1-x}N nanowires (NWs) grown by molecular beam epitaxy directly on Si(111) substrates. Single NWs dispersed on Al covered sapphire were characterized by nano-X-ray fluorescence, Raman scattering and photoluminescence spectroscopy. Both Ga and In maps reveal an inhomogeneous axial distribution inside sin- gle NWs. The analysis of NWs from the same sample but with different dimensions suggests a decrease of In segregation with the reduction of NW diameter, while Ga distribution seems to remain unaltered. Photoluminescence and Raman scattering measurements carried out on ensembles of NWs exhibit relevant signatures of the compositional disorder. (copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Lean in healthcare: the unfilled promise?

Science.gov (United States)

Radnor, Zoe J; Holweg, Matthias; Waring, Justin

2012-02-01

In an effort to improve operational efficiency, healthcare services around the world have adopted process improvement methodologies from the manufacturing sector, such as Lean Production. In this paper we report on four multi-level case studies of the implementation of Lean in the English NHS. Our results show that this generally involves the application of specific Lean 'tools', such as 'kaizen blitz' and 'rapid improvement events', which tend to produce small-scale and localised productivity gains. Although this suggests that Lean might not currently deliver the efficiency improvements desired in policy, the evolution of Lean in the manufacturing sector also reveals this initial focus on the 'tool level'. In moving to a more system-wide approach, however, we identify significant contextual differences between healthcare and manufacturing that result in two critical breaches of the assumptions behind Lean. First, the customer and commissioner in the private sector are the one and the same, which is essential in determining 'customer value' that drives process improvement activities. Second, healthcare is predominantly designed to be capacity-led, and hence there is limited ability to influence demand or make full use of freed-up resources. What is different about this research is that these breaches can be regarded as not being primarily 'professional' in origin but actually more 'organisational' and 'managerial' and, if not addressed could severely constrain Lean's impact on healthcare productivity at the systems level. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Parameter Study of Coupling Properties in Finite Element Models of Single-Stud Double-Plate Panels

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dickow, Kristoffer Ahrens; Domadiya, Parthkumar Gandalal; Andersen, Lars Vabbersgaard

2011-01-01

Lightweight building techniques are currently progressing fast and using such structures for multi-storey multi-family dwellings is becoming part of the industry standard. Partitions in lightweight buildings are often constructed as plates on frame structures made of either wood or steel. In any...... case the low frequency sound transmission is often an issue that needs attention. The present paper utilizes a finite element model of a single-stud double-plate panel structure to investigate how different couplings between the plates and the frame structure affect the direct sound transmission. Four...... different coupling configurations are considered: 1) All structural contact points are completely tied; 2) only nodes on the centre lines of the structure are tied; 3) a narrow strip of tied elements connect the frame to the plates; 4) evenly spaced discrete elements are tied. In all cases the interaction...

Lean Implementation : the significance of people and dualism

OpenAIRE

Bengt, Halling

2013-01-01

Lean, with its origins at the Toyota Motor Company, is a concept that is known to increase effectiveness in manufacturing. The Lean concept is now argued to be relevant not only in manufacturing but in service and health-care delivery as well. The reported results of Lean implementation efforts are divided. There are reports that most of the Lean implementation efforts are not reaching the goal; on the other hand, there are reports of promising results. The divided results from Lean implement...

Lean Six Sigma implementation and organizational culture.

Science.gov (United States)

Knapp, Susan

2015-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between four organizational cultural types defined by the Competing Values Framework and three Lean Six Sigma implementation components - management involvement, use of Lean Six Sigma methods and Lean Six Sigma infrastructure. The study involved surveying 446 human resource and quality managers from 223 hospitals located in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Rhode Island using the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument. Findings - In total, 104 completed responses were received and analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance. Follow-up analysis of variances showed management support was significant, F(3, 100)=4.89, p cultures having significant interactions with management support. The relationship between organizational culture and Lean Six Sigma in hospitals provides information on how specific cultural characteristics impact the Lean Six Sigma initiative key components. This information assists hospital staff who are considering implementing quality initiatives by providing an understanding of what cultural values correspond to effective Lean Six Sigma implementation. Managers understanding the quality initiative cultural underpinnings, are attentive to the culture-shared values and norm's influence can utilize strategies to better implement Lean Six Sigma.

Lean thinking for a maintenance process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sherif Mostafa

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The maintenance process shares significant operating costs in an organisation. Lean thinking can be incorporated into maintenance activities through applying its principles and practices/tools. Lean maintenance (LM is a prerequisite for lean manufacturing systems. This research proposes a new structure for LM process based on a systematic literature review of a significant number of related articles that were published on LM. The process structure is designed based on the five lean principles to guide and support organisations to pursue maintenance excellence. This study establishes a scheme for LM tools that are structured into 2 level 4 bundles and 26 lean practices/tools and develops a House of Waste (HoW to demonstrate the association between maintenance wastes and the LM tools. With a successful accomplishment of the proposed scheme, the performance of a maintenance department can create more improvement opportunities over time to reach the maintenance excellence status.

THE LEAN AND SIX SIGMA SINERGY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mirko Sokovic

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Many organizations, dealing with continuous improvement methods, have realized that Lean and Six Sigma methodologies complement each other. Lean manufacturing focuses on the remova l of waste so that all processes in the total system add value from the customers' perspectives. The main emphasis of Six Sigma is the application of statistical tools in a disciplined manner, which requires data-driven decision-making. The integration of Lean and Six Sigma provides a synergetic effect, a rapid process improvement strategy for attaining organizational goals. When separated, Lean manufacturing cannot bring a process under statistical control, and Six Sigma cannot dramatically improve cycle time or reduce invested capital. Together, synergistic qualities are created to maximize the potential for a process improvement. The paper deals with Lean and Six Sigma principles and approaches used in modern manufacturing for process improvements, and bring forward benefits that are gained when these two methodologies are integrated.

Performance Improvement through Implementation of Lean Maintenance

OpenAIRE

S. Kolanjiappan; Dr. K. Maran

2011-01-01

Lean Maintenance is a relatively new term, invented in the last decade of the twentieth century, but the principles are well established in Total Productive Maintenance (TPM). Lean Maintenance—taking its lead from Lean Manufacturing—applies some new techniques to TPM concepts to render a more structured implementation path. Tracing its roots back to Henry Ford with modern refinements born in Japanese manufacturing, specifically the Toyota Production System (TPS). Lean seeks to eliminate a...

Lean in healthcare: A comprehensive review.

Science.gov (United States)

D'Andreamatteo, Antonio; Ianni, Luca; Lega, Federico; Sargiacomo, Massimo

2015-09-01

Lean seems to be the next revolution for a better, improved, value-based healhcare. In the last 15 years Lean has been increasingly adapted and adopted in healthcare. Accordingly, Lean healthcare has been developing into a major strand of research since the early 2000s. The aim of this work is to present a comprehensive overview of the main issues highlighted by research on implementation of Lean in a complex contest such as the healthcare one. Comprehensive literature review was conducted in order to identify empirical and theoretical articles published up to September 2013. Thematic analysis was performed in order to extract and synthesis data. 243 articles were selected for analysis. Lean is best understood as a means to increase productivity. Hospital is the more explored setting, with emergency and surgery as the pioneer departments. USA appears to be the leading country for number of applications. The theoretical works have been focused mainly on barriers, challenges and success factors. Sustainability, framework for measurement and critical appraisal remain underestimated themes. Evaluations of "system wide approach" are still low in number. Even though Lean results appear to be promising, findings so far do not allow to draw a final word on its positive impacts or challenges when introduced in the healthcare sector. Scholars are called to explore further the potentiality and the weaknesses of Lean, above all as for the magnitude of investments required and for the engagement of the whole organization it represents increasingly strategic choice, whilst health professionals, managers and policy makers could and should learn from research how to play a pivotal role for a more effective implementation of lean in different health contexts. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Lean practices for quality results: a case illustration.

Science.gov (United States)

Hwang, Pauline; Hwang, David; Hong, Paul

2014-01-01

Increasingly, healthcare providers are implementing lean practices to achieve quality results. Implementing lean healthcare practices is unique compared to manufacturing and other service industries. The purpose of this paper is to present a model that identifies and defines the lean implementation key success factors in healthcare organisations. The model is based on an extant literature review and a case illustration that explores actual lean implementation in a major USA hospital located in a Midwestern city (approximately 300,000 people). An exploratory/descriptive study using observation and follow-up interviews was conducted to identify lean practices in the hospital. Lean practice key drivers include growing elderly populations, rising medical expenses, decreasing insurance coverage and decreasing management support. Effectively implementing lean practices to increase bottom-line results and improve organisational integrity requires sharing goals and processes among healthcare managers and professionals. An illustration explains the model and the study provides a sound foundation for empirical work. Practical implications are included. Lean practices minimise waste and unnecessary hospital stays while simultaneously enhancing customer values and deploying resources in supply systems. Leadership requires clear project targets based on sound front-end planning because initial implementation steps involve uncertainty and ambiguity (i.e. fuzzy front-end planning). Since top management support is crucial for implementing lean practices successfully, a heavyweight manager, who communicates well both with top managers and project team members, is an important success factor when implementing lean practices. Increasingly, green orientation and sustainability initiatives are phrases that replaced lean practices. Effective results; e.g. waste reduction, employee satisfaction and customer values are applicable to bigger competitive challenges arising both in specific

Improving healthcare using Lean processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Baker, G Ross

2014-01-01

For more than a decade, healthcare organizations across Canada have been using Lean management tools to improve care processes, reduce preventable adverse events, increase patient satisfaction and create better work environments. The largest system-wide effort in Canada, and perhaps anywhere, is currently under way in Saskatchewan. The jury is still out on whether Lean efforts in that province, or elsewhere in Canada, are robust enough to transform current delivery systems and sustain new levels of performance. This issue of Healthcare Quarterly features several articles that provide a perspective on Lean methods in healthcare. Copyright © 2014 Longwoods Publishing.

Plasma Amino Acids Stimulate Uncoupled Respiration of Muscle Subsarcolemmal Mitochondria in Lean but Not Obese Humans.

Science.gov (United States)

Kras, Katon A; Hoffman, Nyssa; Roust, Lori R; Patel, Shivam H; Carroll, Chad C; Katsanos, Christos S

2017-12-01

Obesity is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction in skeletal muscle. Increasing the plasma amino acid (AA) concentrations stimulates mitochondrial adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production in lean individuals. To determine whether acute elevation in plasma AAs enhances muscle mitochondrial respiration and ATP production in subsarcolemmal (SS) and intermyofibrillar (IMF) mitochondria in obese adults. Assessment of SS and IMF mitochondrial function during saline (i.e., control) and AA infusions. Eligible participants were healthy lean (body mass index, mass index >30 kg/m2; age 35 ± 3 years; n = 11) subjects. Single trial of saline infusion followed by AA infusion. SS and IMF mitochondria were isolated from muscle biopsies collected at the end of the saline and AA infusions. Mitochondrial respiration and ATP production. AA infusion increased adenosine 5'-diphosphate (ADP)-stimulated respiration and ATP production rates of SS mitochondria in the lean (P lean subjects only (P lean or obese subjects (P > 0.05). Increasing the plasma AA concentrations enhances the capacity for respiration and ATP production of muscle SS, but not IMF, mitochondria in lean individuals, in parallel with increases in uncoupled respiration. However, neither of these parameters increases in muscle SS or IMF mitochondria in obese individuals. Copyright © 2017 Endocrine Society

The Hybrid Lean System to Improve Manufacturing Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmad Ahmad Nur Aizat

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Lean manufacturing is a systematic approch could increase manufacturing competitiveness by identifying and elminating waste through lean tools. However, these tools are often categorized into different groups, continues to be difficult for companies to select the most appropriate lean tool to be adopted, especially in respect of the SMEs whose knowledge of lean tools and associated principles are limited. This study is to propose solution on how to implement appropriate lean tools in food manufacturing industry located at Rengit, Johor. Qualitative method is used as a methodology to see the changes after the implementation of lean tools. Interview session also a part of method to collect data from respondents. The finding from this paper shows that implementation of an appropriate lean tool will help to eliminate waste in industry sector, maintain and control the inventory, improve quality of the product and improve overall operational process.

Using Dynamic Value Stream Mapping and Lean Accounting Box Scores to Support Lean Implementation

Science.gov (United States)

Woehrle, Stephen L.; Abou-Shady, Louay

2010-01-01

Lean has proven to be an effective management philosophy for improving businesses in a competitive market by eliminating waste and improving operations. An impact of implementing lean projects is the rapid reduction in inventory levels, which gives management the false impression that profits are decreasing while workers on the shop floor observe…

Researching Lean: Methodological implications of loose definitions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brännmark, Mikael; Langstrand, Jostein; Johansson, Stina

2012-01-01

practices seem to overlap with other popular management concepts, such as High Performance Work Systems, World Class Manufacturing and Total Quality Management. This confusion, combined with different methodological and theoretical traditions, has led to much debate and contradictory conclusions regarding...... Lean. The purpose of the paper is to illustrate some key methodological issues that need to be considered in future Lean research to allow increased understanding of Lean effects for different stakeholders, primarily meaning the customer, employer and employees. Design/methodology/approach – The paper...... on the case studies, we suggest that future investigations describe the Lean interventions in more detail. General descriptions or analogies, e.g. ‘learning organizations’, presumably increase the present confusion regarding Lean impact on different stakeholders. The case studies also illustrate...

Lean leadership attributes: a systematic review of the literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Aij, Kjeld Harald; Teunissen, Maurits

2017-10-09

Purpose Emphasis on quality and reducing costs has led many health-care organizations to reconfigure their management, process, and quality control infrastructures. Many are lean, a management philosophy with roots in manufacturing industries that emphasizes elimination of waste. Successful lean implementation requires systemic change and strong leadership. Despite the importance of leadership to successful lean implementation, few researchers have probed the question of ideal leadership attributes to achieve lean thinking in health care. The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into applicable attributes for lean leaders in health care. Design/methodology/approach The authors systematically reviewed the literature on principles of leadership and, using Dombrowski and Mielke's (2013) conceptual model of lean leadership, developed a parallel theoretical model for lean leadership in health care. Findings This work contributes to the development of a new framework for describing leadership attributes within lean management of health care. Originality/value The summary of attributes can provide a model for health-care leaders to apply lean in their organizations.

Lean and Green Hand Surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Demark, Robert E; Smith, Vanessa J S; Fiegen, Anthony

2018-02-01

Health care in the United States is both expensive and wasteful. The cost of health care in the United States continues to increase every year. Health care spending for 2016 is estimated at $3.35 trillion. Per capita spending ($10,345 per person) is more than twice the average of other developed countries. The United States also leads the world in solid waste production (624,700 metric tons of waste in 2011). The health care industry is second only to the food industry in annual waste production. Each year, health care facilities in the United States produce 4 billion pounds of waste (660 tons per day), with as much as 70%, or around 2.8 billion pounds, produced directly by operating rooms. Waste disposal also accounts for up to 20% of a hospital's annual environmental services budget. Since 1992, waste production by hospitals has increased annually by a rate of at least 15%, due in part to the increased usage of disposables. Reduction in operating room waste would decrease both health care costs and potential environmental hazards. In 2015, the American Association for Hand Surgery along with the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, American Society for Peripheral Nerve Surgery, and the American Society of Reconstructive Microsurgery began the "Lean and Green" surgery project to reduce the amount of waste generated by hand surgery. We recently began our own "Lean and Green" project in our institution. Using "minor field sterility" surgical principles and Wide Awake Local Anesthesia No Tourniquet (WALANT), both surgical costs and surgical waste were decreased while maintaining patient safety and satisfaction. As the current reimbursement model changes from quantity to quality, "Lean and Green" surgery will play a role in the future health care system. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The maintenance management for lean organization

OpenAIRE

Daniel D. GEORGESCU

2010-01-01

The goal of lean maintenance approach is to maintain organization international competitiveness. In the spirit of continuously improvement, in the paper it is shown how by adjusting some Lean manufacturing specific techniques for Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) system, was born new maintenance system named Lean TPM. This is a systemic approach with three techniques, which don’t exclude specific techniques of TPM pillars, but complete them: the 7Ss as a critical first step in any improvemen...

Apply Lean Thinking in Project Management

OpenAIRE

Pham Ngoc, Lan

2015-01-01

The purpose of this thesis was to study the effects of Lean Thinking in Project Management and how applying Lean Project Management could enhance the productivity of project work. The study was carried using theoretical research and collecting empirical data from three interviews and one case study at a local company. At the end of the study, the major project management problems at the company were identified and analyzed following Lean Principles. It was also pointed out where there...

From Toyota to the bedside: nurses can lead the lean way in health care reform.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Joyce E; Smith, Amy L; Mastro, Kari A

2012-01-01

The advent of health care reform means new pressures on American hospitals, which will be forced to do more with less. In the next decade, increased use of "Lean" principles and practices in hospitals can create real value by reducing waste and improving productivity, costs, quality, and the timely delivery of patient care services. In 2010, the Institute of Medicine recommended that nurses lead collaborative quality improvement efforts and assume a major role in redesigning health care in the United States. In this article, we provide an overview of the use of Lean techniques in health care and 2 case studies of successful, nurse-directed Lean initiatives at the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. The article concludes with some lessons we have learned and implications for nursing education in the future that must include the concepts, tools, and skills required for adapting Lean to the patient care environment.

Hydrogen Addition for Improved Lean Burn Capability on Natural Gas Engine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andersson, Tobias [Lund Inst. of Technology (Sweden). Dept. of Heat and Power Engineering

2002-12-01

Lean burn spark ignition (SI) engines powered by natural gas is an attractive alternative to the Diesel engine, especially in urban traffic, where reduction of tailpipe emissions are of great importance. A major benefit is the large reduction in soot (PM). Lean burn spark ignition (SI) engines yield high fuel conversion efficiency and also relatively low NO{sub x} emissions at full load. In order to improve the engine operating characteristics at lower loads, the {lambda}-value is normally reduced to some degree, with increased NO{sub x} emissions and reduced efficiency as a result. This is a drawback for the lean burn engines, especially in urban applications such as in city buses and distribution trucks for urban use. So, it is desirable to find ways to extend the lean limit at low loads. One way to improve these part load properties is to add hydrogen to the natural gas in order to improve the combustion characteristics of the fuel. It is possible to extend the lean limit of a natural gas engine by addition of hydrogen to the primary fuel. This report presents measurements made on a single cylinder 1.6 liter natural gas engine. Two combustion chambers, one slow and one fast burning, were tested with various amounts of hydrogen (0 to 20 %-vol) added to natural gas. Three operating conditions were investigated for each combustion chamber and each hydrogen content level; idle, wide open throttle (WOT) and a high load condition (simulated turbo charging). For all three operating conditions, the air/fuel ratio was varied between stoichiometric and the lean limit. For each operating point, the ignition timing was swept in order to find maximum brake torque (MBT) timing. In some cases were the ignition timing limited by knock. Heat release rate calculations were made in order to assess the influence of hydrogen addition on burn rate. Addition of hydrogen showed an increase in burn rate for both combustion chambers, resulting in more stable combustion close to the lean

Clinically lean; "cutting the crap".

Science.gov (United States)

Caldwell, G

2012-01-01

Proponents of Lean Philosophy believe that successful businesses must reduce waste in working time and resources to a minimum, and maximise their use in productive work. The productive work of the Acute Medical Unit is to provide effective clinical management to a daily cohort of acutely ill patients. Many Clinicians are cynical about Lean. In this article, Dr Caldwell discusses how many clinicians complain of too much crap in the workplace, which gets in the way of swift, safe high quality clinical care. He argues that "Cutting the Crap" in the Acute Medical Unit is entirely consistent with Lean approaches to management of complex systems.

The relationships between Lean manufacturing, management accounting and firm performance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristensen, Thomas Borup; Nielsen, Henrik; Grasso, Lawrency

2016-01-01

with management accounting practices. Specifically, we document that Lean manufacturing is positively associated with Value Stream Costing, Lean visual controls and, more importantly, measures of labor and materials efficiency. Lean manufacturing is positively related to Lean thinking and both are positively...... associated with operational performance and so are Lean visual controls. We also document that the management accounting practices intervene affecting operational performance and they intervene with Lean thinking as well. Lastly, the relationship between Lean manufacturing and measures of labor and materials......Lean manufacturing has been adopted by numerous western companies as an answer to an increasing competitive environment. Lean manufacturing is seen as an enterprise-wide strategy encompassing a transformation of manufacturing practices, affecting companies’ management accounting practices and...

The promise of Lean in health care.

Science.gov (United States)

Toussaint, John S; Berry, Leonard L

2013-01-01

An urgent need in American health care is improving quality and efficiency while controlling costs. One promising management approach implemented by some leading health care institutions is Lean, a quality improvement philosophy and set of principles originated by the Toyota Motor Company. Health care cases reveal that Lean is as applicable in complex knowledge work as it is in assembly-line manufacturing. When well executed, Lean transforms how an organization works and creates an insatiable quest for improvement. In this article, we define Lean and present 6 principles that constitute the essential dynamic of Lean management: attitude of continuous improvement, value creation, unity of purpose, respect for front-line workers, visual tracking, and flexible regimentation. Health care case studies illustrate each principle. The goal of this article is to provide a template for health care leaders to use in considering the implementation of the Lean management system or in assessing the current state of implementation in their organizations. Copyright © 2013 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Lean sigma--will it work for healthcare?

Science.gov (United States)

Bahensky, James A; Roe, Janet; Bolton, Romy

2005-01-01

The manufacturing industry has been using Lean Sigma for years in pursuit of continuous improvement to obtain a competitive advantage. The objectives of these efforts are to use the Lean techniques for reducing cycle times and the Six Sigma concepts for reducing product defects. The Iowa Business Council with several advocates worked with the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics (UIHC) and two other Iowa hospitals to determine whether Lean Sigma is adaptable in healthcare. A team of 15 people at UIHC used the Kaizen Breakthrough Methodology over a five-day period in an aggressive identification and elimination of non-value added activities in Radiology CT scanning. The results exceeded the initial project objectives and indicated that Lean Sigma is applicable in healthcare. Overall, the Lean Sigma project increased revenue by approximately $750,000 per year. The Kaizen process proved to be successful and interesting. Within three days, the team installed new work flow processes. This implementation-oriented approach is what differentiates Lean Sigma from other quality improvement processes.

A sensor element for direct radiation measurement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bajons, P.; Wernhart, U.; Zeiler, H. [University of Vienna (Austria). Institut of Material Physics

1998-08-01

A combination of a photodiode with a nonimaging light concentrator is developed to perform measurements of the direct solar radiation component. A prototype composed of low price elements is taken as a starting point to discuss the problems which must be faced when calibrating such sensors. By this the influence of the angle of incidence and spectral distribution (caused by different air mass or varying degree of clearness) of the incident radiation on the behavior of the system is studied. The readings are compared to the calculated (global minus diffuse) readings obtained from two standard star pyranometers. Finally the possibilities for increasing the accuracy of the sensor element and for applying the device are discussed. (author)

Can lean save lives?

Science.gov (United States)

Fillingham, David

2007-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to show how over the last 18 months Bolton Hospitals NHS Trust have been exploring whether or not lean methodologies, often known as the Toyota Production System, can indeed be applied to healthcare. This paper is a viewpoint. One's early experience is that lean really can save lives. The Toyota Production System is an amazingly successful way of manufacturing cars. It cannot be simply translated unthinkingly into a hospital but lessons can be learned from it and the method can be adapted and developed so that it becomes owned by healthcare staff and focused towards the goal of improved patient care. Working in healthcare is a stressful and difficult thing. Everyone needs a touch of inspiration and encouragement. Applying lean to healthcare in Bolton seems to be achieving just that for those who work there.

Psoas muscle cross-sectional area as a measure of whole body lean muscle mass in maintenance hemodialysis patients

Science.gov (United States)

Morrell, Glen R.; Ikizler, Talat A.; Chen, Xiaorui; Heilbrun, Marta E.; Wei, Guo; Boucher, Robert; Beddhu, Srinivasan

2016-01-01

Objective We investigate whether psoas or paraspinous muscle area measured on a single L4–5 image is a useful measure of whole lean body mass compared to dedicated mid-thigh magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Design Observational study. Setting Outpatient dialysis units and a research clinic. Subjects 105 adult participants on maintenance hemodialysis. No control group was used. Exposure variables Psoas muscle area, paraspinous muscle area, and mid-thigh muscle area (MTMA) were measured by MRI. Main outcome measure Lean body mass was measured by dual-energy absorptiometry (DEXA) scan. Results In separate multivariable linear regression models, psoas, paraspinous, and mid-thigh muscle area were associated with increase in lean body mass. In separate multivariate logistic regression models, c-statistics for diagnosis of sarcopenia (defined as lean body mass) were 0.69 for paraspinous muscle area, 0.81 for psoas muscle area, and 0.89 for mid-thigh muscle area. With sarcopenia defined as lean body mass, the corresponding c-statistics were 0.71, 0.92, and 0.94. Conclusions We conclude that psoas muscle area provides a good measure of whole body muscle mass, better than paraspinous muscle area but slightly inferior to mid thigh measurement. Hence, in body composition studies a single axial MR image at the L4–L5 level can be used to provide information on both fat and muscle and may eliminate the need for time-consuming measurement of muscle area in the thigh. PMID:26994780

Test elements of direct sums and free products of free Lie algebras

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Abstract. We give a characterization of test elements of a direct sum of free Lie algebras in terms of test elements of the factors. In addition, we construct certain types of test elements and we prove that in a free product of free Lie algebras, product of the homogeneous test elements of the factors is also a test element.

Test elements of direct sums and free products of free Lie algebras

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

We give a characterization of test elements of a direct sum of free Lie algebras in terms of test elements of the factors. In addition, we construct certain types of test elements and we prove that in a free product of free Lie algebras, product of the homogeneous test elements of the factors is also a test element.

Constitutive Behavior of Reinforced Concrete Membrane Elements under Tri-directional Shear

Science.gov (United States)

Labib, Moheb

The two-dimensional behavior of typical reinforced concrete (RC) structures has been extensively studied in the past several decades by investigating the constitutive behavior of full-scale reinforced concrete elements subjected to a bi-axial state of stress. In order to understand the true behavior of many large complex structures, the goal of this investigation is to develop new constitutive relationships for RC elements subjected to tri-directional shear stresses. Recently, additional out-of-plane jacks were installed on the panel tester at University of Houston so that concrete elements could be subjected to tri-directional shear stresses. This upgrade makes the panel tester the only one of its kind in the US that is capable of applying such combinations of stresses on full-scale reinforced concrete elements. This dissertation presents the details of the mounting and installation of the additional hydraulic jacks on the universal panel tester. The experimental program includes a series of seven reinforced concrete elements subjected to different combinations of in-plane and out-of-plane shear stresses. Increasing the applied out-of-plane shear stresses reduced the membrane shear strength of the elements. The effect of applying out-of-plane shear stresses on the in-plane shear strength was represented by modifying the softening coefficient in the compression stress strain curve of concrete struts. The modified model was able to capture the behavior and the ultimate capacity of the tested elements. The effect of the in-plane shear reinforcement ratio on the interaction between in-plane and out-of-plane shear stresses was evaluated. The model was implemented in the Finite Element package FEAP and was used to predict the ultimate capacity of many structures subjected to a combination of in-plane and out-of-plane shear stresses. The results of the analytical model were used to develop simplified design equations for members subjected to bi-directional shear loads

A Model to align the organizational culture to Lean

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mehrsa Taherimashhadi

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Purpose: Since the emergence of Lean Manufacturing many organizations strived to implement it. Nonetheless, sustainable Lean transformation is not as easy as to be simply achieved. Several aspects need to be taken into account before Lean implementation which national and organizational culture are important. By considering influences of national culture on the organizational culture, this paper aims at proposing an evaluation model to determine the cultural weaknesses of an organization and give some recommendations to manage people before implementing Lean. Design/methodology/approach: This research has been conducted based on literature review survey and semi-structured interviews. Research papers, conference proceedings, books, and official websites regarding Lean philosophy were reviewed to find the influence of national culture in Lean implementation. Different databases were scrutinized, from 2015 to 2017, containing Scopus and Web of Science with the time period of 1996-2016. A set of key terms and their combinations were used including: Toyota Production system, Lean production, Lean manufacturing, Lean management, Transformation, Implementation, Barriers/ Impediments/Challenges/Difficulties, Human resources, Success factors, Organizational culture, and National culture. Findings: The proposed evaluation model is a guide for organizations to determine cultural misalignments between the corporate culture and the Lean culture before its implementation and gives some managerial recommendations to correct them. Originality/value: This study is the first attempt to integrate the national models   with Lean culture to provide an evaluation model and some recommendations to help the organization to align its culture to Lean culture before its implementation.

Når lean organiserer på hospitalet

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hauge, Amalie Martinus

Lean er kendt og anvendt af mange offentlige organisationer i Danmark. Selv om Leans anvendelighed de fleste steder er slået fast, bliver Lean imidlertid ved med at udfordre og skabe konflikt. Hvorfor det? Dette spørgsmål – og mange andre – bliver belyst i denne rapport, som er baseret på en Ph...

Lean Accounting - An Ingenious Solution for Cost Optimization

OpenAIRE

Dimi Ofileanu; Dan Ioan Topor

2014-01-01

The aim of this work is to present a new concept in accounting management: Lean Accounting. This work explains the way the lean concept was born; its benefits for the production system of the factories and the necessity of applying lean accounting in the factories which have implemented lean production, taking into account both its advantages and the boundaries of the other cost management methods in those factories.

Implementing lean manufacturing system: ISM approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Naveen Kumar

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Purpose: Lean Manufacturing System has emerged as an important area of research in Indian context. The requirement of Lean Manufacturing has increased due to defects in products (semi finished and finished and subsequent increase in cost. In this context, this study is an attempt to develop a structural model of the variables, important to implement Lean Manufacturing System in Indian automobile industry. Design/Methodology/Approach: Various variables of lean manufacturing system implementation have been identified from literature review and experts’ opinions. Contextual relationship among these identified variables has been set after carrying out brainstorming session. Further, classification of the variables has been carried out based upon the driving power and dependence. In addition to this, a structural model of variables to implement lean concept in Indian automobile industry has also been developed using Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM technique. Questionnaire based survey has also been conducted to rank these variables. Findings: Eighteen variables have been identified from the literature and subsequent discussions with experts. Out of which, nine variables have been identified as dependent and nine variables have been identified as driver. No variable has been identified as linkage variable and autonomous variable. From the model developed, ‘Relative cost benefits’ has been identified as top level dependent variable and top management commitment as bottom level most independent variable. Research limitations/Implications: The model so developed is a hypothetical model based upon experts’ opinions. The conclusions so drawn may be further modified to apply in real situation. Practical implication: Clear understanding of interactions among these variables will help organizations to prioritize and manage these variables more effectively and efficiently to draw advantage from lean manufacturing system implementation

USE OF LEAN PRODUCTION INSTRUMENTS IN DESIGNING THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elietta P. Burnasheva

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Introduction: the concept of lean production seeks not a reduction of costs but complete elimination of losses that do not bring added value to the product or service. In any system, in all processes – from production and assembly, to hospitality, education, health, transport and social services – there are hidden losses. Teaching itself is a kind of production process in which a certain “product” (student acquires the added value (knowledge and skills, that is why it has become topical in educational institution to establish the working group on introduction of lean production into the learning process. The article presents the factors that are to be taken into account while designing the educational process based on the lean production principles. Materials and Methods: methods of analysis of existing system of vocational training in higher school, monitoring of the results of educational practice, modeling and experimental work in the process of analytical work were used. Results: important direction for eliminating losses in the educational process is the development of the interlinked curricula, allowing to avoid repeated study of a number of didactic units in the organization of continuous training in the system “Vocational education – Higher education”. In order to eliminate the possibility of incompetent graduate one should focus on the organisation of objective final control. Losses in education are caused by to the mismatch between labour market demand and the spectrum of areas of training in educational institutions. Discussion and Conclusions: the lean production possibilities are defined as instrumental in ensuring the organisation of “the process of lean learning”: by applying some lean production instruments such as the designing of the educational process, preventing of “faulty work” while training students, the attuning of the training system to employers’ requests, the visualisation of the education

Direct and converse theorems the elements of symbolic logic

CERN Document Server

Gradshtein, I S; Stark, M; Ulam, S

1963-01-01

Direct and Converse Theorems: The Elements of Symbolic Logic, Third Edition explains the logical relations between direct, converse, inverse, and inverse converse theorems, as well as the concept of necessary and sufficient conditions. This book consists of two chapters. The first chapter is devoted to the question of negation. Connected with the question of the negation of a proposition are interrelations of the direct and converse and also of the direct and inverse theorems; the interrelations of necessary and sufficient conditions; and the definition of the locus of a point. The second chap

Indførelse af Lean principper

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Balmer, Christian; Michelsen, Aage U

2004-01-01

I artiklen beskrives, hvorledes lean-principper er indført i en forsikringsvirksomhed samt de opnåede resultater.......I artiklen beskrives, hvorledes lean-principper er indført i en forsikringsvirksomhed samt de opnåede resultater....

Why Lean doesn't work for everyone.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaplan, Gary S; Patterson, Sarah H; Ching, Joan M; Blackmore, C Craig

2014-12-01

Popularisation of Lean in healthcare has led to emphasis on Lean quality improvement tools in isolation, with inconsistent results. We argue that delivery of safer, more efficient, and higher quality-patient focused care requires organisational transformation of which the Lean toolkit is only one component. To successfully facilitate system transformation toward higher quality care at lower cost, Lean tools must be part of a comprehensive management system, within a supportive institutional culture, and with committed leadership. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Lean education an overview of current issues

CERN Document Server

Flumerfelt, Shannon; Kahlen, Franz-Josef

2017-01-01

This edited volume presents a structured approach to a new lean education curriculum, implemented for the education of engineers, managers, administrators as well as human resources developers. The authorship comprises professors and lecturers, trainers and practitioners who educate future professionals in Lean Thinking principles and tools. This edited book provides a platform for authors to share their efforts in building a Body of Knowledge (BoK) for Lean Education. The topical spectrum is state-of-the-art in this field, but the book also includes a glimpse into future developments. This is a highly informative and carefully presented book, providing valuable insight for scholars with an interest in Lean Education.

ENABLING USE OF STANDARD COSTING IN LEAN ORGANIZATIONS AS DETERMINANT OF GOAL CONGRUENT BEHAVIOR

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristensen, Thomas Borup; Israelsen, Poul

2014-01-01

Using the enabling formalization framework in two longitudinal case studies combined with a survey in the companies, we find that a standard costing model can be perceived as a form of enabling formalization in Lean organizations. Hence, standard costing cannot be characterized as coercive...... formalization per se. This contradicts conventional wisdom. Repair is a feature of enabling formalization through the use of standard costing. Applying a structural equation model, we present evidence that this repair feature has a direct effect on behavior that is congruent with Lean objectives. Internal...... and global transparency together with flexibility are three other features of enabling formalization through use of standard costing, but these have an indirect effect on Lean-goal-congruent behavior through the repair feature. Thus, these three features are antecedents of the repair feature, and we also...

Application of lean manufacturing techniques in the Emergency Department.

Science.gov (United States)

Dickson, Eric W; Singh, Sabi; Cheung, Dickson S; Wyatt, Christopher C; Nugent, Andrew S

2009-08-01

"Lean" is a set of principles and techniques that drive organizations to continually add value to the product they deliver by enhancing process steps that are necessary, relevant, and valuable while eliminating those that fail to add value. Lean has been used in manufacturing for decades and has been associated with enhanced product quality and overall corporate success. To evaluate whether the adoption of Lean principles by an Emergency Department (ED) improves the value of emergency care delivered. Beginning in December 2005, we implemented a variety of Lean techniques in an effort to enhance patient and staff satisfaction. The implementation followed a six-step process of Lean education, ED observation, patient flow analysis, process redesign, new process testing, and full implementation. Process redesign focused on generating improvement ideas from frontline workers across all departmental units. Value-based and operational outcome measures, including patient satisfaction, expense per patient, ED length of stay (LOS), and patient volume were compared for calendar year 2005 (pre-Lean) and periodically after 2006 (post-Lean). Patient visits increased by 9.23% in 2006. Despite this increase, LOS decreased slightly and patient satisfaction increased significantly without raising the inflation adjusted cost per patient. Lean improved the value of the care we delivered to our patients. Generating and instituting ideas from our frontline providers have been the key to the success of our Lean program. Although Lean represents a fundamental change in the way we think of delivering care, the specific process changes we employed tended to be simple, small procedure modifications specific to our unique people, process, and place. We, therefore, believe that institutions or departments aspiring to adopt Lean should focus on the core principles of Lean rather than on emulating specific process changes made at other institutions.

Leveraging lean in the office: Lean office needs a novel and differentiated approach

OpenAIRE

Rüttimann, Bruno G.; Fischer, Urs P.; Stöckli, Martin T.

2014-01-01

Lean Six Sigma tools have been increasingly employed also in the service industry, however with different success as field studies have shown. The reason not only has to be attributed to a poor Change Management, but can also be attributed to the intrinsic characteristics of the Lean techniques, which have been tailored to sustain a stable customer-takted pull-manufacturing principle. An office workplace shows significant differences to a procedural shop floor environment, as it comprises bot...

Reducing waste in administrative services with lean principles

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wijnhoven, Alphonsus B.J.M.; Beckers, David; Amrit, Chintan Amrit

2016-01-01

In the last few decades, lean techniques have been developed for removing with waste in manufacturing. More recently, lean is used outside the manufacturing context as well. This article focuses on using lean thinking for reducing waste in administrative services, i.e., business services with

The relationship between IL-18 and atherosclerotic cardiovascular risk in Egyptian lean women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Dawood, Alaaeldin; Alkafrawy, Nabil; Saleh, Said; Noreldin, Rasha; Zewain, Shimaa

2018-04-01

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder among women of reproductive age. The evidence in support of low-grade inflammation in PCOS as an etiology is emerging. Inflammation is likely to be associated with other prominent aspects of PCOS including insulin resistance (IR) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is considered as a strong marker of inflammation. Evaluation of the relation between serum IL-18 and atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD) risk in Egyptian lean females with PCO. This study included control group of healthy lean normally menstruating females, lean PCOS group (BMI PCOS group (BMI > 25 kg/m 2 ) presented with infertility and diagnosed according to Rotterdam criteria. Measurements of serum lipid profile, IR, and IL-18 were done. Lipid accumulation product (LAP), IR and ASCVD risk were significantly higher in PCOS patients (lean and obese) compared to controls and in obese compared to lean. Serum IL-18 was significantly higher in the PCOV groups compared to the controls and correlated directly with LAP, IR and ASCVD risk. IL-18 is elevated in PCOS patients even in lean ones and is correlated with IR and ASCVD risk.

Multiple Study of Case Involving Implementation of Lean Manufacturing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Delvio Venanzi

2018-03-01

Full Text Available This article aims to show some factors that can cause companies to succeed or fail in their attempts to use lean manufacturing, by performing a multiple case study which presents two successful cases and three conditions of failure, in a survey of five large companies, all belonging to the metal-mechanical sector, located in Campinas and Sorocaba, both in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The data were collected using exploratory research between the periods of January 2013 and February 2015. The results show that successful cases of lean manufacturing implementation are the result of a more organized work environment, standardization of production and service areas, employee satisfaction, productivity results and quality of the final product. Unsuccessful deployments result from poor execution and faulty planning, that has no benefit and ultimately decrease the morale of its employees, creating more distrust and frustration directly influencing the results and productivity. In other words, lean manufacturing implementation requires hard and continuous work and these procedures should be aligned with the mission and goals of companies and mainly focus on the maintenance result by using tools to monitor and track the process systematically and also making investments to eliminate waste.

Co-existing concepts of management control : The containment of tensions due to the implementation of lean production

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tillema, Sandra; van der Steen, Martijn

2015-01-01

There is substantial evidence that the implementation of lean production and similar inno-vations is not always successful. One of the explanations provided is that elements of tradi-tional control systems may frustrate the transformation process. Although various studies have investigated the

Quality improvement in basic histotechnology: the lean approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, David

2016-01-01

Lean is a comprehensive system of management based on the Toyota production system (TPS), encompassing all the activities of an organization. It focuses management activity on creating value for the end-user by continuously improving operational effectiveness and removing waste. Lean management creates a culture of continuous quality improvement with a strong emphasis on developing the problem-solving capability of staff using the scientific method (Deming's Plan, Do, Check, Act cycle). Lean management systems have been adopted by a number of histopathology departments throughout the world to simultaneously improve quality (reducing errors and shortening turnround times) and lower costs (by increasing efficiency). This article describes the key concepts that make up a lean management system, and how these concepts have been adapted from manufacturing industry and applied to histopathology using a case study of lean implementation and evidence from the literature. It discusses the benefits, limitations, and pitfalls encountered when implementing lean management systems.

LEAN Tools in the IT Sector

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zoltan VAJNA

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Nowadays the LEAN tools with their proven efficiency are indispensable parts of the production management. I think there is no producing enterprise that cannot utilize a wide variety of these LEAN tools. The question now is how these tools can support companies in increasing the efficiency of their supporting IT processes. In this study I will demonstrate how these well-known LEAN tools from production management can be used in IT management to create more cost-effective, efficient and transparent solutions during the IT system development and IT operation activities. I will show respectively without attempting to be comprehensive the most important tools of the LEAN management and I will analyse how these tools can be used in the IT sector. At the end of this study I will demonstrate what the IT managers think about the practical use of these tools.

Lean in service industries: A literature review

Science.gov (United States)

V, Vignesh; Suresh, M.; Aramvalarthan, S.

2016-09-01

Lean service is an amalgamation of tools and practices which, if applied appropriately, would definitely improve the existing quality of operations and ensure the generation of a large amount of favourable financial and economic outcomes and improve the behaviour of the workforce. As a result, it assumes of great significance in the fiercely competitive modern world. This article presents a comprehensive bibliographic study about the various lean service practices through a variety of approaches like service improvement, manufacturing, supply chain, market and retailing approaches, etc. Thus it gives a clear view on how the lean services are implemented in various sectors and the contribution of lean service towards improving the quality in the services provided while reducing the costs.

Getting 'Lean': hardwiring process excellence into Northeast Health.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Tricia; Duthe, Robert

2009-01-01

Many healthcare organizations are turning to the "Lean" Toyota Production System as a means to hardwire process excellence into their organizations. Northeast Health, an integrated delivery system in New York's capital region, introduced the Lean concept into its culture in 2004. After four years, the organization is beginning to see its staff hardwire Lean thinking into day-to-day behaviors. This paper focuses on the approach used by Northeast Health to introduce Lean concepts into its culture, challenges faced, lessons learned and the factors critical to success.

Time-Filtered Navier-Stokes Approach and Emulation of Turbulence-Chemistry Interaction

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Nan-Suey; Wey, Thomas; Shih, Tsan-Hsing

2013-01-01

This paper describes the time-filtered Navier-Stokes approach capable of capturing unsteady flow structures important for turbulent mixing and an accompanying subgrid model directly accounting for the major processes in turbulence-chemistry interaction. They have been applied to the computation of two-phase turbulent combustion occurring in a single-element lean-direct-injection combustor. Some of the preliminary results from this computational effort are presented in this paper.

De praktijk van Lean Six Sigma

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Does, R.J.M.M.; de Koning, H.

2008-01-01

Zowel Lean als Six Sigma zijn benaderingen van kwaliteits- en efficiëntieverbetering die op dit moment sterk in de belangstelling staan van zowel de industrie als de dienstverlening. Lean Six Sigma integreert beide benaderingen. Ze wordt door sommigen gezien als panacee voor alle mogelijke

Just-in-Time og Lean Manufacturing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Michelsen, Aage U.

2004-01-01

Filosofi, principper og teknikker i JIT. Princip i Kanban-styring og dimensionering af et Kanban-system. Lean Thinking og Value Stream Mapping.......Filosofi, principper og teknikker i JIT. Princip i Kanban-styring og dimensionering af et Kanban-system. Lean Thinking og Value Stream Mapping....

Lean Six Sigma in a hospital

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van den Heuvel, J.; Does, R.J.M.M.; de Koning, H.

2006-01-01

Abstract Hospitals today face major challenges. Patients demand quality of care to be improved continuously. Health insurance companies demand the lowest possible prices. Lean Six Sigma is a program that can help healthcare providers to achieve these (seemingly) conflicting goals. Lean Six Sigma is

Using lean methodologies for economically and environmentally sustainable foundries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. M. Torielli

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Lean manufacturing is often seen as a set of tools that reduce the total cost and improve the quality of manufactured products. The lean management philosophy is one which targets waste reduction in every facet of the manufacturing business; however, only recently have studies linked lean management philosophies with improving environmental sustainability. These studies suggest that lean manufacturing is more than a set of lean tools that can optimize manufacturing efficiencies; it is a process and mindset that needs to be integrated into daily manufacturing systems to achieve sustainability. The foundry industry, as well as manufacturing in general, has significant challenges in the current regulatory and political climate with developing an economically and environmentally sustainable business model. Lean manufacturing has proven itself as a model for both economic sustainability and environmental stewardship. Several recent studies have shown that both lean and green techniques and “zero-waste” policies also lead to reductions in overall cost. While these strategies have been examined for general manufacturing, they have not been investigated in detail for the foundry industry. This paper will review the current literature and describe how lean and green can provide a relevant framework for environmentally and economically sustainable foundries. Examples of lean and green technologies and techniques which can be applied to foundries in a global context will be described.

Serum Predictors of Percent Lean Mass in Young Adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Lustgarten, Michael S; Price, Lori L; Phillips, Edward M; Kirn, Dylan R; Mills, John; Fielding, Roger A

2016-08-01

Lustgarten, MS, Price, LL, Phillips, EM, Kirn, DR, Mills, J, and Fielding, RA. Serum predictors of percent lean mass in young adults. J Strength Cond Res 30(8): 2194-2201, 2016-Elevated lean (skeletal muscle) mass is associated with increased muscle strength and anaerobic exercise performance, whereas low levels of lean mass are associated with insulin resistance and sarcopenia. Therefore, studies aimed at obtaining an improved understanding of mechanisms related to the quantity of lean mass are of interest. Percent lean mass (total lean mass/body weight × 100) in 77 young subjects (18-35 years) was measured with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Twenty analytes and 296 metabolites were evaluated with the use of the standard chemistry screen and mass spectrometry-based metabolomic profiling, respectively. Sex-adjusted multivariable linear regression was used to determine serum analytes and metabolites significantly (p ≤ 0.05 and q ≤ 0.30) associated with the percent lean mass. Two enzymes (alkaline phosphatase and serum glutamate oxaloacetate aminotransferase) and 29 metabolites were found to be significantly associated with the percent lean mass, including metabolites related to microbial metabolism, uremia, inflammation, oxidative stress, branched-chain amino acid metabolism, insulin sensitivity, glycerolipid metabolism, and xenobiotics. Use of sex-adjusted stepwise regression to obtain a final covariate predictor model identified the combination of 5 analytes and metabolites as overall predictors of the percent lean mass (model R = 82.5%). Collectively, these data suggest that a complex interplay of various metabolic processes underlies the maintenance of lean mass in young healthy adults.

Lean principles and defense information technology acquisition: An investigation of the determinants of successful application

Science.gov (United States)

Haley, M.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether or not there have been successful applications of lean manufacturing principles in highly variable defense IT environments. Specifically, the study assessed if implementation of the lean philosophies by a defense organization yielded repeatable, predictable results in software release schedules reductions. Additionally, the study set out to determine what potential critical success factors (CSF's) were documented in the secondary data captured for each release, and extracted the variables used in the decision making for acceptability of fielding. In evaluating lean applicability to the high variability environment of USAF IT acquisitions, the research was conducted using non-experimental quantitative methods of archival secondary data. The sample for this case study was compiled from a USAF office that had implemented these techniques in pre-development, development and testing, and fielding phases. Based on the research data, acquisitionists and lean practitioners are inherently interconnected. Therefore, an understanding that critical success factors (CSFs) are integral to successful lean application in DoD IT acquisitions is crucial. Through a combination of synergistic alignments, plyometric CSFs were discovered to maximize the effects of each single CSF to produce rapid results in defense IT acquisitions. These include: (1) Enterprise Incorporation, (2) Team Trust, (3) Transformational Leadership, (4) Recursive Improvement, (5) Integrated Synergy, (6) Customer-Centric Culture and (7) Heuristic Communication.

Teaching Special Decisions in a Lean Accounting Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Haskin, Daniel

2010-01-01

Lean accounting has become increasingly important as more and more companies adopt the lean enterprise model or some variation of it. Cost and managerial accounting textbooks continue to use, almost exclusively, models based on standard overhead absorption, which if used in a lean environment will not accurately reflect the benefits from the…

Development of framework for sustainable Lean implementation: an ISM approach

Science.gov (United States)

Jadhav, Jagdish Rajaram; Mantha, S. S.; Rane, Santosh B.

2014-07-01

The survival of any organization depends upon its competitive edge. Even though Lean is one of the most powerful quality improvement methodologies, nearly two-thirds of the Lean implementations results in failures and less than one-fifth of those implemented have sustained results. One of the most significant tasks of top management is to identify, understand and deploy the significant Lean practices like quality circle, Kanban, Just-in-time purchasing, etc. The term `bundle' is used to make groups of inter-related and internally consistent Lean practices. Eight significant Lean practice bundles have been identified based on literature reviewed and opinion of the experts. The order of execution of Lean practice bundles is very important. Lean practitioners must be able to understand the interrelationship between these practice bundles. The objective of this paper is to develop framework for sustainable Lean implementation using interpretive structural modelling approach.

Application of lean thinking to health care: issues and observations

Science.gov (United States)

Joosten, Tom; Bongers, Inge; Janssen, Richard

2009-01-01

Background Incidents and quality problems are a prime cause why health care leaders are calling to redesign health care delivery. One of the concepts used is lean thinking. Yet, lean often leads to resistance. Also, there is a lack of high quality evidence supporting lean premises. In this paper, we present an overview of lean thinking and its application to health care. Development, theory and application of lean thinking to health care Lean thinking evolved from a tool designed to improve operational shop-floor performance at an automotive manufacturer to a management approach with both operational and sociotechnical aspects. Sociotechnical dynamics have until recently not received much attention. At the same time a balanced approach might lead to a situation where operational and sociotechnial improvements are mutually reinforcing. Application to health care has been limited and focussed mainly on operational aspects using original lean tools. A more integrative approach would be to pay more attention to sociotechnical dynamics of lean implementation efforts. Also, the need to use the original lean tools may be limited, because health care may have different instruments and tools already in use that are in line with lean thinking principles. Discussion We believe lean thinking has the potential to improve health care delivery. At the same time, there are methodological and practical considerations that need to be taken into account. Otherwise, lean implementation will be superficial and fail, adding to existing resistance and making it more difficult to improve health care in the long term. PMID:19696048

The human factor in the functioning of "Lean Thinking"

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Safronova Kseniia Olegovna

2013-04-01

Full Text Available This article includes the analyses of influence the «Lean Production» conception. Top – manager should any his decision to employees of company and gets the feedback. The successful companies understand the importance with the employee’s communication. The staff is the main active of organization, and that is why, the top – management should direct actions on the education loyal employee and the creation of a corporate (team spirit. The staff is the «thinking» enterprises active, but not the mechanism of achieving goal. Company come the «thinking» following the management principles of the «Lean Production» conception. The article includes correlation between of the management style and methodology as management mechanism of business organization. Also «Deming Cycle» and «Triangle of Joiner» like a method of in-house training programs (education in the company.

Implementation of Lean Manufacturing in Romanian Organisations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ucenic Camelia Ioana

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The implementation of lean manufacturing is one of the main tools for attaining a higher performance level in the Romanian organisations. The study uses data collected at middle management level from organisations located in Transylvania. The organisations come from different fields of activity and are in different stages of lean implementation. The article makes use of quantitative and qualitative instruments for the evaluation of lean in the above mentioned companies. Characteristics as waste reduction, cost, quality, product design have different approaches in the companies. Their way of approach gives useful information regarding the type of company from the point of view of lean manufacturing implementation. This knowledge provides a useful support at different managerial levels in the process of decision making.

A case study of lean, sustainable manufacturing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Geoff Miller

2010-06-01

Full Text Available A small furniture production company has integrated lean tools and sustainability concepts with discrete event simulation modeling and analysis as well as mathematical optimization to make a positive impact on the environment, society and its own financial success. The principles of lean manufacturing that aid in the elimination of waste have helped the company meet ever increasing customer demands while preserving valuable resources for future generations. The implementation of lean and sustainable manufacturing was aided by the use of discrete event simulation and optimization to overcome deficits in lean’s traditional implementation strategies. Lean and green manufacturing can have a more significant, positive impact on multiple measures of operational performance when implemented concurrently rather than separately. These ideas are demonstrated by three applications.

Using Simulation to Explore Lean Manufacturing Implementation Strategies

Science.gov (United States)

Shannon, Patrick W.; Krumwiede, Kip R.; Street, Jeffrey N.

2010-01-01

Lean manufacturing, an outgrowth of the Toyota Production System, has spread far beyond the automobile industry and is seen by many leaders as a key management philosophy in the battle to compete on an international scale. Successful implementation of lean requires that managers and employees be educated in the proper application of lean tools and…

Learning Lean: A Survey of Industry Lean Needs

Science.gov (United States)

Fliedner, Gene; Mathieson, Kieran

2009-01-01

The authors examined business practitioners' preferences for higher education curricula design in general and for what graduates should know about Lean, or waste-reduction efforts. The authors conducted a Web-based survey and found that practitioners are not as concerned about graduates' possessing specific technical skills as they are about them…

Composite Beam Cross-Section Analysis by a Single High-Order Element Layer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Couturier, Philippe; Krenk, Steen

2015-01-01

An analysis procedure of general cross-section properties is presented. The formulation is based on the stress-strain states in the classic six equilibrium modes of a beam by considering a finite thickness slice modelled by a single layer of 3D finite elements. The theory is illustrated by applic......An analysis procedure of general cross-section properties is presented. The formulation is based on the stress-strain states in the classic six equilibrium modes of a beam by considering a finite thickness slice modelled by a single layer of 3D finite elements. The theory is illustrated...

Analytic network process model for sustainable lean and green manufacturing performance indicator

Science.gov (United States)

Aminuddin, Adam Shariff Adli; Nawawi, Mohd Kamal Mohd; Mohamed, Nik Mohd Zuki Nik

2014-09-01

Sustainable manufacturing is regarded as the most complex manufacturing paradigm to date as it holds the widest scope of requirements. In addition, its three major pillars of economic, environment and society though distinct, have some overlapping among each of its elements. Even though the concept of sustainability is not new, the development of the performance indicator still needs a lot of improvement due to its multifaceted nature, which requires integrated approach to solve the problem. This paper proposed the best combination of criteria en route a robust sustainable manufacturing performance indicator formation via Analytic Network Process (ANP). The integrated lean, green and sustainable ANP model can be used to comprehend the complex decision system of the sustainability assessment. The finding shows that green manufacturing is more sustainable than lean manufacturing. It also illustrates that procurement practice is the most important criteria in the sustainable manufacturing performance indicator.

NO adsorption behaviors of the MnOx catalysts in lean-burn atmospheres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Li; Xian, Hui; Li, Qi-Feng; Chen, Da; Tan, Yi-Sheng; Zhang, Jing; Zheng, Li-Rong; Li, Xin-Gang

2013-01-01

Highlights: • α-Mn 2 O 3 is a promising NO x adsorber for lean-burn exhausts even at low temperatures. • NO x was weakly bonded on α-Mn 2 O 3 , but strongly bonded on β-MnO 2 . • NO could efficiently adsorb/desorb within the lean/rich cyclings over α-Mn 2 O 3 . • The superficial oxygen species plays a key role for the NO oxidation over α-Mn 2 O 3 . • The NO adsorption and oxidation follow the L–H and/or E–R mechanism over α-Mn 2 O 3 . -- Abstract: NO x emission control of lean-burn engines is one of the great challenges in the world. Herein, the MnO x model catalysts with the different calcination temperatures were synthesized to investigate their NO adsorbability for lean-burn exhausts. The transformation from (β-)MnO 2 to (α-)Mn 2 O 3 following the increased calcination temperatures was evidenced from the viewpoint of the local atomic level. Among these samples, the one calcined at 550 °C containing the single α-Mn 2 O 3 phase displayed the best NO adsorbability: NO was mainly adsorbed in the forms of NO/nitrites and NO 2 /nitrates at the low and high temperatures, respectively; the NO oxidation ability displayed the volcano-shape following the increased operating temperatures, and reached the maximum, i.e. 92.4% of the NO-to-NO 2 conversion, at 250 °C. Moreover, this sample presented the efficiently reversible NO adsorption/desorption performance in alternative lean-burn/fuel-rich atmospheres, due to the weakly bonded NO x on it. The superficial oxygen species plays a critical role for the NO oxidation over α-Mn 2 O 3 . The consumed superficial oxygen could be further compensated by the gaseous and lattice oxygen therein. Our findings show that the α-Mn 2 O 3 material is a promising NO x adsorber for lean-burn exhausts even at low operating temperatures

Value stream mapping and simulation for implementation of lean manufacturing practices in a footwear company

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danilo Felipe Silva de Lima

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The development of the Value Stream Mapping (VSM is generally the first step for implementation of Lean Manufacturing (LM. The aim of this paper is to present an application of VSM with simulation in order to analyze the impacts of the LM adoption in the performance of a footwear plant. Therefore, a VSM was designed for the current state and, through the implementation of lean elements, a future state could be designed. Different scenarios were simulated for the future state implementation and the results were compared each other. Transfer, cutting and assembly sections were chosen to be simulated, because it was considered that would be possible to establish a one-piece flow between those processes. After the simulation, the scenario that presented the best results provided a 19% productivity increase over the current state, as well as improvement in all other process variables. The application of simulation as an additional element of VSM has helped to identify the advantages of the joint approach, since it enables to test different alternatives and better define the future state and its implementation strategies.

"The largest Lean transformation in the world": the implementation and evaluation of lean in Saskatchewan healthcare.

Science.gov (United States)

Kinsman, Leigh; Rotter, Thomas; Stevenson, Katherine; Bath, Brenna; Goodridge, Donna; Harrison, Liz; Dobson, Roy; Sari, Nazmi; Jeffery, Cathy; Bourassa, Carrie; Westhorp, Gill

2014-01-01

The Saskatchewan Ministry of Health has committed to a multi-million dollar investment toward the implementation of Lean methodology across the province's healthcare system. Originating as a production line discipline (the Toyota Production System), Lean has evolved to encompass process improvements including inventory management, waste reduction and quality improvement techniques. With an initial focus on leadership, strategic alignment, training and the creation of a supportive infrastructure (Lean promotion offices), the goal in Saskatchewan is a whole health system transformation that produces "better health, better value, better care, and better teams." Given the scope and scale of the initiative and the commitment of resources, it is vital that a comprehensive, longitudinal evaluation plan be implemented to support ongoing decision-making and program design. The nature of the initiative also offers a unique opportunity to contribute to health quality improvement science by advancing our understanding of the implementation and evaluation of complex, large-scale healthcare interventions. The purpose of this article is to summarize the background to Lean in Saskatchewan and the proposed evaluation methods. Copyright © 2014 Longwoods Publishing.

Principles of lean planning and control

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Riezebos, J.

2015-01-01

Lean production systems use teams instead of functional departments as well as simple shop floor control methods to manage the flow of orders at the shop floor. Lean shop floor control focuses on robust and visual methods that are able to cope with variation in processing times, routing sequences,

Lean oncology: a new model for oncologists

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Montesarchio Vincenzo

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract The history of the term Lean is relatively recent and originates from the Toyota Production System (TPS. The term "Lean" means "thin", which refers to a mental process, operational, productive, no-frills, quick but not hasty, consequential to the previous event. The Lean process flows seamlessly into the result, eliminates unnecessary complications to the effect, prevents unnecessary equipment processes. The idea is to 'do more with less', like using the (few available resources in the most productive way possible, through the elimination of all types of waste that inevitably accompanies every stage of a production process. Lean management is primarily a management philosophy, a system of values and behaviors that goes beyond the mere application of the instrument and that, once internalized, will form the nucleus of the corporate culture. "Lean Oncology" is a term coined to identify a methodology of care and treatment to cancer patients, consisting on process simplification, streamlining of the organizational and routes of drug treatment, detection and elimination of waste. Its main objective is the centrality of the patient.

Lean oncology: a new model for oncologists.

Science.gov (United States)

Montesarchio, Vincenzo; Grimaldi, Antonio Maria; Fox, Bernard A; Rea, Antonio; Marincola, Francesco M; Ascierto, Paolo A

2012-04-25

The history of the term Lean is relatively recent and originates from the Toyota Production System (TPS). The term "Lean" means "thin", which refers to a mental process, operational, productive, no-frills, quick but not hasty, consequential to the previous event. The Lean process flows seamlessly into the result, eliminates unnecessary complications to the effect, prevents unnecessary equipment processes. The idea is to 'do more with less', like using the (few) available resources in the most productive way possible, through the elimination of all types of waste that inevitably accompanies every stage of a production process. Lean management is primarily a management philosophy, a system of values and behaviors that goes beyond the mere application of the instrument and that, once internalized, will form the nucleus of the corporate culture. "Lean Oncology" is a term coined to identify a methodology of care and treatment to cancer patients, consisting on process simplification, streamlining of the organizational and routes of drug treatment, detection and elimination of waste. Its main objective is the centrality of the patient.

Lean IT partnering : How partners create value by developing a lean culture for IT supply and management

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zee, van der J.T.M.; Blijleven, V.B; Gong, Y.

2015-01-01

Lean, as a philosophy, has been around for quite some time, predominantly in the manufacturing domain. Since the 1990s Lean management provides organizations with a way to achieve superior performance by focusing on customer value, innovation and productivity. In 2011 Steven Bell and Michael Orzen

Implementation of lean thinking: one health system's journey.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Christopher S; Spahlinger, David A; Kin, Jeanne M; Coffey, Richard J; Billi, John E

2009-08-01

Lean Thinking is a management philosophy derived from the manufacturing industry, where Toyota has long been the gold standard. Health care organizations have started to apply this approach to patient care. After initial experimentation, the University of Michigan Health System (UMHS) has adopted Lean Thinking as its uniform approach to quality improvement and is striving to become a complete Lean organization. In 2005, the senior leadership selected an initial set of projects in areas that traced the patient's journey across different care settings within our health system. Four of the projects were as follows: orthopedic surgery clinic scheduling, radiation oncology therapy, peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) services, and coordination of care to the outpatient setting. Lean Thinking encourages service providers to focus on value as defined by the customer and the relentless elimination of waste that impedes the flow of value. A series of learning projects were conducted to test whether Lean methods would work at UMHS. The following factors were found to be key to LEAN PROJECT SUCCESS: expert guidance for initial efforts, leadership in the form of clinical champions and senior management support of the improvement work, frontline worker engagement in mapping out "current state" processes, identifying waste and designing an improved "future state," using metrics to develop and track interventions, and defining realistic project scope. As UMHS's experience applying Lean Thinking to our patient care processes has grown, so have support, enthusiasm, and expertise within the organization. UMHS's Lean Thinking system, now known as the Michigan Quality System, has emerged as the core improvement strategy.

Simulation of Lean Principles Impact in a Multi-Product Supply Chain

OpenAIRE

Matteo, Rossini; Alberto, Portioli Staudacher

2015-01-01

The market competition is moving from the single firm to the whole supply chain because of increasing competition and growing need for operational efficiencies and customer orientation. Supply chain management allows companies to look beyond their organizational boundaries to develop and leverage resources and capabilities of their supply chain partners. This creates competitive advantages in the marketplace and because of this SCM has acquired strategic importance. Lean ...

Lean Transformation of Multinational Concerns

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Matthiesen, Rikke Vestergaard; Johansen, John

2008-01-01

triggered. This paper reports on exploratory studies from a multinational company adopting centrally managed pilot projects as a transformation mechanism for continuous change towards a lean business system and an organizational culture of continuous improvements (CI). Competitive pressure demands...... from a multinational company adopting centrally managed pilot projects as a transformation mechanism for continuous change towards a lean business system and an organizational culture of continuous improvements (CI)....

Lean Manufacturing e Lean Accounting Cost: um enfoque no real desempenho em empresas de capital aberto na BOVESPA

OpenAIRE

Teixeira, Hipólito Francisco

2016-01-01

Esta pesquisa teve por alvo o campo de estudo denominado Lean Accounting (LA) aplicado as empresas que adotam os procedimentos de Produção Enxuta (PE). As empresas neste ambiente competitivo e muito imprevisivel têm procuradoadotar decisões e procedimentos voltadosa valorizar sua própria continuidade e diferencial para se expor perante ao mercado. Neste sentido novas tecnologias de produção e controles contábeis são necessários. Lean Accounting (LA) ou Contabilidade Lean ou “enxuta” pode s...

Lean Construction Supply Chain : A Literature Review

OpenAIRE

Ren, Jiamei

2012-01-01

The aim of this thesis is to enhance the management of supply systems in construction industry using lean principles. This study is an attempt to identify what kind of activities causes’ construction process delay and how to perform lean concept into supply chain in practice. The objective is to assure on-time delivery of information and materials to construction sites at lowest cost and maximum value for the customer. These study problems have been analysed from a lean construction supply ch...

Optimization of large scale food production using Lean Manufacturing principles

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Engelund, Eva Høy; Friis, Alan; Breum, Gitte

2009-01-01

This paper discusses how the production principles of Lean Manufacturing (Lean) can be applied in a large-scale meal production. Lean principles are briefly presented, followed by a field study of how a kitchen at a Danish hospital has implemented Lean in the daily production. In the kitchen...... not be negatively affected by the rationalisation of production procedures. The field study shows that Lean principles can be applied in meal production and can result in increased production efficiency and systematic improvement of product quality without negative effects on the working environment. The results...... show that Lean can be applied and used to manage the production of meals in the kitchen....

Rich-burn, flame-assisted fuel cell, quick-mix, lean-burn (RFQL) combustor and power generation

Science.gov (United States)

Milcarek, Ryan J.; Ahn, Jeongmin

2018-03-01

Micro-tubular flame-assisted fuel cells (mT-FFC) were recently proposed as a modified version of the direct flame fuel cell (DFFC) operating in a dual chamber configuration. In this work, a rich-burn, quick-mix, lean-burn (RQL) combustor is combined with a micro-tubular solid oxide fuel cell (mT-SOFC) stack to create a rich-burn, flame-assisted fuel cell, quick-mix, lean-burn (RFQL) combustor and power generation system. The system is tested for rapid startup and achieves peak power densities after only 35 min of testing. The mT-FFC power density and voltage are affected by changes in the fuel-lean and fuel-rich combustion equivalence ratio. Optimal mT-FFC performance favors high fuel-rich equivalence ratios and a fuel-lean combustion equivalence ratio around 0.80. The electrical efficiency increases by 150% by using an intermediate temperature cathode material and improving the insulation. The RFQL combustor and power generation system achieves rapid startup, a simplified balance of plant and may have applications for reduced NOx formation and combined heat and power.

Lean computing for the cloud

CERN Document Server

Bauer, Eric

2016-01-01

Applies lean manufacturing principles across the cloud service delivery chain to enable application and infrastructure service providers to sustainably achieve the shortest lead time, best quality, and value This book focuses on lean in the context of cloud computing capacity management of applications and the physical and virtual cloud resources that support them. Lean Computing for the Cloud considers business, architectural and operational aspects of efficiently delivering valuable services to end users via cloud-based applications hosted on shared cloud infrastructure. The work also focuses on overall optimization of the service delivery chain to enable both application service and infrastructure service providers to adopt leaner, demand driven operations to serve end users more efficiently. The book’s early chapters analyze how capacity management morphs with cloud computing into interlocked physical infrastructure capacity management, virtual resou ce capacity management, and application capacity ma...

Investigating employee resistance to Lean transformation: UK case study.

OpenAIRE

Bruce, J.; Scott, Philip; Roberts, Martyn

2011-01-01

Lean is a business process transformation approach that eliminates ‘wastes’ – activities that generate no value for the customer. Lean originated from the production line but is widely implemented in the service sector. This study investigates human and social factors in a Lean transformation in a ‘knowledge worker’ environment. We identify a paradox: a successful Lean programme in the service sector develops staff who are educated and empowered and thus potential opponents to future business...

The evolution of Lean organizations

OpenAIRE

Serafinas, Dalius; Ruželė, Darius

2014-01-01

Remiantis evoliucijos tyrimų modeliais bei autorių sudarytu evoliucionuojančios organizacijos modeliu,straipsnyje analizuojama Lean vadybos metodologija ir tiriama, kaip evoliucionuoja ją įgyvendinančios Lietuvosgamybinės organizacijos. The purpose of this paper is to examine the evolution of Lean organizations.Design/methodology/approach: a conceptual literature on the evolution of species, organisms and organizations was reviewed and an original model (framework) of the evolution of orga...

LEAN THINKING IN HEALTHCARE: REVIEW OF IMPLEMENTATION RESULTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marija Kovacevic

2016-03-01

Full Text Available For over decade, automotive industry originated lean concept has been successfully implemented in healthcare systems as a management method and philosophy with main focus on elimination of all types of wastes and looses in all tasks and processes so that time, materials, resources and medical procedures could be realized as effectively as it is possible. As main result lean concept implementation ensured to healthcare organizations to focus on their main core function and dedicate more time and efforts to patients without additional costs for them or healthcare system. However, lean implementation in healthcare could be much more difficult than in standard industrial environment and there are significant number of examples of lean in healthcare projects that failed to gain any measurable results and sustainable benefits from it. This paper presents review of some of the most successful implementations of lean tools and principles in healthcare organizations.

The application of lean principles in product development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bjarnø, Ole-Christian

2007-01-01

Although Lean Manufacturing has been a megatrend for several years, its principles have not been broadly applied in product development processes. We have therefore found it useful to look into the theories of lean manufacturing and to discuss how and to what extent they could be applied in the p......Although Lean Manufacturing has been a megatrend for several years, its principles have not been broadly applied in product development processes. We have therefore found it useful to look into the theories of lean manufacturing and to discuss how and to what extent they could be applied...... in the product development processes, and this study is compared with industrial practices in several front running companies in Denmark. From this research a suggestion for a framework and a tool-box for lean product development is created and discussed from a HR management, an implementation, an operational...

Lean healthcare.

Science.gov (United States)

Weinstock, Donna

2008-01-01

As healthcare organizations look for new and improved ways to reduce costs and still offer quality healthcare, many are turning to the Toyota Production System of doing business. Rather than focusing on cutting personnel and assets, "lean healthcare" looks to improve patient satisfaction through improved actions and processes.

Six sigma and lean production adoption in a manufacturing company

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alisson Christian Scheller

2014-11-01

Full Text Available The connection among Lean Production with Six Sigma originated the Lean Six Sigma methodology, focused on processes variation and waste reduction. This methodology was developed on different ways in the companies and there is no consensus over its structure and its implementation. In this context, this paper aims to identify and analyze the main characteristics on the adoption and integration of Lean Six Sigma methodology through a case study conducted in a manufacturing company that adopts lean production and six sigma. The results show two important aspects of the Lean Six Sigma methodology. One of them is the adoption of the value stream mapping as a central tool on Lean Six Sigma. The other is the use of DMAIC for improvements actions. The study indicates that despite the difficulties on Lean Six Sigma implementation, the methodology offers benefits to the company that adopts it in the suitable way.

Product innovation and commercialization in lean global start-ups

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tanev, Stoyan; Rasmussen, Erik Stavnsager; Zijdemans, Erik

2015-01-01

The paper examines the distinctive characteristics of product innovation and commercialization in Lean Global Start-up (LGS) – new technology firms which have adopted a lean and global path from or near to their inception. It suggests an uncertainty vs risk framework which allows integrating two...... research streams – Born Global (BG) firms and lean start-ups. In addition to its integrative theoretical value, the paper offers insights for lean start-up managers dealing with the challenges of a global start....

Using Lean to Advance Quality Improvement Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Blackmore, Christopher Craig; Williams, Barbara L; Ching, Joan M; Chafetz, Lynne A; Kaplan, Gary S

2016-01-01

Quality improvement research skills are not commonplace among quality improvement practitioners, and research on the effectiveness of quality improvement has not always kept pace with improvement innovation. However, the Lean tools applied to quality improvement should be equally relevant to the advancement of quality improvement research. We applied the Lean methods to develop a simplified quality improvement publication pathway enabling a small research methodology group to increase quality improvement research throughout the institution. The key innovations of the pathway are horizontal integration of the quality improvement research methods group across the institution, implementation of a Lean quality improvement research pathway, and application of a just-in-time quality improvement research toolkit. This work provides a road map and tools for the acceleration of quality improvement research. At our institution, the Lean quality improvement research approach was associated with statistically significant increases in the number (annual mean increase from 3.0 to 8.5, p = .03) and breadth of published quality improvement research articles, and in the number of quality improvement research projects currently in process. Application of Lean methods to the quality improvement research process can aid in increasing publication of quality improvement articles from across the institution.

Kink structures induced in nickel-based single crystal superalloys by high-Z element migration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sun, Fei; Zhang, Jianxin [Key Laboratory for Liquid Structure and Heredity of Materials, Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Jinan 250061 (China); Mao, Shengcheng [Institute of Microstructure and Property of Advanced Materials, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124 (China); Jiang, Ying [Center of Electron Microscopy and State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China); Feng, Qiang [National Center for Materials Service Safety, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China); State Key Laboratory for Advanced Metals and Materials, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China); Shen, Zhenju; Li, Jixue; Zhang, Ze [Center of Electron Microscopy and State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China); Han, Xiaodong [Institute of Microstructure and Property of Advanced Materials, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124 (China)

2015-01-05

Highlights: • Innovative kink structures generate at the γ/γ′ interfaces in the crept superalloy. • Clusters of heavy elements congregate at the apex of the kinks. • Dislocation core absorbs hexagonal structural high-Z elements. - Abstract: Here, we investigate a new type of kink structure that is found at γ/γ′ interfaces in nickel-based single crystal superalloys. We studied these structures at the atomic and elemental level using aberration corrected high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM). The core of the dislocation absorbs high-Z elements (i.e., Co and Re) that adopt hexagonal arrangements, and it extrudes elements (i.e., Ni and Al) that adopt face centered cubic (fcc) structures. High-Z elements (i.e., Ta and W) and Cr, which is a low-Z element, are stabilized in body centered cubic (bcc) arrangements; Cr tends to behave like Re. High-Z elements, which migrate and adopt a hexagonal structure, induce kink formation at γ/γ′ interfaces. This process must be analyzed to fully understand the kinetics and dynamics of creep in nickel-based single crystal superalloys.

Relationship Between Changes in Fat and Lean Depots Following Weight Loss and Changes in Cardiovascular Disease Risk Markers.

Science.gov (United States)

Clifton, Peter M

2018-04-04

Gluteofemoral fat mass has been associated with improved cardiovascular disease risk factors. It is not clear if loss of this protective fat during weight loss partially negates the effect of loss of visceral fat. The aim of this study was to examine regional fat loss in a large weight-loss cohort from one center and to determine if fat loss in the leg and total lean tissue loss is harmful. We combined the data from 7 of our previously published 3-month weight-loss studies and examined the relationship between regional fat and lean tissue loss and changes in cardiovascular disease risk factors in 399 participants. At baseline, leg fat was positively associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in women and inversely with fasting triglyceride level in both sexes. Abdominal lean tissue was also related to systolic blood pressure in men. Changes in regional fat and lean tissue were positively associated with changes in glucose, insulin, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and systolic and diastolic blood pressure ( r =0.11-0.22, P lean tissue dominating in multivariate regression. After adjustment for total weight or total fat change, these relationships disappeared except for a positive relationship between arm and lean leg mass loss and changes in triglycerides and systolic blood pressure. Loss of leg fat and leg lean tissue was directly associated with beneficial changes in cardiovascular disease risk markers. Loss of lean tissue may not have an adverse effect on cardiovascular disease risk, and measures to retain lean tissue during weight loss may not be necessary. © 2018 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley.

In vivo measurements of nitrogen, hydrogen, and carbon in genetically obese and lean pigs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ellis, K.J.; Shypailo, R.J.; Sheng, H.-P.; Pond, W.G.

1992-01-01

Characteristic gamma-rays are emitted promptly by elements during exposure to neutrons. These emissions enable a radioanalytical analysis of the body's composition of protein (nitrogen), water (hydrogen), and fat (carbon). We have used this method in vivo to determine the body composition of obese and lean pigs (10 to 20 kg body wt) fed an altered cholesterol diet. (author) 10 refs.; 5 figs.; 1 tab

Elemental analysis of single phytoplankton cells using the Lund nuclear microprobe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pallon, Jan; Elfman, Mikael; Kristiansson, Per; Malmqvist, Klas; Graneli, Edna; Sellborn, Anders; Karlsson, Chatarina

1999-01-01

The occurrence of annual marine phytoplankton blooms is becoming a global problem. In Europe, the NUTOX project supported by the EC investigates if unbalanced nutrient compositions in the water promote the dominance of harmful phytoplankton species. One of the tasks is the determination of the elemental composition of single phytoplankton cells. This is carried out using the Lund Nuclear Microprobe with a special focus on C, N, P and K. The overall aim is to understand the mechanism leading to toxin production, model it and eventually propose a counteracting method. The preparative method, used to isolate single living cells while reducing their salt environment, is an important part of the analytical procedure. A comparison of light element detection using backscattering from protons and nuclear reaction analysis using deuterons is made

Dimensions of organizational learning: contextual variables in companies under lean manufacturing implementation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guilherme Luz Tortorella

2014-08-01

Full Text Available The Lean Production (LP is an approach that encompasses a variety of management practices to reduce losses and improve operational efficiency. Due to this fact, the ability to innovate, change and learn continuously presents itself as a key element in the implementation of the LP. Several contextual variables were mentioned in the literature as potential impediments to implementing lean. However, little is known about the influence of these variables on the dimensions of Organizational Learning (OL. This study aims to examine the relationship between six contextual variables and the frequency of occurrence of problems in companies that are implementing the LP. Furthermore, the identification of relevant relationships between dimensions of OL and contextual variables contribute to the identification of the contexts in which problems can be expected to occur. The sample contains thirteen companies implementing the LP. The results indicate that the same contextual variables, which are deemed as influential to implement LP, have a different influence on the ability of organizational learning.

A study on the criterions of lean burn limit for an LPG EFI engine. Paper no. IGEC-1-140

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, L.; Wang, Z.; Xiao, Z.; Wang, H.; Deng, B.; Su, Y.

2005-01-01

Based on electronic low-pressure gaseous injection, the comparing analysis of several methods for the criterions of lean burn limit in an LPG engine is presented. Experiments are carried out in a single cylinder, four-stroke, water-cooled, 125cc engine with electronic LPG injection. According to the analysis of multi-parameters in and out cylinder, it shows that variation coefficient of indicated pressure which is the classical judgment of lean burn limit, the HC emission, HC emission rising gradient, the misfiring rate and the variation coefficient of the crank angle of the maximum combustion pressure can be as the criterions for lean burn limit. For the test engine, 15% as variation coefficient of indicative mean pressure, 500 x 10 -6 as HC emission, 2000 x 10 -6 as HC emission rising ratio, 1% as misfiring rate and 50% as variation coefficient of the crank angle of the maximum combustion pressure can be as the judgment criterions of LPG lean burn limits. (author)

Is there a lean future for global startups?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tanev, Stoyan

2017-01-01

This article integrates insights from the latest research on the lean startup entrepreneurial method, born-global firms, and global startups. It contributes to the clarification of terminology referring to the global aspects of startups, summarizes insights from previous literature focusing on gl......-based global startup research and practice. The analysis should benefit both researchers and practitioners in technology entrepreneurship, international entrepreneurship, and global innovation management.......This article integrates insights from the latest research on the lean startup entrepreneurial method, born-global firms, and global startups. It contributes to the clarification of terminology referring to the global aspects of startups, summarizes insights from previous literature focusing...... on global startups, and further substantiates the articulation of the need for considering the lean global startup as a new type of firm. The main message is that the lessons learned from the emergence of lean startup entrepreneurship offer a basis for promoting a similar lean phase in technology...

Lean-team effectiveness through leader values and members’ informing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Dun, Desirée Hermina; Wilderom, Celeste P.M.

2016-01-01

Purpose Although empirical tests of effective lean-team leadership are scarce, leaders are often blamed when lean work-floor initiatives fail. In the present study, a lean-team leader’s work values are assumed to affect his or her team members’ behaviors and, through them, to attain team

Lean Manufacturing Auto Cluster at Chennai

Science.gov (United States)

Bhaskaran, E.

2012-10-01

Due the presence of lot of automotive Industry, Chennai is known as Detroit of India, that producing over 40 % of the Indian vehicle and components. Lean manufacturing concepts have been widely recognized as an important tool in improving the competitiveness of industries. This is a continuous process involving everyone, starting from management to the shop floor. Automotive Component Industries (ACIs) in Ambattur Industrial Estate, Chennai has formed special purpose vehicle (SPV) society namely Ambattur Industrial Estate Manufacturers Association (AIEMA) Technology Centre (ATC) lean manufacturing cluster (ATC-LMC) during July 2010 under lean manufacturing competitiveness scheme, that comes under National Manufacturing Competitiveness Programme of Government of India. The Tripartite Agreement is taken place between National Productivity Council, consultants and cluster (ATC-LMC). The objective is to conduct diagnostic study, study on training and application of various lean manufacturing techniques and auditing in ten ACIs. The methodology adopted is collection of primary data/details from ten ACIs. In the first phase, diagnostic study is done and the areas for improvement in each of the cluster member companies are identified. In the second phase, training programs and implementation is done on 5S and other areas. In the third phase auditing is done and found that the lean manufacturing techniques implementation in ATC-LMC is sustainable and successful in every cluster companies, which will not only enhance competitiveness but also decrease cost, time and increase productivity. The technical efficiency of LMC companies also increases significantly.

Applying Lean Six Sigma to improve medication management.

Science.gov (United States)

Nayar, Preethy; Ojha, Diptee; Fetrick, Ann; Nguyen, Anh T

2016-01-01

A significant proportion of veterans use dual care or health care services within and outside the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). In this study conducted at a VHA medical center in the USA, the authors used Lean Six Sigma principles to develop recommendations to eliminate wasteful processes and implement a more efficient and effective process to manage medications for dual care veteran patients. The purpose of this study is to: assess compliance with the VHA's dual care policy; collect data and describe the current process for co-management of dual care veterans' medications; and draft recommendations to improve the current process for dual care medications co-management. Input was obtained from the VHA patient care team members to draw a process map to describe the current process for filling a non-VHA prescription at a VHA facility. Data were collected through surveys and direct observation to measure the current process and to develop recommendations to redesign and improve the process. A key bottleneck in the process that was identified was the receipt of the non-VHA medical record which resulted in delays in filling prescriptions. The recommendations of this project focus on the four domains of: documentation of dual care; veteran education; process redesign; and outreach to community providers. This case study describes the application of Lean Six Sigma principles in one urban Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) in the Mid-Western USA to solve a specific organizational quality problem. Therefore, the findings may not be generalizable to other organizations. The Lean Six Sigma general principles applied in this project to develop recommendations to improve medication management for dual care veterans are applicable to any process improvement or redesign project and has valuable lessons for other VAMCs seeking to improve care for their dual care veteran patients. The findings of this project will be of value to VA providers and policy makers and health

Identification of Lean Implementation Hurdles in Indian Industries

OpenAIRE

Bhim Singh

2016-01-01

Due to increased pressure from global competitors, manufacturing organizations are switching over to lean philosophies from traditional mass production. Lean manufacturing is a manufacturing philosophy which focuses on elimination of various types of wastes and creates maximum value for the end customers. Lean thinking aims to produce high quality products and services at the lowest possible cost with maximum customer responsiveness. Indian Industry is facing lot of problems in this transform...

Elements and process for recording direct image neutron radiographs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poignant, R.V. Jr.; Przybylowicz, E.P.

1975-01-01

An element is provided for recording a direct image neutron radiograph, thus eliminating the need for a transfer step (i.e., the use of a transfer screen). The element is capable of holding an electrostatic charge and comprises a first layer for absorbing neutrons and generating a current by dissipation of said electrostatic charge in proportion to the number of neutrons absorbed, and a second layer for conducting the current generated by the absorbed neutrons, said neutron absorbing layer comprising an insulative layer comprising neutron absorbing agents in a concentration of at least 10 17 atoms per cm 3 . An element for enhancing the effect of the neutron beam by utilizing the secondary emanations of neutron absorbing materials is also disclosed along with a process for using the device. (U.S.)

Evidence for production of single top quarks and first direct measurement of |Vtb|

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abazov, V.M.; Abbott, B.; Abolins, M.; Acharya, B.S.; Adams, M.; Adams, T.; Aguilo, E.; Ahn, S.H.; Ahsan, M.; Alexeev, G.D.; Alkhazov, G.; Alton, A.; Alverson, G.; Alves, G.A.; Anastasoaie, M.; Ancu, L.S.; Andeen, T.; Anderson, S.; Andrieu, B.; Anzelc, M.S.; Arnoud, Y.

2006-01-01

The D0 Collaboration presents first evidence for the production of single top quarks at the Fermilab Tevatron p(bar p) collider. Using a 0.9 fb -1 dataset, we apply a multivariate analysis to separate signal from background and measure σ(p(bar p) → tb + X, tqb + X) = 4.9 ± 1.4 pb. The probability to measure a cross section at this value or higher in the absence of signal is 0.035%, corresponding to a 3.4 standard deviation significance. We use the cross section measurement to directly determine the CKM matrix element that describes the W tb coupling and find 0.68 tb | (le) 1 at 95% C.L

Lean process management implementation through enhanced problem solving capabilities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Perumal Puvanasvaran

2010-12-01

Full Text Available All Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM organizations in Aerospace, Automotive and Electronics industries had to upgrade their functions. These organizations including suppliers and solutions providers are duty bound to improve their functions through strategic initiatives. One such initiative is Lean Process Management. Lean Process Management has proven to aid organizations in developing manufacturing and administrative management solutions and make the organization a leaner at the same time a ‘fitter’ one, achieving World Class standards in terms of production, quality, marketing, etc, etc. The issue or problem is, although a number of authors, experts, researchers have discussed the lean process management as part organization centric issues, they failed to provide an effective lean process management system. Besides the need to formulate an effective lean process as suggested by some authors, another important reason suggested is the employee’s development aspect regarding how to unlock the infinite potential of their workforce. This employee’s development is basically the problem solving capabilities of the employees while implementing the Lean through clear cutting protocols or processes of Lean Process Management. The employees need to be developed and equipped to contribute optimally to the process. Because of this scenario, the main objective of this study is to develop an employees development system which the author has acronym or trademark it as People Development System (PDS to enhance problem solving capability among its employees while implementing the lean process management there. Although, the PDS can be implemented throughout the organization, if it is implemented in a particular department in an organization, it will be feasible to study and analyze its effectiveness in-depth. So, this study documents and analyzes the implementation of Lean process in the Kitting Department of the aerospace company, ABC Company

A universal encoding scheme for MIMO transmission using a single active element for PSK modulation schemes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Alrabadi, Osama; Papadias, C.B.; Kalis, A.

2009-01-01

A universal scheme for encoding multiple symbol streams using a single driven element (and consequently a single radio frequency (RF) frontend) surrounded by parasitic elements (PE) loaded with variable reactive loads, is proposed in this paper. The proposed scheme is based on creating a MIMO sys...

Efficacy and efficiency of a lean cataract pathway: a comparative study.

Science.gov (United States)

van Vliet, Ellen Joan; Sermeus, Walter; van Gaalen, Claudia M; Sol, Johannes C A; Vissers, Jan M H

2010-12-01

The demand for cataract surgery is rising, calling for pathways that have good access and are cost-effective. Lean thinking is a management strategy, aimed at improving quality while reducing costs. Lean production processes are designed to identify gaps between expected and actual performance. To analyse the efficacy and efficiency of a lean cataract pathway. Lean care delivered to a prospective cohort (616 cataract patients) was compared (1) with traditional care delivered to a historical cohort (591 cataract patients) and (2) with expected lean care in the prospective cohort. To evaluate efficacy, the authors analysed how many patients received care that adhered to the lean pathway's specifications. To evaluate efficiency, the authors analysed how often patients visited the hospital and how many additional patients could access the pathway. In the lean pathway, patient visits decreased by 23%, and access to the cataract pathway increased with 42%. A 40% decrease in patient visits and a 76% increase in access could have been realised if healthcare staff would have adhered to the lean pathway's specifications. Lean pathways can realise large improvements, and still have a significant gap between expected and actual care delivery. The challenge for healthcare teams is not to improve care delivery by using lean pathways as opposed to using traditional pathways, but to strive for optimal performance by consistently adhering to the specifications of the lean pathway.

Effect of direct quenching on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the lean-chemistry HSLA-100 steel plates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dhua, S.K.; Sen, S.K.

2011-01-01

Highlights: → Direct-quenched and tempered (DQT) steels gives better mechanical properties. → Fine Cu and Nb (C, N) precipitates enhance matrix strengthening and tempering resistance. → Boron promotes hardenability, but low temperature Charpy impact toughness gets affected. → Mechanical properties equivalent to HSLA-100 steel is achieved by directly quenched leaner chemistry alloys. - Abstract: The influence of direct quenching on structure-property behavior of lean chemistry HSLA-100 steels was studied. Two laboratory heats, one containing Cu and Nb (C:0.052, Mn:0.99, Cu:1.08, Nb:0.043, Cr:0.57, Ni:1.76, Mo:0.55 pct) and the other containing Cu, Nb and B (C:0.04, Mn:1.02, Cu:1.06, Nb:0.036, Cr:0.87, Ni:1.32, Mo:0.41, B:0.002 percent) were hot-rolled into 25 and 12.5 mm thick plates by varying finish-rolling temperatures. The plates were heat-treated by conventional reheat quenching and tempering (RQT), as well as by direct quenching and tempering (DQT) techniques. In general, direct-quench and tempered plates of Nb-Cu heat exhibited good strength (yield strength ∼ 900 MPa) and low-temperature impact toughness (average: 74 J at -85 deg. C); the Charpy V-notch impact energies were marginally lower than conventional HSLA-100 steel. In Nb-Cu-B heat, impact toughness at low-temperature was inferior owing to boron segregation at grain boundaries. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning auger microprobe (SAM) analysis confirmed existence of borocarbides at grain boundaries in this steel. In general, for both the steels, the mechanical properties of the direct-quench and tempered plates were found to be superior to reheat quench and tempered plates. A detailed transmission electron microscopy study revealed presence of fine Cu and Nb (C, N) precipitates in these steels. It was also observed that smaller martensite inter-lath spacing, finer grains and precipitates in direct-quench and tempered plates compared to the reheat quench and tempered plates

Investigation of the prominent barriers to lean manufacturing implementation in Malaysian food and beverages industry using Rasch Model

Science.gov (United States)

Khusaini, N. S.; Ismail, A.; Rashid, A. A.

2016-02-01

This paper presents a preliminary study on the prominent barriers to lean manufacturing implementation in Malaysian Food and Beverages Industry. A survey was carried out to determine the most prominent barriers of lean manufacturing implementation that are currently being faced in this industry. The amount of barriers identified for this study is twenty seven. Out of 1309 available organizations, a total of 300 organizations have been randomly selected as respondents, and 53 organizations responded. From the variable map, the analysis shows that, the negative perception towards lean manufacturing top the list as the most agreeable barrier, while the technical barriers came after it. It can also be seen from the variable map that averagely, lack of vision and direction is the barrier that is being faced. Finally, this is perhaps the first attempt in investigating the prominent barriers to Lean Manufacturing implementation in Malaysian food and beverages industry using Rasch Model.

Is There a Lean Future for Global Startups?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stoyan Tanev

2017-05-01

Full Text Available This article integrates insights from the latest research on the lean startup entrepreneurial method, born-global firms, and global startups. It contributes to the clarification of terminology referring to the global aspects of startups, summarizes insights from previous literature focusing on global startups, and further substantiates the articulation of the need for considering the lean global startup as a new type of firm. The main message is that the lessons learned from the emergence of lean startup entrepreneurship offer a basis for promoting a similar lean phase in technology-based global startup research and practice. The analysis should benefit both researchers and practitioners in technology entrepreneurship, international entrepreneurship, and global innovation management.

Effect of triiodothyronine and insulin on glucose metabolism in tissue explants and isolated adipocytes from lean and obese Zucker rats

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bailey, J.W.

1985-01-01

Glucose metabolism in adipocytes from 6 week old lean and obese Zucker rats were sensitive to direct and chronic treatment with insulin and triidothyronine (T 3 ). Insulin had a large stimulatory effect on glucose metabolism in acutely isolated adipocytes. This effect was greater in the lean than in the obese. Fatty acid, CO 2 , and glycerol-glyceride formation from radiolabeled glucose was elevated in the obese over the leans. Pretreatment of isolated adipocytes with pharmacological concentrations of T 3 for 30 minutes prior to the measurement of glucose metabolism had a greater effect on lean than obese adipocytes. The presence of insulin was required to observe the acute effects of T 3 . A 2-hour exposure to physiological levels of T 3 in the presence of insulin in both lean and obese adipocytes decreased lipogenesis. In the absence of insulin, a 2 hour pretreatment with physiological levels of T 3 in tissue from a euthyroid animal produced increased lipogenesis

Lean principles adoption in environmental management system (EMS - ISO 14001

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Perumal Puvanasvaran

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the characteristic of the lean principles into ISO 14001 and to propose linkage of the lean principles and ISO 14001.Design/methodology/approach: To achieve the objective of the study, literature survey and quantitative research method using questionnaires survey are used.Findings and Originality/value: The findings of this study confirm that ISO 14001 certified company adopted lean production practices.  The study also proves that lean principles have positive and significant relationship with ISO 14001 EMS and the linkage can be made between lean principles and ISO 14001 to achieve Continual Improvement.Research limitations/implications: The small sizes of the sample of the participating companies are the main limitations of this study and this research mainly focuses on the manufacturing environment and services industry.Practical implications: This research show that all ISO 14001 companies do adopt at least one lean production practices and the main findings are lean principles has positive and highly significant relationship with ISO 14001 requirements.  This is because the integration of lean principles into ISO 14001 will serve practical methods for ISO14001 EMS to achieve the continual improvement.Originality/value: This research is amongst the first to study the combined lean principles with ISO 1400.  Based on the current situation, there is no integration within this two management system. 

Improving Healthcare through Lean Management: Experiences from the Danish healthcare system

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Edwards, Kasper; Nielsen, Anders Paarup

still is in its infancy and it is just a matter of letting sufficient time pass in order have a successful implementation of lean in all areas of healthcare. The second hypothesis states that a major barrier to lean management in healthcare simply is lacking understanding of the lean concepts leading......The ideas and principles from lean management are now widely being adopted within the healthcare sector. The analysis in this paper shows that organizations within healthcare most often only implement a limited set of tools and methods from the lean tool-box. Departing from a theoretical analysis...... of the well-known and universal lean management principles in the context of the healthcare this paper will attempt to formulate and test four hypotheses about possible barriers to the successful implementation of lean management in healthcare. The first hypothesis states that lean management in healthcare...

The roles of communication process for an effective lean manufacturing implementation

OpenAIRE

Puvanasvaran, Perumal; Megat, Hamdan; Hong, Tang Sai; Razali, Muhamad Mohd.

2009-01-01

Many companies are implementing lean manufacturing concept in order to remain competitive and sustainable, however, not many of them are successful in the process due to various reasons. Communication is an important aspect of lean process in order to successfully implement lean manufacturing. This paper determines the roles of communication process in ensuring a successful implementation of leanness in manufacturing companies. All the information of lean manufacturing practice...

Lean production and business performance: influences of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Hence, this study aims to examine the influence of leadership style in the implementation of lean production. Data were gathered from randomly selected Malaysian manufacturing firms. Findings reveal a positive relationship between lean production and business performance. Specifically, democratic leadership style was ...

LEAN SIX SIGMA – MULTIPLE CASE STUDY

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Delvio Venanzi

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Lean Six Sigma é uma gestão focada na qualidade e desempenho produtivo em sistemas operacionais. Este artigo discute os fundamentos desta metodologia através de duas diferentes concepções de gestão, Lean Manufacturing e Six Sigma. Primeiro, o artigo explica o DMAIC (definir, medir, analisar, melhorar e controlar e suas respectivas fases, após a filosofia Lean com o sipoc e técnicas de mapeamento de fluxo de valor. O artigo pretende mostrar a integração destes dois conceitos e seus resultados. A metodologia consistiu em uma teoria baseada em uma pesquisa bibliográfica de pesquisa exploratória que consistiu de três estudos de caso em empresas de diferenças localizadas em Sorocaba, São Paulo. Neste artigo estuda a aplicação de Lean Seis Sigma e seus resultados.

Lean six sigma application to transportation logistics

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Simone Tavares Fernandes

2012-06-01

Full Text Available This work presents the application of Lean Six Sigma in a case study of a metallurgic industry. The Six Sigma and the Lean are two processes used by enterprises in Brazil and worldwide. Currently the integration of these processes is a challenge for these companies, which search a way more efficient to reduce their wastes and to adapt to the needs of their markets. The paper had as purpose to demonstrate the applicability of the Lean Six Sigma in a real logistical problem related to the transportation of goods among units of a metallurgic industry. The stages used for the solution of the problem follow the DMAIC cycle – Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control. The paper presents in details the integrated approach of the improvement processes Lean and Six Sigma, their tools set, as well the excellent results obtained in the case study.

Buildings Lean Maintenance Implementation Model

Science.gov (United States)

Abreu, Antonio; Calado, João; Requeijo, José

2016-11-01

Nowadays, companies in global markets have to achieve high levels of performance and competitiveness to stay "alive".Within this assumption, the building maintenance cannot be done in a casual and improvised way due to the costs related. Starting with some discussion about lean management and building maintenance, this paper introduces a model to support the Lean Building Maintenance (LBM) approach. Finally based on a real case study from a Portuguese company, the benefits, challenges and difficulties are presented and discussed.

The challenges of lean manufacturing implementation in kitting assembly

Science.gov (United States)

Fansuri, A. F. H.; Rose, A. N. M.; Nik Mohamed, N. M. Z.; Ahmad, H.

2017-10-01

Literature studies shows that lean manufacturing goes way back with the original founder Eli Whitney in year 1799. The main purpose of lean manufacturing is to identify and eliminate waste in production. The application of lean manufacturing can be carried out in any industrial processes with regards to the understanding of lean principles, theories and practices. Kitting is one of the important aspects in a successful production. The continuous supply of materials from store to production has to be systematic and able to achieve lean standard for it to be successful. The objective of this paper is to review the implementation of lean manufacturing in kitting assembly. Previous papers show that, the implementation of lean manufacturing in kitting assembly may be beneficial to the organization such as reduce in space occupancy, part shortages, lead time and manpower. Based on previous research, some industries may tend to change between kitting and line stocking which are due to lack of understanding when implementing kitting and causes longer lead time and materials overflow in store. With a proper understanding on what to kit, where to kit, how to kit, why to kit and who kits the material with a standardised process flow may ensure the success of kitting.

Improvement of emergency department patient flow using lean thinking.

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez, Miquel; Suárez, Montse; Asenjo, María; Bragulat, Ernest

2018-05-01

To apply lean thinking in triage acuity level-3 patients in order to improve emergency department (ED) throughtput and waiting time. A prospective interventional study. An ED of a tertiary care hospital. Triage acuity level-3 patients. To apply lean techniques such as value stream mapping, workplace organization, reduction of wastes and standardization by the frontline staff. Two periods were compared: (i) pre-lean: April-September, 2015; and (ii) post-lean: April-September, 2016. Variables included: median process time (time from beginning of nurse preparation to the end of nurse finalization after doctor disposition) of both discharged and transferred to observation patients; median length of stay; median waiting time; left without being seen, 72-h revisit and mortality rates, and daily number of visits. There was no additional staff or bed after lean implementation. Despite an increment in the daily number of visits (+8.3%, P lean implementation. No significant differences were registered in left without being seen rate (5.23% vs 4.95%), 72-h revisit rate (3.41% vs 3.93%), and mortality rate (0.23% vs 0.15%). Lean thinking is a methodology that can improve triage acuity level-3 patient flow in the ED, resulting in better throughput along with reduced waiting time.

Performance effect of multiple control forms in a Lean organization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristensen, Thomas Borup; Israelsen, Poul

2012-01-01

Over the last decades Lean has developed into a prominent management philosophy reaching beyond shop floor tools. However, substantial support of performance effects from Lean is still scarce and at best with mixed results. Recently, research has turned its focus towards perceiving Lean...... as a control package. In this paper we present statistical support for enhanced performance coming from Lean. Furthermore, our results strongly support the perception of Lean as a set of multiple control forms (output, behavioral, and social controls) that complement each other. Therefore, performance...... is increased if the average level of control forms is increased, and performance is further increased if the control forms are balanced at the same level representing a complementary effect between them. Our data are archival data spanning multiple years in a strong Lean organization. The dependent performance...

Lean principles applied to software development – avoiding waste

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Ionel NAFTANAILA

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Under the current economic conditions many organizations strive to continue the trend towards adopting better software development processes, in order to take advantage of the numerous benefits that these can offer. Those benefits include quicker return on investment, better software quality, and higher customer satisfaction. To date, however, there is little body of research that can guide organizations in adopting modern software development practices, especially when it comes to Lean thinking and principles. To address this situation, the current paper identifies and structures the main wastes (or muda in Lean terms in software development as described by Lean principles, in an attempt to bring into researchers’ and practitioners’ attention Lean Software Development, a modern development methodology based on well-established practices such as Lean Manufacturing or Toyota Production System.

Advancing lean manufacturing, the role of IT

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Riezebos, J.; Klingenberg, W.

This introduction to the special issue discusses the changing role of information technology (IT) in advancing lean production. Lean principles and techniques have been applied in a wide variety of organisations, from make-to-stock to engineer-to-order industries, and even in typical service

System-wide lean implementation in health care: A multiple case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Centauri, Federica; Mazzocato, Pamela; Villa, Stefano; Marsilio, Marta

2018-05-01

Background Lean practices have been widely used by health care organizations to meet efficiency, performance and quality improvement needs. The lean health care literature shows that the effective implementation of lean requires a holistic system-wide approach. However, there is still limited evidence on what drives effective system-wide lean implementation in health care. The existing literature suggests that a deeper understanding of how lean interventions interact with the organizational context is necessary to identify the critical variables to successfully sustain system-wide lean strategies. Purpose and methodology: A multiple case study of three Italian hospitals is conducted with the aim to explore the organizational conditions that are relevant for an effective system-wide lean implementation. A conceptual framework, built on socio-technical system schemas, is used to guide data collection and analysis. The analysis points out the importance to support lean implementation with an integrated and coordinated strategy involving the social, technical, and external components of the overall hospital system.

Lean thinking in emergency departments: concepts and tools for quality improvement.

Science.gov (United States)

Bruno, Frances

2017-10-12

The lean approach is a viable framework for reducing costs and enhancing the quality of patient care in emergency departments (EDs). Reports on lean-inspired quality improvement initiatives are rapidly growing but there is little emphasis on the philosophy behind the processes, which is the essential ingredient in sustaining transformation. This article describes lean philosophy, also referred to as lean, lean thinking and lean healthcare, and its main concepts, to enrich the knowledge and vocabulary of nurses involved or interested in quality improvement in EDs. The article includes examples of lean strategies to illustrate their practical application in EDs. ©2012 RCN Publishing Company Ltd. All rights reserved. Not to be copied, transmitted or recorded in any way, in whole or part, without prior permission of the publishers.

Invited Reaction: The Strategic Value of HRD in Lean Strategy Implementation

Science.gov (United States)

Yorks, Lyle; Barto, Jody

2013-01-01

This study by Meera Alagaraja and Toby Egan provides a case study of a Lean strategy implementation in which HRD was an integrated part of the process and offers a model that can give direction for both future research and strategic advocacy on behalf of HRD practice. The case is actually more a study of the importance of cross-functional and…

Simulation of lean premixed turbulent combustion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bell, J; Day, M; Almgren, A; Lijewski, M; Rendleman, C; Cheng, R; Shepherd, I

2006-01-01

There is considerable technological interest in developing new fuel-flexible combustion systems that can burn fuels such as hydrogen or syngas. Lean premixed systems have the potential to burn these types of fuels with high efficiency and low NOx emissions due to reduced burnt gas temperatures. Although traditional Scientific approaches based on theory and laboratory experiment have played essential roles in developing our current understanding of premixed combustion, they are unable to meet the challenges of designing fuel-flexible lean premixed combustion devices. Computation, with its ability to deal with complexity and its unlimited access to data, has the potential for addressing these challenges. Realizing this potential requires the ability to perform high fidelity simulations of turbulent lean premixed flames under realistic conditions. In this paper, we examine the specialized mathematical structure of these combustion problems and discuss simulation approaches that exploit this structure. Using these ideas we can dramatically reduce computational cost, making it possible to perform high-fidelity simulations of realistic flames. We illustrate this methodology by considering ultra-lean hydrogen flames and discuss how this type of simulation is changing the way researchers study combustion

Radial lean direct injection burner

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Abdul Rafey; Kraemer, Gilbert Otto; Stevenson, Christian Xavier

2012-09-04

A burner for use in a gas turbine engine includes a burner tube having an inlet end and an outlet end; a plurality of air passages extending axially in the burner tube configured to convey air flows from the inlet end to the outlet end; a plurality of fuel passages extending axially along the burner tube and spaced around the plurality of air passage configured to convey fuel from the inlet end to the outlet end; and a radial air swirler provided at the outlet end configured to direct the air flows radially toward the outlet end and impart swirl to the air flows. The radial air swirler includes a plurality of vanes to direct and swirl the air flows and an end plate. The end plate includes a plurality of fuel injection holes to inject the fuel radially into the swirling air flows. A method of mixing air and fuel in a burner of a gas turbine is also provided. The burner includes a burner tube including an inlet end, an outlet end, a plurality of axial air passages, and a plurality of axial fuel passages. The method includes introducing an air flow into the air passages at the inlet end; introducing a fuel into fuel passages; swirling the air flow at the outlet end; and radially injecting the fuel into the swirling air flow.

Improvement of laboratory turnaround time using lean methodology.

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Shradha; Kapil, Sahil; Sharma, Monica

2018-05-14

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the implementation of lean methodology to reduce the turnaround time (TAT) of a clinical laboratory in a super speciality hospital. Delays in report delivery lead to delayed diagnosis increased waiting time and decreased customer satisfaction. The reduction in TAT will lead to increased patient satisfaction, quality of care, employee satisfaction and ultimately the hospital's revenue. Design/methodology/approach The generic causes resulting in increasing TAT of clinical laboratories were identified using lean tools and techniques such as value stream mapping (VSM), Gemba, Pareto Analysis and Root Cause Analysis. VSM was used as a tool to analyze the current state of the process and further VSM was used to design the future state with suggestions for process improvements. Findings This study identified 12 major non-value added factors for the hematology laboratory and 5 major non-value added factors for the biochemistry lab which were acting as bottlenecks resulting in limiting throughput. A four-month research study by the authors together with hospital quality department and laboratory staff members led to reduction of the average TAT from 180 to 95minutes in the hematology lab and from 268 to 208 minutes in the biochemistry lab. Practical implications Very few improvement initiatives in Indian healthcare are based on industrial engineering tools and techniques, which might be due to a lack of interaction between healthcare and engineering. The study provides a positive outcome in terms of improving the efficiency of services in hospitals and identifies a scope for lean in the Indian healthcare sector. Social implications Applying lean in the Indian healthcare sector gives its own potential solution to the problem caused, due to a wide gap between lean accessibility and lean implementation. Lean helped in changing the mindset of an organization toward providing the highest quality of services with faster delivery at

Disturbing Practices: Training Workers to Be Lean

Science.gov (United States)

Yasukawa, Keiko; Brown, Tony; Black, Stephen

2014-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the possibilities for expansive learning during organisational change. It considers the introduction of "lean production" as a disturbance to the existing work practices. Design/methodology/approach: The paper considers two case studies of "lean production" training with…

Lean implementation strategies: how are the Toyota way principles addressed?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Coetzee, Rojanette

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Lean manufacturing is widely considered to be a proven organisational improvement philosophy, yet the success rate of lean implementation in industry remains relatively low. Neglect of the human aspect of lean manufacturing is often cited as the leading reason for this, despite the emphasis so clearly placed upon this aspect by the creators of the lean philosophy. This article reviews the extent to which the human dimensions of the lean philosophy, as described in the Toyota Way management principles, have been incorporated in lean implementation strategies. It is found that few of the principles feature prominently in these strategies. Notably absent are those linked to the ‘respect for people’ pillar , which forms half of the T oyota Way’s foundation. This conclusion indicates that the adoption of the lean philosophy runs contrary to the oft-repeated message from its creators that no tenet of the philosophy should be favoured at the expense of another. This may provide valuable insight into the reasons for the high implementation failure rate.

Lean healthcare in developing countries: evidence from Brazilian hospitals.

Science.gov (United States)

Costa, Luana Bonome Message; Filho, Moacir Godinho; Rentes, Antonio Freitas; Bertani, Thiago Moreno; Mardegan, Ronaldo

2017-01-01

The present study evaluates how five sectors of two Brazilian hospitals have implemented lean healthcare concepts in their operations. The main characteristics of the implementation process are analyzed in the present study: the motivational factor for implementation, implementation time, form (consultancy or internal), team (hospital and consultants), lean implementation continuity/sustainability, lean healthcare tools and methods implemented, problems/improvement opportunities, lean healthcare barriers faced during the implementation process, and critical factors that affected the implementation and the results obtained in each case. The case studies indicate that reducing patient lead times and costs and making financial improvements were the primary factors that motivated lean healthcare implementation in the hospitals studied. Several tools and methods were used in the cases studied, especially value stream mapping and DMAIC. The barriers found in both hospitals are primarily associated with the human factor. Additionally, the results obtained after implementation were analyzed and improvements in financial aspects, productivity and capacity, and lead time reduction of the analyzed sectors were observed. Further, this study also exhibited four propositions elaborated from the results obtained from the cases that highlighted barriers and challenges to lean healthcare implementation in developing countries. Two of these barriers are hospital organizational structure (and, consequently, how the senior management works with medical staff), and outsourcing hospital activities. This study also concluded that the initialization and maintenance of lean healthcare implementation rely heavily on external support because lean healthcare subject knowledge is not yet available in the healthcare organization, which represents a challenge. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Lean spare parts delivery chain

OpenAIRE

Sjöstrand, Niklas; Larsson, Mona-Liza

2015-01-01

AbstractWhen a product has been sold to a customer a new market arises for the company to earn profit from and to differentiate itself within. According to Bartwal, et al. (2010) the after sales market generally does not provide great revenues but good profits of the total revenue. In order to gain competiveness and live up to customer’s expectations a company needs to be efficient (Atkinson, 2004). He continuous that this can be accomplished if companies implement Lean. Lean is different too...

Investigating emergency room service quality using lean manufacturing.

Science.gov (United States)

Abdelhadi, Abdelhakim

2015-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to investigate a lean manufacturing metric called Takt time as a benchmark evaluation measure to evaluate a public hospital's service quality. Lean manufacturing is an established managerial philosophy with a proven track record in industry. A lean metric called Takt time is applied as a measure to compare the relative efficiency between two emergency departments (EDs) belonging to the same public hospital. Outcomes guide managers to improve patient services and increase hospital performances. The patient treatment lead time within the hospital's two EDs (one department serves male and the other female patients) are the study's focus. A lean metric called Takt time is used to find the service's relative efficiency. Findings show that the lean manufacturing metric called Takt time can be used as an effective way to measure service efficiency by analyzing relative efficiency and identifies bottlenecks in different departments providing the same services. The paper presents a new procedure to compare relative efficiency between two EDs. It can be applied to any healthcare facility.

Lean management-the journey from toyota to healthcare.

Science.gov (United States)

Teich, Sorin T; Faddoul, Fady F

2013-04-01

The evolution of production systems is tightly linked to the story of Toyota Motor Company (TMC) that has its roots around 1918. The term "lean" was coined in 1990 following the exploration of the Toyota model that led to the "transference" thesis sustaining the concept that manufacturing problems and technologies are universal problems faced by management and that these concepts can be emulated in non-Japanese enterprises. Lean is a multi-faceted concept and requires organizations to exert effort along several dimensions simultaneously; some consider a successful implementation either achieving major strategic components of lean, implementing practices to support operational aspects, or providing evidence that the improvements are sustainable in the long term. The article explores challenges and opportunities faced by organizations that intend incorporating lean management principles and presents the specific context of the healthcare industry. Finally, the concepts of "essential few" and customer value are illustrated through a simple example of process change following lean principles, which was implemented in a dental school in the United States.

Lean manufacturing: A better way for enhancement in productivity

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar Ahir, Pankaj; Kumar Yadav, Lalit; Singh Chandrawat, Saurabh

2012-03-01

Productivity is the impact of peoples working together. Machines are merely an extended way of collective imagination and energy. Lean Manufacturing is the most used method for continues improvement of business. Organization management philosophy focusing on the reduction of wastage to improve overall customer value. "Lean" operating principles began in manufacturing environments and are known by a variety of synonyms; Lean Manufacturing, Lean Production, Toyota Production System, etc. It is commonly believed that Lean started in Japan "The notable activities in keeping the price of Ford products low is the steady restriction of the production cycle. The longer an article is in the process of manufacture and the more it is moved about, the greater is its ultimate cost." "A systematic approach to identifying and eliminating waste through continuous improvement, flowing the product at the pull of the customer in pursuit of perfection."

Lean Start-up in Established Companies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Goduscheit, René Chester

2018-01-01

Lean start-up is an emergent perspective on how entrepreneurs can bring new products and services to the market. This approach challenges the dominant role of lengthy business plans, linear product development processes, and seeking complete overview of the potential of the new products....../services before market launch. Instead it suggests that start-ups could benefit from a ‘minimum-viable product’ approach where products and services are launched when they contain critical features. The emphasis in the lean start-up approach is on business models rather than the elaborate business plan...... at the companies (strategy meetings, development workshops etc.). The aim is to shed light on the implications for companies that seek to employ lean start-up. These implications will be aimed at aspects like innovation management, organizational structure, customer relations etc....

Direction of Arrival Estimation with a Novel Single-Port Smart Antenna

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chen Sun

2004-08-01

Full Text Available A novel direction of arrival (DOA estimation technique that uses the conventional multiple-signal classification (MUSIC algorithm with periodic signals is applied to a single-port smart antenna. Results show that the proposed method gives a high-resolution (1 degree DOA estimation in an uncorrelated signal environment. The novelty lies in that the MUSIC algorithm is applied to a simplified antenna configuration. Only 1 analogue-to-digital converter (ADC is used in this antenna, which features low power consumption, low cost, and ease of fabrication. Modifications to the conventional MUSIC algorithm do not bring much additional complexity. The proposed technique is also free from the negative influence by the mutual coupling among antenna elements. Therefore, it offers an economical way to extensively implement smart antennas into the existing wireless mobile communications systems, especially at the power consumption limited mobile terminals such as laptops in wireless networks.

The effectiveness of single minute exchange of dies for lean changeover process in printing industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Indrawati Sri

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The changeover time is a factor that greatly affects the lean production implementation in industry with make to order system. Large product variations and unpredictable quantity of orders will trigger some kind of production wastes if changeover time is done in a longer time. One industry with make to order system is printing industry. In general, to produce several types of products such as books takes quite a long time because of long production changeover process. The general problem faced is the delay in book’s production completion. Based on this problem, changeover time reduction is needed to overcome the delay of book’s production completion using single minute exchanges of dies (SMED method. The SMED method is the method that separates the changeover activity into two, i.e. internal setup and external setup. The research shows that changeover time for printing workstation is 18 minutes 29 seconds, which consists of internal setup activities 14 minutes 37 seconds and external setup 4 minutes 33 seconds. By converting 45% of the internal setup activity into an external setup, then the setup time can be reduced. The initial setup activities performed when machine is stop, now can be done when the machine is running. In addition, a changeover process improvement also done using 5S method in workstation tools area so the internal setup time is reduced 46% becomes 7 minutes 59 seconds. Under these conditions, the printing industry can increase production by 2%.

The influence of lean manufacturing practices in cellular manufacturing qualifying attributes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giuliano Almeida Marodin

2013-11-01

Full Text Available This article aims to investigate how of lean production (LP influences to a manufacturing cell (MC performance, based on the theoretical study about the attributes that characterize a MC. It was necessary to develop the concept of MC in a socio-technical system perspective, incorporating a technical attribute, a social attribute and the elements of time, space and information to define a "real cell". The results show that most of LM practices aim to increase time and information. The rapid problem solving process and the use of minimal amount of inventory between the activities of the cell seeks to simultaneously reduces the processing time and increase the degree of information. Although influenced to a lesser degree, the organizational attribute and space element are also positively influenced by the practical application of PE.

In vivo measurements of nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon and potassium in genetically obese and lean pigs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ellis, K.J.; Shypailo, R.J.; Sheng, H.P.; Mersmann, H.J.; Pond, W.G.

1991-01-01

Characteristic gamma rays are emitted promptly by elements during exposure to neutrons. Gamma ray emissions enable a radioanalytical analysis of the body's composition of protein (nitrogen), water (hydrogen), fat (carbon), and muscle (natural 40 K). The authors have used this method in vivo to detect changes in the body composition of obese and lean pigs (10-20 kg body wt) in response to an altered cholesterol diet

Debates Regarding Lean Patients with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Narrative Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Goyal, Manu; Dawood, Ayman S

2017-01-01

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex syndrome showing the clinical features of an endocrine/metabolic disorder, including hyperinsulinemia and hyperandrogenism. Two phenotypes are present, either lean or obese, with different biochemical, hormonal, and metabolic profiles. Evidence suggests many treatment modalities that can be applied. However, many of these modalities were found to be not suitable for the lean phenotype of PCOS. Much contradictory research was found regarding lean patients with PCOS. The aim of this narrative review is to shed light on the debate prevailing regarding characteristics, as well as metabolic, hematological, and potential management modalities. Literature review was performed from January 1, 2000 to March 31, 2017 with specific word search such as lean PCOS, hormonal abnormalities in lean PCOS, and the management of lean PCOS. All retrieved articles were carefully assessed, and data were obtained. We could conclude that the debate is still prevailing regarding this specific lean population with PCOS, especially with regard to their characteristics and management modalities. Further studies are still required to resolve this debate on the presence of PCOS in lean women.

Debates regarding lean patients with polycystic ovary syndrome: A narrative review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manu Goyal

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS is a complex syndrome showing the clinical features of an endocrine/metabolic disorder, including hyperinsulinemia and hyperandrogenism. Two phenotypes are present, either lean or obese, with different biochemical, hormonal, and metabolic profiles. Evidence suggests many treatment modalities that can be applied. However, many of these modalities were found to be not suitable for the lean phenotype of PCOS. Much contradictory research was found regarding lean patients with PCOS. The aim of this narrative review is to shed light on the debate prevailing regarding characteristics, as well as metabolic, hematological, and potential management modalities. Literature review was performed from January 1, 2000 to March 31, 2017 with specific word search such as lean PCOS, hormonal abnormalities in lean PCOS, and the management of lean PCOS. All retrieved articles were carefully assessed, and data were obtained. We could conclude that the debate is still prevailing regarding this specific lean population with PCOS, especially with regard to their characteristics and management modalities. Further studies are still required to resolve this debate on the presence of PCOS in lean women.

Leading Lean: a Canadian healthcare leader's guide.

Science.gov (United States)

Fine, Benjamin A; Golden, Brian; Hannam, Rosemary; Morra, Dante

2009-01-01

Canadian healthcare organizations are increasingly asked to do more with less, and too often this has resulted in demands on staff to simply work harder and longer. Lean methodologies, originating from Japanese industrial organizations and most notably Toyota, offer an alternative - tried and tested approaches to working smarter. Lean, with its systematic approaches to reducing waste, has found its way to Canadian healthcare organizations with promising results. This article reports on a study of five Canadian healthcare providers that have recently implemented Lean. We offer stories of success but also identify potential obstacles and ways by which they may be surmounted to provide better value for our healthcare investments.

Assessing the impacts of implementing lean construction Evaluando los impactos de la implementación de lean construction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luis F Alarcón

2008-04-01

Full Text Available Over the last 10 years an increasing number of companies have implemented lean construction practices in an attempt to improve performance in construction projects. Most companies, and also some researchers, have reported satisfactory results from their implementation. However, there is still a need to provide more extensive analysis of the empirical evidence available to assess the impact of the implementation of lean construction. The authors have researched the implementation of the Last Planner System and other Lean Construction techniques in over one hundred construction projects over the last five years. They have also developed strategies and support tools for implementation. This paper analyzes some of the main impacts observed in the studied projects, and some of the lessons learned from implementations. The paper discusses difficulties and barriers for implementation, productivity improvements, variability reduction and effectiveness of implementation strategies. The paper also provides recommendations for future implementation and researchEn los últimos 10 años un creciente número de empresas constructoras ha implementado prácticas de Lean Construction para mejorar el desempeño de sus proyectos. La mayor parte de estas empresas, y también algunos investigadores, han informado sobre buenos resultados obtenidos en los proyectos. Sin embargo, todavía es necesario un análisis más completo de la evidencia empírica disponible para evaluar así el impacto de Lean Construction en los proyectos y empresas. Los autores han investigado la implementación del Sistema Ultimo Planificador y otras técnicas de Lean Construction en mas de un centenar de proyectos en los últimos 5 años y han desarrollado estrategias y herramientas de apoyo para su implementación. Este artículo analiza algunos de los principales impactos observados en los proyectos estudiados y las lecciones aprendidas en este proceso. Se discuten dificultades y barreras

Quality and Competitiveness: A Lean Six Sigma Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irina-Virginia Drăgulănescu

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Originally developed to improve the quality and production efficiency, Lean Six Sigma is now widely adopted in other non-manufacturing sectors such as financial, trade, services, etc. The methodology known as Lean Six Sigma combines the Six Sigma techniques, ‒ which allow companies to reduce manufacturing defects ‒ and the Lean Manufacturing principles, ‒ which help companies benefit from faster processing for lower costs and with superior quality. As a result of the research, the authors observed that, despite growing popularity and impressive outcomes obtained by some companies, the Lean Six Sigma model does not always offer the expected results. However, the research has shown that the analysed company, operating in the field of courier services has managed to boost productivity and competitiveness by implementing measures that generated added value.

'Lean' approach gives greater efficiency.

Science.gov (United States)

Call, Roger

2014-02-01

Adapting the 'Lean' methodologies used for many years by many manufacturers on the production line - such as in the automotive industry - and deploying them in healthcare 'spaces' can, Roger Call, an architect at Herman Miller Healthcare in the US, argues, 'easily remedy many of the inefficiencies' found within a healthcare facility. In an article that first appeared in the September 2013 issue of The Australian Hospital Engineer, he explains how 'Lean' approaches such as the 'Toyota production system', and 'Six Sigma', can be harnessed to good effect in the healthcare sphere.

Does lean muddy the quality improvement waters? A qualitative study of how a hospital management team understands lean in the context of quality improvement.

Science.gov (United States)

Savage, Carl; Parke, Louise; von Knorring, Mia; Mazzocato, Pamela

2016-10-19

Health care has experimented with many different quality improvement (QI) approaches with greater variation in name than content. This has been dubbed pseudoinnovation. However, it could also be that the subtleties and differences are not clearly understood. To explore this further, the purpose of this study was to explore how hospital managers perceive lean in the context of QI. We used a qualitative study design with semi-structured interviews to explore twelve top managers' perceptions of the relationship between lean and quality improvement (QI) at a university-affiliated hospital. Managers described that QI and lean shared the same overall purpose: focus on patient needs and improve efficiency and effectiveness. Employee involvement was emphasized in both strategies, as well as the support offered by managers of staff initiatives. QI was perceived as a strategy that could support structural changes at the organizational level whereas lean was seen as applicable at the operational level. Moreover, lean carried a negative connotation, lacked the credibility of QI, and was perceived as a management fad. Aspects of QI and lean were misunderstood. In a context where lean remains an abstract term, and staff associate lean with automotive applications and cost reduction, it may be fruitful for managers to invest time and resources to develop a strategy for continual improvement and utilize vocabulary that resonates with health care staff. This could reduce the risk that improvement efforts are rejected out of hand.

Relationship Between Lean Production and Operational Performance in the Manufacturing Industry

Science.gov (United States)

Rasi, Raja Zuraidah R. M.; Syamsyul Rakiman, Umol; Ahmad, Md Fauzi Bin

2015-05-01

Nowadays, more and more manufacturing firms have started to implement lean production system in their operations. Lean production viewed as one of the mechanism to maintain the organisation's position and to compete globally. However, many fail to apply the lean concepts successfully in their operations. Based on previous studies, implementation of lean production in the manufacturing industry is more focused on the relationship between Lean and Operational Performance of one dimension only. Therefore, this study attempted to examine the relationship between Lean Production (LP) and Operational Performance in 4 dimensions which are quality, delivery, cost and flexibility. This study employed quantitative study using questionnaires. Data was collected from 50 manufacturing industries. The data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) 22.0. This study is hoped to shed new understanding on the concept of Lean Production (LP) in regards of Operational Performance covering the 4 dimensions.

NOx storage and reduction over a lean-burn automotive catalyst

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Scholz, C.M.L.

2007-01-01

Nowadays, there is an increased interest in lean-burn technologies, i.e. diesel and lean-burn gasoline engines, mainly due to their higher fuel efficiency compared to conventional gasoline engines. Lean-burn engines work under excess oxygen and consequently produce oxygen-rich exhaust. This

Strain hardening of cold-rolled lean-alloyed metastable ferritic-austenitic stainless steels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Papula, Suvi [Aalto University School of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, P.O. Box 14200, FI-00076 Aalto (Finland); Anttila, Severi [Centre for Advanced Steels Research, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 4200, 90014 Oulu (Finland); Talonen, Juho [Outokumpu Oyj, P.O. Box 245, FI-00181 Helsinki (Finland); Sarikka, Teemu; Virkkunen, Iikka; Hänninen, Hannu [Aalto University School of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, P.O. Box 14200, FI-00076 Aalto (Finland)

2016-11-20

Mechanical properties and strain hardening of two pilot-scale lean-alloyed ferritic-austenitic stainless steels having metastable austenite phase, present at 0.50 and 0.30 volume fractions, have been studied by means of tensile testing and nanoindentation. These ferritic-austenitic stainless steels have high strain-hardening capacity, due to the metastable austenite phase, which leads to an improved uniform elongation and higher tensile strength in comparison with most commercial lean duplex stainless steels. According to the results, even as low as 0.30 volume fraction of austenite seems efficient for achieving nearly 40% elongation. The austenite phase is initially the harder phase, and exhibits more strain hardening than the ferrite phase. The rate of strain hardening and the evolution of the martensite phase were found to depend on the loading direction: both are higher when strained in the rolling direction as compared to the transverse direction. Based on the mechanical testing, characterization of the microstructure by optical/electron microscopy, magnetic balance measurements and EBSD texture analysis, this anisotropy in mechanical properties of the cold-rolled metastable ferritic-austenitic stainless steels can be explained by the elongated dual-phase microstructure, fiber reinforcement effect of the harder austenite phase and the presence and interplay of rolling textures in the two phases.

An Assessment of Combustion Dynamics in a Low-Nox, Second-Generation Swirl-Venturi Lean Direct Injection Combustion Concept

Science.gov (United States)

Tacina, K. M.; Chang, C. T.; Lee, P.; Mongia, H.; Podboy, D. P.; Dam, B.

2015-01-01

Dynamic pressure measurements were taken during flame-tube emissions testing of three second-generation swirl-venturi lean direct injection (SV-LDI) combustor configurations. These measurements show that combustion dynamics were typically small. However, a small number of points showed high combustion dynamics, with peak-to-peak dynamic pressure fluctuations above 0.5 psi. High combustion dynamics occurred at low inlet temperatures in all three SV-LDI configurations, so combustion dynamics were explored further at low temperature conditions. A point with greater than 1.5 psi peak-to-peak dynamic pressure fluctuations was identified at an inlet temperature of 450!F, a pressure of 100 psia, an air pressure drop of 3%, and an overall equivalence ratio of 0.35. This is an off design condition: the temperature and pressure are typical of 7% power conditions, but the equivalence ratio is high. At this condition, the combustion dynamics depended strongly on the fuel staging. Combustion dynamics could be reduced significantly without changing the overall equivalence ratio by shifting the fuel distribution between stages. Shifting the fuel distribution also decreased NOx emissions.

Lean start-up

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Erik Stavnsager; Tanev, Stoyan

2016-01-01

The risk of launching new products and starting new firms is known to be extremely high. The Lean Start-up approach is a way of reducing these risks and enhancing the chances for success by validating the products and services in the market with customers before launching it in full scale. The ma...... and the final business model. In other words: The start-up must first nail the problem together with the customers, then develop the solution and test, and then in the end scale it to a full-grown business model.......The risk of launching new products and starting new firms is known to be extremely high. The Lean Start-up approach is a way of reducing these risks and enhancing the chances for success by validating the products and services in the market with customers before launching it in full scale. The main...

Lean Production and information technology : Connection or contradiction?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Riezebos, Jan; Klingenberg, Warse; Hicks, Christian

The principles of Lean Production have enabled organisations in the manufacturing and service sectors to significantly improve their competitiveness. The application of Lean principles, derived from the Toyota Production System has enabled many organisations to Simultaneously improve productivity,

Genomic characterization of the porcine CRTC3 and the effects of a non-synonymous mutation p.V515F on lean meat production and belly fat.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, S H; Hur, M H; Lee, E A; Hong, K C; Kim, J M

2018-03-01

cAMP-responsive element-binding protein (CREB)-regulated transcriptional coactivator 3 (CRTC3) is well known to be related to obesity in humans and mice. However, the effects of CRTC3 have not been studied in pigs. Here, we characterized the structure of the porcine CRTC3 gene and identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in its coding region. Moreover, mRNA expression profiles of CRTC3 in muscle and fat tissues were examined. Of the 40 identified SNPs, the p.V515F mutation, located on exon 16, was genotyped in 368 Yorkshire pigs. The p.V515F mutation was significantly associated with lean meat production ability, including reduced back fat thickness (P=0.0317) and loin eye area (P=0.0174). Moreover, the SNP was significantly associated with differences in intermuscular fat (P=0.0092), total muscle area in the belly (P=0.0108), and total fat percentage in the belly (P=0.0298). Taken together, our results suggest that the p.V515F mutation affects to lean meat production ability and amount of belly fat. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Application of a mathematical model for ergonomics in lean manufacturing.

Science.gov (United States)

Botti, Lucia; Mora, Cristina; Regattieri, Alberto

2017-10-01

The data presented in this article are related to the research article "Integrating ergonomics and lean manufacturing principles in a hybrid assembly line" (Botti et al., 2017) [1]. The results refer to the application of the mathematical model for the design of lean processes in hybrid assembly lines, meeting both the lean principles and the ergonomic requirements for safe assembly work. Data show that the success of a lean strategy is possible when ergonomics of workers is a parameter of the assembly process design.

LEAN ACCOUNTING: SUATU ALTERNATIF TEKNIK AKUNTANSI MANAJEMEN DALAM INDUSTRI MANUFAKTUR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eka Ardhani Sisdyani

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Manufacturing techniques have been developed to embrace theaims of continuous improvement. Continuous improvement would leadcompanies to win business competition. One technique that gains moreand more followers is lean manufacturing. Lean manufacturing hastwo main purposes, which are eliminating wastes and creating valuesto customers. It focuses on customer values, value stream, productionflows, demand-pull, and perfection. Lean accounting is needed tosupport and encourage the development of lean manufacturing, forinstances in product costing system, external reporting, and otherdecision making processes that need accounting data.

Lean Maintenance Applied to Improve Maintenance Efficiency in Thermoelectric Power Plants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Orlando Duran

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Thermoelectric power plants consist of a set of critical equipment that require high levels of availability and reliability. Due to this, maintenance of these physical assets is gaining momentum in industry. Maintenance is considered as an activity that contributes to improving the availability, efficiency and productivity of each piece of equipment. Several techniques have been used to achieve greater efficiencies in maintenance, among which we can find the lean maintenance philosophy. Despite the wide diffusion of lean maintenance, there is no structured method that supports the prescription of lean tools applied to the maintenance function. This paper presents the experience gathered in two lean maintenance projects in thermoelectric power plants. The application of lean techniques was based on using a previously developed multicriterial decision making process that uses the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP methodology to carry out a diagnosis and prescription tasks. That methodology allowed the prescription of the appropriated lean techniques to resolve the main deficiencies in maintenance function. The results of applying such lean tools show that important results can be obtained, making the maintenance function in thermoelectric power plants more efficient and lean.

Succesful Lean Manufacturing Implementation: Internal Key Influencing Factors

Science.gov (United States)

Virginia, Iuga; Claudiu, Kifor

2015-09-01

Manufacturing sectors and companies all over the world are successfully implementing lean principles within their processes. Nowadays, lean has become an indispensable part of global players. Companies worldwide need to be aware of multiple factors which weigh heavily on the success or failure of lean implementation. This paper focuses on giving a brief and structured overview over the fundamental organizational factors which play a substantial role for the lean manufacturing (LM) implementation process. The study below focuses on internal factors which are indispensable for a successful LM implementation within organizations. It is imperative that these internal factors are known, recognized and taken into consideration during the whole LM implementation process. Ignoring their influence on the process's implementation may lead to endangering the expected results or to making the process more difficult which could result in much higher human resource consumption.

Ares Launch Vehicles Lean Practices Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Doreswamy, Rajiv; Self, Timothy A.

2007-01-01

The Ares launch vehicles team, managed by the Ares Projects Office (APO) at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, has completed the Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle System Requirements Review and System Definition Review and early design work for the Ares V Cargo Launch Vehicle. This paper provides examples of how Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen events, and Six Sigma practices are helping APO deliver a new space transportation capability on time and within budget, while still meeting stringent technical requirements. For example, Lean philosophies have been applied to numerous process definition efforts and existing process improvement activities, including the Ares I-X test flight Certificate of Flight Readiness (CoFR) process, risk management process, and review board organization and processes. Ares executives learned Lean practices firsthand, making the team "smart buyers" during proposal reviews and instilling the team with a sense of what is meant by "value-added" activities. Since the goal of the APO is to field launch vehicles at a reasonable cost and on an ambitious schedule, adopting Lean philosophies and practices will be crucial to the Ares Project's long-term SUCCESS.

The current state of Lean implementation in health care: literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

Poksinska, Bozena

2010-01-01

The purpose of this article is to discuss the current state of implementation of Lean production in health care. The study focuses on the definition of Lean in health care and implementation process, barriers, challenges, enablers, and outcomes of implementing Lean production methods in health care. A comprehensive search of the literature concerning the implementation of Lean production in health care was used to generate a synthesis of the literature around the chosen research questions. Lean production in health care is mostly used as a process improvement approach and focuses on 3 main areas: (1) defining value from the patient point of view, (2) mapping value streams, and (3) eliminating waste in an attempt to create continuous flow. Value stream mapping is the most frequently applied Lean tool in health care. The usual implementation steps include conducting Lean training, initiating pilot projects, and implementing improvements using interdisciplinary teams. One of the barriers is lack of educators and consultants who have their roots in the health care sector and can provide support by sharing experience and giving examples from real-life applications of Lean in health care. The enablers of Lean in health care seem not to be different from the enablers of any other change initiative. The outcomes can be divided into 2 broad areas: the performance of the health care system and the development of employees and work environment.

Leaning on lean: the reception of a management fashion in Germany

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Benders, J.G.J.M.; Bijsterveld, M.J.L. van

2000-01-01

The ‘fashionable’ concept of lean production has been discussed more intensively in Germany than elsewhere in Europe but has resulted not only in rationalisation measures such as downsizing and delayering but also in implementing ‘Gruppenarbeit’. Through interpretation processes at different levels,

The prevalence of chest compression leaning during in-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation

Science.gov (United States)

Fried, David A.; Leary, Marion; Smith, Douglas A.; Sutton, Robert M.; Niles, Dana; Herzberg, Daniel L.; Becker, Lance B.; Abella, Benjamin S.

2011-01-01

Objective Successful resuscitation from cardiac arrest requires the delivery of high-quality chest compressions, encompassing parameters such as adequate rate, depth, and full recoil between compressions. The lack of compression recoil (“leaning” or “incomplete recoil”) has been shown to adversely affect hemodynamics in experimental arrest models, but the prevalence of leaning during actual resuscitation is poorly understood. We hypothesized that leaning varies across resuscitation events, possibly due to rescuer and/or patient characteristics and may worsen over time from rescuer fatigue during continuous chest compressions. Methods This was an observational clinical cohort study at one academic medical center. Data were collected from adult in-hospital and Emergency Department arrest events using monitor/defibrillators that record chest compression characteristics and provide real-time feedback. Results We analyzed 112,569 chest compressions from 108 arrest episodes from 5/2007 to 2/2009. Leaning was present in 98/108 (91%) cases; 12% of all compressions exhibited leaning. Leaning varied widely across cases: 41/108 (38%) of arrest episodes exhibited 20% compression leaning. When evaluating blocks of continuous compressions (>120 sec), only 4/33 (12%) had an increase in leaning over time and 29/33 (88%) showed a decrease (presuscitation care and exhibited a wide distribution, with most leaning within a subset of resuscitations. Leaning decreased over time during continuous chest compression blocks, suggesting that either leaning may not be a function of rescuer fatiguing, or that it may have been mitigated by automated feedback provided during resuscitation episodes. PMID:21482010

Implementing Lean Manufacturing in Malaysian Small and Medium Startup Pharmaceutical Company

Science.gov (United States)

Ibrahim, Wan Mohd Khairi bin Wan; Rahman, Mohamed Abdul; Abu Bakar, Mohd Rushdi bin

2017-03-01

Domestic pharmaceutical industry has been identified by the Malaysian government as an industry to be developed under its 11th economic development plan. Most homegrown pharmaceutical companies fall under the category of small and medium enterprises (SME) and therefore need to be highly efficient in their operations to compete with the multinationals. Though lean manufacturing is a well-known methodology to achieve an efficient operation, only a small percentage of the local SMEs implement it. The study aims to determine the real success factors in lean implementation through systematic review of relevant literature on lean manufacturing implementation in local companies, onsite observation of a selected SME company, Global Factor Sdn. Bhd. (GFSB), that successfully implemented lean manufacturing followed by actual implementation of lean project at IKOP Sdn. Bhd., a small startup pharmaceutical company. Lean tools like Gemba, value stream map (VSM) and spaghetti diagram were used to analyze and improve a process at IKOP Sdn. Bhd. The literature review showed that the implementation of lean manufacturing at Malaysian SMEs involved in pharmaceutical industry is at its infancy. Study at GFSB indicated that successful implementation of lean manufacturing stems from management support, employee’s commitment, government support and knowledge on lean among employees. Application of lean tools in IKOP Sdn. Bhd. to improve the process cycle efficiency of hand sanitizer, i-Hand 4.0, has shown that the GMP guidelines are not jeopardized. The Kaizen improvement project resulted in 46.3% reduction in lead time. It may be concluded that implementing lean manufacturing in any small local startup pharmaceutical company is beneficial in reducing operational costs and increasing the efficiency and effectiveness and does not conflict with the existing GMP guidelines.

Using Lean Management to Reduce Emergency Department Length of Stay for Medicine Admissions.

Science.gov (United States)

Allaudeen, Nazima; Vashi, Anita; Breckenridge, Julia S; Haji-Sheikhi, Farnoosh; Wagner, Sarah; Posley, Keith A; Asch, Steven M

The practice of boarding admitted patients in the emergency department (ED) carries negative operational, clinical, and patient satisfaction consequences. Lean tools have been used to improve ED workflow. Interventions focused on reducing ED length of stay (LOS) for admitted patients are less explored. To evaluate a Lean-based initiative to reduce ED LOS for medicine admissions. Prospective quality improvement initiative performed at a single university-affiliated Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical center from February 2013 to February 2016. We performed a Lean-based multidisciplinary initiative beginning with a rapid process improvement workshop to evaluate current processes, identify root causes of delays, and develop countermeasures. Frontline staff developed standard work for each phase of the ED stay. Units developed a daily management system to reinforce, evaluate, and refine standard work. The primary outcome was the change in ED LOS for medicine admissions pre- and postintervention. ED LOS at the intervention site was compared with other similar VA facilities as controls over the same time period using a difference-in-differences approach. ED LOS for medicine admissions reduced 26.4%, from 8.7 to 6.4 hours. Difference-in-differences analysis showed that ED LOS for combined medicine and surgical admissions decreased from 6.7 to 6.0 hours (-0.7 hours, P = .003) at the intervention site compared with no change (5.6 hours, P = .2) at the control sites. We utilized Lean management to significantly reduce ED LOS for medicine admissions. Specifically, the development and management of standard work were key to sustaining these results.

Simulation-enhanced lean design process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jon H. Marvel

2009-07-01

Full Text Available 72 Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} A traditional lean transformation process does not validate the future state before implementation, relying instead on a series of iterations to modify the system until performance is satisfactory. An enhanced lean process that includes future state validation before implementation is presented.  Simulation modeling and experimentation is proposed as the primary validation tool.  Simulation modeling and experimentation extends value stream mapping to include time, the behavior of individual entities, structural variability, random variability, and component interaction effects. Experiments to analyze the model and draw conclusions about whether the lean transformation effectively addresses the current state gap can be conducted.  Industrial applications of the enhanced lean process show it effectiveness.

Lean Government Methods Guide

Science.gov (United States)

This Guide focuses primarily on Lean production, which is an organizational improvement philosophy and set of methods that originated in manufacturing but has been expanded to government and service sectors.

Deformation Study of Lean Methane-Air Premixed Spherically Expanding Flames under a Negative Direct Current Electric Field

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chao Li

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This paper compares numerical simulations with experiments to study the deformation of lean premixed spherically expanding flames under a negative direct current (DC electric field. The experiments, including the flame deformation and the ionic distribution on the flame surface were investigated in a mesh to mesh electric field. Besides, a numerical model of adding an electric body force to the positive ions on the flame surface was also established to perform a relevant simulation. Results show that the spherical flame will acquire an elliptical shape with a marked flame stretch in the horizontal direction and a slight inhibition in the vertical direction under a negative DC electric field. Meanwhile, a non-uniform ionic distribution on the flame surface was also detected by the Langmuir probe. The simulation results from the numerical model show good agreement with experimental data. According to the velocity field analysis in simulation, it was found the particular motion of positive ions and neutral molecules on the flame surface should be responsible for the special flame deformation. When a negative DC electric field was applied, the majority of positive ions and colliding neutral molecules will form an ionic flow along the flame surface by a superposition of the electric field force and the aerodynamic drag. The ionic flow was not uniform and mainly formed on the upper and lower sides, so it will lead to a non-uniform ionic distribution along the flame surface. What’s more, this ionic flow will also induce two vortexes both inside and outside of the flame surface due to viscosity effects. The external vortexes could produce an entraining effect on the premixed gas and take away the heat from the flame surface by forced convection, and then suppress the flame propagation in the vertical direction, while, the inner vortexes would scroll the burned zones and induce an inward flow at the horizontal center, which could be the reason for the

Simulation of operational processes in hospital emergency units as lean healthcare tool

OpenAIRE

Gomes, Andreia Macedo; Vieira, Pedro Senna; Reis, Augusto da Cunha

2017-01-01

Recently, the Lean philosophy is gaining importance due to a competitive environment, which increases the need to reduce costs. Lean practices and tools have been applied to manufacturing, services, supply chain, startups and, the next frontier is healthcare. Most lean techniques can be easily adapted to health organizations. Therefore, this paper intends to summarize Lean practices and tools that are already being applied in health organizations. Among the numerous techniques and lean tools ...

The Effects of Application of Lean Concept in Retail

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Radojko LUKIC

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Lean principles and techniques can be successfully applied in the retail sector. In the retail sector, lean approach improves operational flows. Lean retail encourages manufacturers to produce standard products in accordance with the created (placed orders from retailers pursuant to the demand of their consumers. Characteristics of the retail market are: strong competition, shorter product life cycle, longer product development time and high sensitivity of demand. In order to be more competitive and profitable today's retailers operate strategically oriented to lower prices and gain exemption from holding unnecessary stocks. Lean retail is an example of best practices of successful operational strategies which management need to accept - to maximize the operating efficiency of the retail process.

Instill Lean A3 Thinking into Healthcare IT Services

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jihong Zeng

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Healthcare information technology is a key enabler for care transformation to provide quality care at low cost and better population health.  Many healthcare organizations have established IT Program Management and adopted ITIL best practice to manage IT services. However, ITIL and traditional project management are heavily process oriented, and neither flexible nor effective enough for swift response to changing business demand. Lean methodologies are increasingly deployed by healthcare providers to improve workflow process management but only has limited use cases documented in healthcare IT service. This paper introduces the Lean A3 Thinking methodology and its value in identifying and eliminating wastes to provide agile and effective solutions in response to customer requests. We present a case study of applying Lean A3 Thinking to improve clinical informatics reporting service. The initial evaluation results are promising and indicate that both ITIL and Lean A3 Thinking focus on customer and service quality, complementing each other well. ITIL provides a framework for ITSM based on a set of best practice to manage IT services. Lean A3 Thinking specifies a set of framework and tools for improving quality of services and processes by eliminating wastes. Proper balance between Lean and ITIL principles for ITSM needs more research and further study.

A Simulation of Lean Manufacturing: The Lean Lemonade Tycoon 2

Science.gov (United States)

Ncube, Lisa B.

2010-01-01

This article discusses the functions and effectiveness of games and simulations in the learning processes, in particular as an experiential learning methodology. The application of the game Lemonade Tycoon in the development of lean manufacturing concepts is described. This article addresses the use of the game to teach the principles of lean…

Effect of selection for lean growth on gonadal development of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A primary objective of commercial pig production is lean meat yield in order to satisfy consumer needs. The majority of the commercial pig breeds in South Africa have been selected for high lean growth potential and reduced backfat thickness. There are indications that selection for high lean meat yield may affect the ...

Developing A Strategy to Enact Lean

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicola Morrey

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This paper explains the strategy employed by a case study company to implement lean across the business, and to reflect on the success of this approach so other companies may consider this learning and how it might be useful to them. The strategy to enact lean in the case study company was based on creating a number of standard tools/ways of working. These tools can be considered to be standardised work for key aspects of the construction process that the company undertakes. The aim of the tools was to ensure that critical tasks would be carried out to the correct standard (quality, time, cost, health and safety every time, across the business. Achievement of this is expected to lead to improved performance and elimination of variation (waste. To implement this strategy of using standardised work to eliminate variation and lead to improved performance, a step-by-step process was developed to create the tools/standardised work. The paper describes the process that was undertaken and how it aimed to not only produce a number of tools/standardised work, but also to involve people and managers from across the business such that lean philosophy and thinking might also begin to become embedded. The paper will firstly explain, with reference to the relevant literature, how and why the strategy to implement standardised work was chosen, the process that was defined to develop the standardised work, and what happened when that process was put into practice. The findings of the paper show that whilst the completed tools delivered business benefits, the development of the tools did not follow the planned process. The paper discusses how people within the business responded to this strategy and how the process had to be continuously adapted to cope with the current business environment and path dependencies, further evidencing that lean implementations need to be tailored to suit the needs of the individual firm, rather than there being a one size fits all

Design thinking & lean

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bravos, Cynthia; Adler, Isabel K.

2015-01-01

This paper aims at presenting how a Brazilian innovation consultancy guided a collaborative development of a mobile solution using the Design Thinking approach (Vianna et al, 2012) and Lean principles (Ries, 2011). It will describe tools and methods used and how it was applied to requirement gath...

Functional network analysis of obese and lean Göttingen minipigs elucidates changes in oxidative and inflammatory networks in obese pigs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boonen, Harrie C. M.; Moesgaard, Sophia G.; Birck, Malene M.

2014-01-01

animals mainly for known physical traits. On the other hand, functional network analysis revealed new co-segregations, particularly in the domain of inflammatory and oxidative stress markers in the obese animals that were not present in the lean. Functional networks of lean or obese minipigs could......The Göttingen minipig model of obesity is used in pre-clinical research to predict clinical outcome of new treatments for metabolic diseases. However, treatment effects often remain unnoticed when using single parameter statistical comparisons due to the small numbers of animals giving rise...... to large variation and insufficient statistical power. The purpose of this study was to perform a correlation matrix analysis of multiple multi-scale parameters describing co-segregation of traits in order to identify differences between lean and obese minipigs. More than 40 parameters, ranging from...

One-step reduced kinetics for lean hydrogen-air deflagration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fernandez-Galisteo, D.; Sanchez, A.L. [Area de Mecanica de Fluidos, Univ. Carlos III de Madrid, Leganes 28911 (Spain); Linan, A. [ETSI Aeronauticos, Pl. Cardenal Cisneros 3, Madrid 28040 (Spain); Williams, F.A. [Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0411 (United States)

2009-05-15

A short mechanism consisting of seven elementary reactions, of which only three are reversible, is shown to provide good predictions of hydrogen-air lean-flame burning velocities. This mechanism is further simplified by noting that over a range of conditions of practical interest, near the lean flammability limit all reaction intermediaries have small concentrations in the important thin reaction zone that controls the hydrogen-air laminar burning velocity and therefore follow a steady state approximation, while the main species react according to the global irreversible reaction 2H{sub 2} + O{sub 2} {yields} 2H{sub 2}O. An explicit expression for the non-Arrhenius rate of this one-step overall reaction for hydrogen oxidation is derived from the seven-step detailed mechanism, for application near the flammability limit. The one-step results are used to calculate flammability limits and burning velocities of planar deflagrations. Furthermore, implications concerning radical profiles in the deflagration and reasons for the success of the approximations are clarified. It is also demonstrated that adding only two irreversible direct recombination steps to the seven-step mechanism accurately reproduces burning velocities of the full detailed mechanism for all equivalence ratios at normal atmospheric conditions and that an eight-step detailed mechanism, constructed from the seven-step mechanism by adding to it the fourth reversible shuffle reaction, improves predictions of O and OH profiles. The new reduced-chemistry descriptions can be useful for both analytical and computational studies of lean hydrogen-air flames, decreasing required computation times. (author)

Industry 4.0 implies lean manufacturing: research activities in industry 4.0 function as enablers for lean manufacturing

OpenAIRE

Sanders, Adam; Elangeswaran, Chola; Wulfsberg, Jens

2016-01-01

Purpose: Lean Manufacturing is widely regarded as a potential methodology to improve productivity and decrease costs in manufacturing organisations. The success of lean manufacturing demands consistent and conscious efforts from the organisation, and has to overcome several hindrances. Industry 4.0 makes a factory smart by applying advanced information and communication systems and future-oriented technologies. This paper analyses the incompletely perceived link between Industr...

Implementing lean office: a successful case in public sector

OpenAIRE

Monteiro, Mónica F. J. R.; Pacheco, Claudia C. L.; Dinis-Carvalho, José; Paiva, Francisco C.

2015-01-01

Applying lean approaches in office areas can lead to performance improvements and other benefits as achieved in traditional manufacturing environments. The intangibility of office operations may appear as a major difficulty for lean implementations but in fact the benefits achievable are as important as the ones achieved in manufacturing environments. This paper reports a successful case of lean office implementation in a public sector organization giving emphasis to its major performance imp...

Lean and Efficient Software: Whole-Program Optimization of Executables

Science.gov (United States)

2015-09-30

Lean and Efficient Software: Whole-Program Optimization of Executables” Project Summary Report #5 (Report Period: 7/1/2015 to 9/30/2015...TYPE 3. DATES COVERED 00-00-2015 to 00-00-2015 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Lean and Efficient Software: Whole-Program Optimization of Executables 5a...unclassified c. THIS PAGE unclassified Standard Form 298 (Rev. 8-98) Prescribed by ANSI Std Z39-18 Lean and Efficient Software: Whole-Program

In vivo and in vitro studies of hepatic lipid metabolism in lean and reobese fetal pigs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hausman, G.J.; Trusty, C.D.; Martin, R.J.

1986-01-01

Fetuses were removed from pregnant (110 days of gestation) sows and 80 to 120 mg liver slices were prepared for two hour incubations with 14 C-palmitate (1 μCi/ml) or 3 H 2 O (1 mCi/ml). In vivo studies were conducted by injecting a single bolus of 0.5 or 10 ml of Liposyn (a 10% safflower oil emulsion) into fetuses (umbilical vein). One hour post injection (Liposyn) fetuses were removed from the uterus. Subsequently liver lipids were extracted and gas chromatographic analysis for 16:0, 18:0, 18:1, 18:2 and 20:4 were performed. Incorporation of C 14 -palmitate into total lipids was higher in lean livers whereas incorporation into CO 2 was independent of fetal strain. Incorporation of 3 H 2 O into triglyceride fatty acids was similar in lean and obese livers. Fatty acid composition of livers indicated strain differences (obese versus lean for 16:0 = 52 vs 27.8%; 18:0 = 20 vs 16.8%; 18:1 = 16.3 vs 32.6%; 20:4 = 8.8 vs 17.6%). There was a similar Liposyn dose dependent increase in the amount of 18:2 in chromatographs of lean (n = 7) and obese (n = 7) livers. Administration of Liposyn caused a significant increase in the amount of 18:1 and 20:4 in lean livers (least squares means +/- SEM, 0 vs 0.5 ml for 20:4 = .31 +/- .03 vs .48 +/- .04) but no increase in preobese livers. These studies illustrate significant alterations in hepatic lipid metabolism in the preobese state

Comparison of problem solving tools in lean organizations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iuga Maria Virginia

2017-01-01

Full Text Available As global market competition is getting fiercer, and companies are looking at ways to stay on top, more and more organizations are looking at Lean Manufacturing and lean tools to support them in achieving their goals. Especially within the automotive industry, lean practices are very well received. The speed at which the automotive industry is evolving, especially but not only, in countries like Romania, leads to the need to carefully analyze lean manufacturing concepts, examine them against local production conditions, and to develop and standardize them. One of the most important things to take into consideration here is the application of an adequate problem solving technique to avoid waste. The objective of this research paper lies in analyzing and comparing the problem-solving methods recommended by the Toyota Production System, and to propose their appropriate application at shop floor, in relation to the specific problem type.

Acceptance of lean redesigns in primary care: A contextual analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Hung, Dorothy; Gray, Caroline; Martinez, Meghan; Schmittdiel, Julie; Harrison, Michael I

Lean is a leading change strategy used in health care to achieve short-term efficiency and quality improvement while promising longer-term system transformation. Most research examines Lean intervention to address isolated problems, rather than to achieve broader systemic changes to care delivery. Moreover, no studies examine contextual influences on system-wide Lean implementation efforts in primary care. The aim of this study was to identify contextual factors most critical to implementing and scaling Lean redesigns across all primary care clinics in a large, ambulatory care delivery system. Over 100 interviews and focus groups were conducted with frontline physicians, clinical staff, and operational leaders. Data analysis was guided by a modified Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), a popular implementation science framework. On the basis of expert recommendations, the modified framework targets factors influencing the implementation of process redesigns. This modified framework, the CFIR-PR, informed our identification of contextual factors that most impacted Lean acceptance among frontline physicians and staff. Several domains identified by the CFIR-PR were critical to acceptance of Lean redesigns. Regarding the implementation process acceptance was influenced by time and intensity of exposure to changes, "top-down" versus "bottom-up" implementation styles, and degrees of employee engagement in developing new workflows. Important factors in the inner setting were the clinic's culture and style of leadership, along with availability of information about Lean's effectiveness. Last, implementation efforts were impacted by individual and team characteristics regarding changed work roles and related issues of professional identity, authority, and autonomy. This study underscores the need for change leaders to consider the contextual factors that surround efforts to implement Lean in primary care. As Lean redesigns are scaled across a system

A Lean Six Sigma approach to the improvement of the selenium analysis method.

Science.gov (United States)

Cloete, Bronwyn C; Bester, André

2012-11-02

Reliable results represent the pinnacle assessment of quality of an analytical laboratory, and therefore variability is considered to be a critical quality problem associated with the selenium analysis method executed at Western Cape Provincial Veterinary Laboratory (WCPVL). The elimination and control of variability is undoubtedly of significant importance because of the narrow margin of safety between toxic and deficient doses of the trace element for good animal health. A quality methodology known as Lean Six Sigma was believed to present the most feasible solution for overcoming the adverse effect of variation, through steps towards analytical process improvement. Lean Six Sigma represents a form of scientific method type, which is empirical, inductive and deductive, and systematic, which relies on data, and is fact-based. The Lean Six Sigma methodology comprises five macro-phases, namely Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control (DMAIC). Both qualitative and quantitative laboratory data were collected in terms of these phases. Qualitative data were collected by using quality-tools, namely an Ishikawa diagram, a Pareto chart, Kaizen analysis and a Failure Mode Effect analysis tool. Quantitative laboratory data, based on the analytical chemistry test method, were collected through a controlled experiment. The controlled experiment entailed 13 replicated runs of the selenium test method, whereby 11 samples were repetitively analysed, whilst Certified Reference Material (CRM) was also included in 6 of the runs. Laboratory results obtained from the controlled experiment was analysed by using statistical methods, commonly associated with quality validation of chemistry procedures. Analysis of both sets of data yielded an improved selenium analysis method, believed to provide greater reliability of results, in addition to a greatly reduced cycle time and superior control features. Lean Six Sigma may therefore be regarded as a valuable tool in any laboratory, and

A Lean Six Sigma approach to the improvement of the selenium analysis method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bronwyn C. Cloete

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Reliable results represent the pinnacle assessment of quality of an analytical laboratory, and therefore variability is considered to be a critical quality problem associated with the selenium analysis method executed at Western Cape Provincial Veterinary Laboratory (WCPVL. The elimination and control of variability is undoubtedly of significant importance because of the narrow margin of safety between toxic and deficient doses of the trace element for good animal health. A quality methodology known as Lean Six Sigma was believed to present the most feasible solution for overcoming the adverse effect of variation, through steps towards analytical process improvement. Lean Six Sigma represents a form of scientific method type, which is empirical, inductive and deductive, and systematic, which relies on data, and is fact-based. The Lean Six Sigma methodology comprises five macro-phases, namely Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control (DMAIC. Both qualitative and quantitative laboratory data were collected in terms of these phases. Qualitative data were collected by using quality-tools, namely an Ishikawa diagram, a Pareto chart, Kaizen analysis and a Failure Mode Effect analysis tool. Quantitative laboratory data, based on the analytical chemistry test method, were collected through a controlled experiment. The controlled experiment entailed 13 replicated runs of the selenium test method, whereby 11 samples were repetitively analysed, whilst Certified Reference Material (CRM was also included in 6 of the runs. Laboratory results obtained from the controlled experiment was analysed by using statistical methods, commonly associated with quality validation of chemistry procedures. Analysis of both sets of data yielded an improved selenium analysis method, believed to provide greater reliability of results, in addition to a greatly reduced cycle time and superior control features. Lean Six Sigma may therefore be regarded as a valuable tool in any

A Lean Six Sigma approach to the improvement of the selenium analysis method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bronwyn C. Cloete

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Reliable results represent the pinnacle assessment of quality of an analytical laboratory, and therefore variability is considered to be a critical quality problem associated with the selenium analysis method executed at Western Cape Provincial Veterinary Laboratory (WCPVL. The elimination and control of variability is undoubtedly of significant importance because of the narrow margin of safety between toxic and deficient doses of the trace element for good animal health. A quality methodology known as Lean Six Sigma was believed to present the most feasible solution for overcoming the adverse effect of variation, through steps towards analytical process improvement. Lean Six Sigma represents a form of scientific method type, which is empirical, inductive and deductive, and systematic, which relies on data, and is fact-based. The Lean Six Sigma methodology comprises five macro-phases, namely Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control (DMAIC. Both qualitative and quantitative laboratory data were collected in terms of these phases. Qualitative data were collected by using quality-tools, namely an Ishikawa diagram, a Pareto chart, Kaizen analysis and a Failure Mode Effect analysis tool. Quantitative laboratory data, based on the analytical chemistry test method, were collected through a controlled experiment. The controlled experiment entailed 13 replicated runs of the selenium test method, whereby 11 samples were repetitively analysed, whilst Certified Reference Material (CRM was also included in 6 of the runs. Laboratory results obtained from the controlled experiment was analysed by using statistical methods, commonly associated with quality validation of chemistry procedures. Analysis of both sets of data yielded an improved selenium analysis method, believed to provide greater reliability of results, in addition to a greatly reduced cycle time and superior control features. Lean Six Sigma may therefore be regarded as a valuable tool in any

PRIORITISING LEAN CONSTRUCTION BARRIERS IN UGANDA'S CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Henry Mwanaki Alinaitwe

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Engaging in lean construction efforts could prove to be highly rewarding for building firms in Uganda. However, lean construction is risky and can be disastrous if not properly managed. Lean production efforts in some other countries have not been successful due to the many barriers to its successful implementation. To enable sound lean construction efforts and to increase the chances of success in eliminating waste, a thorough investigation of the barriers is essential. This study presents 31 barriers and investigates their influence (strength on the success of lean construction initiatives. Structured interviews were carried out with technical managers of building firms to assess their perception of the barriers to lean production based on their experience at their firms. The strongest barrier is the provision of inputs exactly when required. Additionally, the barriers were ranked according to the ease of overcoming each. The easiest barrier to overcome is keeping the required items in the right place. Finally, a graphical aid is provided to enable decision makers to concentrate their efforts on the influential (strong, yet easy to overcome barriers. A lack of buildable designs and a participative management style for the workforce are the most important barriers to successful waste reduction in terms of strength and ease of overcoming. On the other hand, a lack of an organisational culture that supports teamwork, a lack of prefabrication and a lack of knowledgeable and skilled workers are regarded as low in strength, and at the same time difficult to overcome.

The roles of communication process for an effective lean manufacturing implementation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Perumal Puvanasvaran

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Many companies are implementing lean manufacturing concept in order to remain competitive and sustainable, however, not many of them are successful in the process due to various reasons. Communication is an important aspect of lean process in order to successfully implement lean manufacturing.  This paper determines the roles of communication process in ensuring a successful implementation of leanness in manufacturing companies. All the information of lean manufacturing practices and roles of communication in the implementation were compiled from related journals, books and websites. A study was conducted in an aerospace manufacturing in Malaysia. A five-point scale questionnaire is used as the study instrument. These questionnaires were distributed to 45 employees working in a kitting department and to 8 top management people. The results indicate that the degree of leanness were moderate.

Directions for nuclear research in the transplutonium elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilhelmy, J.B.; Chasman, R.R.; Friedman, A.M.; Ahmad, I.

1983-01-01

The study of the heavy nuclides has played a vital role in our understanding of the alpha decay process, nuclear fission, nuclear binding energies and the limits of nuclear stability. This study has led to the understanding of novel shape degrees of freedom, such as the very large quadrupole deformations associated with the fission isomer process, and the very recently discovered octupole deformation. The existence of these unique phenomena in the heavy element region is not accidental. Fission isomerism is due to the delicate balance between nuclear forces holding the nucleus together and Coulomb forces causing nuclear fission. Octupole deformation arises from the increasing strength of matrix elements with increasing oscillator shell. Both illustrate the unique features of the heavy element region. Fission studies have given us information about large collective aspects in nuclei and the importance that nuclear structural effects can play in altering these macro properties. A new class of atomic studies has become possible with the availability of heavy elements. With these isotopes, we are now able to produce electric fields of such magnitude that it becomes possible to spontaneously create positron-electron pairs in the vacuum. We have organized this presentation into three major sections: nuclear structure, fission studies and atomic studies of supercritical systems. In each we will try to emphasize the new directions which can benefit from the continued availability of isotopes supplied by the Trans-plutonium Production Program. 117 references

Using adapted budget cost variance techniques to measure the impact of Lean – based on empirical findings in Lean case studies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristensen, Thomas Borup

2015-01-01

Lean is dominating management philosophy, but the management accounting techniques that best supports this is still not fully understood. Especially how Lean fits traditional budget variance analysis, which is a main theme of every management accounting textbook. I have studied three Scandinavian...

AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON EMPLOYEE’S PERCEPTION TOWARDS LEAN MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS

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Rajesh Kumar MEHTA

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Lean deals with generating more value for customers by eliminating factors that are merely considered waste. Lean Manufacturing is a systematic approach to identifying and eliminating waste through continuous improvement. Lean Manufacturing uses less of everything and attains its set objectives by excellent teamwork, communication, and competent use of available resources & continuous Improvement. The present paper is an attempt to study employee’s perception towards lean manufacturing systems in gear industry.

Lean and the Learning Organization in Higher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Francis, David E.

2014-01-01

Canadian post-secondary institutions are seeking enhanced efficiencies due to ongoing funding shortfalls and expanding teaching, research, and service mandates. These institutions have considered or enacted Lean methodology based on results reported by public service and healthcare organizations worldwide. Lean requires a high level of…

Theories of lean management: an empirical evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Handel, Michael J

2014-03-01

Debates within organization theory traditionally argued the relative merits of bureaucracy but today there is broad agreement across different perspectives that bureaucratic organization is inefficient and outmoded. Despite their differences, post-bureaucratic and neo-liberal theories argue that organizations with relatively flat hierarchies and low management overhead are better adapted to current market requirements. Post-bureaucratic theory also argues that employees, as well as firms, benefit from leaner management structures. This paper investigates trends in managerial leanness, proposed explanations for such trends, and the consequences of leanness for firms and employees. Although there is a trend toward flatter management hierarchies, there is only weak support for current claims regarding both the causes and consequences of lean management. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effects of a lean transition on process times, patients and employees.

Science.gov (United States)

Simons, Pascale; Backes, Huub; Bergs, Jochen; Emans, Davy; Johannesma, Madelon; Jacobs, Maria; Marneffe, Wim; Vandijck, Dominique

2017-03-13

Purpose Treatment delays must be avoided, especially in oncology, to assure sustainable high-quality health care and increase the odds of survival. The purpose of this paper is to hypothesize that waiting times would decrease and patients and employees would benefit, when specific lean interventions are incorporated in an organizational improvement approach. Design/methodology/approach In 2013, 15 lean interventions were initiated to improve flow in a single radiotherapy institute. Process/waiting times, patient satisfaction, safety, employee satisfaction, and absenteeism were evaluated using a mixed methods methodology (2010-2014). Data from databases, surveys, and interviews were analyzed by time series analysis, χ 2 , multi-level regression, and t-tests. Findings Median waiting/process times improved from 20.2 days in 2012 to 16.3 days in 2014 ( pReported safety incidents decreased 47 percent from 2009 to 2014, whereas safety culture, awareness, and intention to solve problems improved. Employee satisfaction improved slightly, and absenteeism decreased from 4.6 (2010) to 2.7 percent (2014; psustainability.

The lean product design and development journey a practical view

CERN Document Server

Pessôa, Marcus Vinicius Pereira

2017-01-01

This book presents a series of high performance product design (PD) and development best practices that can create or improve product development organization. In contrast to other books that focus only on Toyota or other individual companies applying lean IPD, this book explains the lean philosophy more broadly and includes discussions of systems engineering, design for X (DFX), agile development, integrated product development, and project management. The “Lean Journey” proposed here takes a value-centric approach, where the lean principles are applied to PD to allow the tools and methods selected to emerge from observation of the individual characteristics of each enterprise. This means that understanding lean product development (LPD) is not about knowing which tools are available but knowing how to apply the philosophy. The book comes with an accompanying manual with problems and solutions available on Springer Extras.

Lean Enterprise Value Phase

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Shields, John T

2005-01-01

... using a philosophy called "lean." LAl's mission is to research, develop, and promulgate practices, tools, and knowledge that enable and accelerate the envisioned transformation of the greater US aerospace enterprise through people and processes...

Activity Behaviours in Lean and Morbidly Obese Pregnant Women.

Science.gov (United States)

Fazzi, Caterina; Mohd-Shukri, Nor; Denison, Fiona C; Saunders, David H; Norman, Jane E; Reynolds, Rebecca M

2018-05-17

Interventions to increase physical activity in pregnancy are challenging for morbidly obese women. Targeting sedentary behaviours may be a suitable alternative to increase energy expenditure. We aimed to determine total energy expenditure, and energy expended in sedentary activities in morbidly obese and lean pregnant women. We administered the Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire PPAQ (non-objective) and the Actical accelerometer (objective) to morbidly obese (BMI≥40kg/m²) and lean (BMI≤25Kg/M²) pregnant women recruited in early (lean pregnant women. No differences were observed in the proportion of energy expended sedentary between lean and morbidly obese pregnant women. The greater total energy expenditure in morbidly obese pregnant women was corroborated by Actical accelerometer in early (n=14 per group, obese 1167.7 (313.6) Kcal; lean 781.1 (210.1) Kcal, plean 893.7 (175.9) Kcal, plean pregnant. Further studies are needed to determine whether sedentary behaviours are a suitable target for intervention in morbidly obese pregnancy. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Green and lean management

CERN Document Server

Davim, J

2017-01-01

This book focusses on the challenges and changes organizational management faces in an era when the need to develop environmentally aware processes meets high levels of competition. It covers the synergetic effects, how re-use, recycling, waste reduction, and other sustainable production strategies can add value, low costs and time of production. Sustainable business behavior is not only an environmental perspective on management, but more and more contains an organizational perspective. Taking into account these issues, green and lean management appears as the way managers can drive their employees to continuously improve the management processes that add value to the organization and costumers. This book provides information on principles, strategies, models, and applications of green and lean management, and at the same time communicates the latest research activity relating to this scientific field world-wide.

Successful Paths to Becoming a Lean Organization in the Construction Industry

OpenAIRE

Warcup, Robert D.

2015-01-01

Lean construction is considered a valuable solution for the declining productivity of the construction industry. This study seeks to answer the general research question: What does it take to become lean? The research explored the possible paths to becoming lean by examining the journeys of three successful lean construction firms in the U.S. The results are intended to assist other construction firms with their own transformations. This study is especially useful to executives and management...

LEAN LABORATORY APPROACHES FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE IN FOOD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laxmana Naik

2011-09-01

Full Text Available A lean laboratory is one which is focused on testing products and materials to deliver results in the most efficient way in terms of cost or speed or both; primarily focused on improving measurable performance and reducing costs. The goal of a lean laboratory is to use less effort, less resources and less time to test incoming samples. Laboratories have a critical role to play in establishing and improving process capability and key performance indicator (KPI of the organization. There are inevitably many opinions as to what a lean lab actually is; here is one version fr om. Quality assurance laboratories are crucial to the success of organization and this effectiveness needs to be measurable and demonstrable. To facilitate this, a method of measuring a laboratory's progress towards complete deployment has been created by lean tools. These tools allow laboratories to conduct gap analysis and identify opportunities for improvement.

Lean management in the current context of evolution of an organization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

AMALIA VENERA TODORUŢ

2011-06-01

Full Text Available In this paper I have approached issues concerning the importance of Lean Management method in the current context of evolution of an organization. With roots in the just in time method, Lean Management model focuses on the process of changes evolving and adapting to them and regards issues such as: the dimensioning of life cycle, the dimensioning of processes, the dimensioning of ranges of products. I have also presented the relationship between Lean Management method and the human factor as a determinant in forming an organizational culture which leads to the formation and development of Lean thinking. Relevant factors which determine the change and interact with the Lean Management method are: training, motivation, teamwork spirit, communication methods, training and motivation. An important aspect of this paper is to integrate Lean Management with Six Sigma, and with other managerial techniques leading to getting quality products at low costs

Application of the lean concept as a prerequisite for a tourist business development

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Madgerova Raya Hristova

2016-12-01

Full Text Available A key issue in the globalized market is the demand of a new approach, providing the tourism businesses a sustained market presence. This means increasing competitiveness and making management decisions in this direction. One of the methods to solve this problem is to apply the Lean concept whereby the entrepreneurial efforts are focused on value – in terms of costs and in terms of the ability of the product to satisfy customer needs. The aim of the article is to bring opportunities for competitive development of tourism by applying the Lean approach. The study is based on concrete statistical data and results of a survey of managers and business owners in the sector of tourism. The following research methods are applied: analysis and synthesis, a poll survey and statistical methods.

Illusion or delusion--Lean management in the health sector.

Science.gov (United States)

McIntosh, Bryan; Sheppy, Bruce; Cohen, Ivan

2014-01-01

There has been considerable interest in the implementation of practices imported from manufacturing into healthcare as a solution to rising healthcare spending and disappointing patient safety indicators. One approach that has attracted particular interest is Lean management and the purpose of this paper is to engage with this topic. Secondary research. Despite widespread enthusiasm about the potential of Lean management processes, evidence about its contribution to higher organisational performance remains inconsistent. This paper engages with the major Lean concepts of operations management and human resource management, including just-in-time, total quality management, total productive maintenance and does not engage in-depth with concepts related to employee empowerment, and training This paper contributes to the organisational management literature in healthcare by showing that although Lean management seems to have the potential to improve organisational performance it is far from a panacea against under performing hospitals. It informs policy making by suggesting that a progressive managerial philosophy has a stronger impact on healthcare performance than the adoption of practices from any particular managerial approach. This paper provides a critical evaluation of the impact of Lean practices in informing healthcare policy. The paper contributes to the organisational management literature in healthcare by showing that even though Lean management in healthcare appears to have the potential to improve organisational performance; there remain problems with its application.

Pollutant Formation during the Occurrence of Flame Instabilities under Very-Lean Combustion Conditions in a Liquid-Fuel Burner

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Grazia De Giorgi

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Recent advances in gas turbine combustor design are aimed at achieving low exhaust emissions, hence modern aircraft jet engines are designed with lean-burn combustion systems. In the present work, we report an experimental study on lean combustion in a liquid fuel burner, operated under a non-premixed (single point injection regime that mimics the combustion in a modern aircraft engine. The flame behavior was investigated in proximity of the blow-out limit by an intensified high rate Charge-Coupled Device (CCD camera equipped with different optical filters to selectively record single species chemiluminescence emissions (e.g., OH*, CH*. Analogous filters were also used in combination with photomultiplier (PMT tubes. Furthermore this work investigates well-mixed lean low NOx combustion where mixing is good and generation of solid carbon particulate emissions should be very low. An analysis of pollutants such as fine particles and gaseous emissions was also performed. Particle number concentrations and size distributions were measured at the exhaust of the combustion chamber by two different particle size measuring instruments: a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS and an Electrical Low Pressure Impactor (ELPI. NOx concentration measurements were performed by using a cross-flow modulation chemiluminescence detection system; CO concentration emissions were acquired with a Cross-flow modulation Non-dispersive infrared (NDIR absorption method. All the measurements were completed by diagnostics of the fundamental combustor parameters. The results herein presented show that at very-lean conditions the emissions of both particulate matter and CO was found to increase most likely due to the occurrence of flame instabilities while the NOx were observed to reduce.

Yalın düşünce ve Muhasebe (Lean Thinking and Accounting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Baki Rıza BALCI

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this article is to introduce the relationship between Lean Thinking and Accounting. It is explained in detail the kinds of reports generated when Lean Thinking implemented in accounting.It is identified that accounting, which could not keep pace with Lean Transformation and remain traditional, shares the failures of companies, who went Lean. This article emphasize that the companies that want to transform themselves into Lean, have to generate proper reports that suit Lean transformation. The types of reports are explained.Literature was scanned and some sample reports are submitted to the Turkish companies that want to go Lean and successful in their Lean efforts.

Lean tool used in the automotive industry

OpenAIRE

Manuela Ingaldi; Marta Jagusiak-Kocik

2014-01-01

In the paper basic concepts of Lean Manufacturing were presented. A company specializing in the development of vehicle dynamics, driver assistance systems, brake systems, seat belt sand electronics technology was characterized. The company is engaged in designing and manufacturing world-class products for the automotive market. The Lean tools used in the production hall, such as Yamazumi chart, machine motion analysis, MTM method and timing, were presented.

Lean på sygehuset - del I: Introduktion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Laursen, Martin Lindgaard; Gertsen, Frank

2009-01-01

Dette workpaper introducerer et forskningsprojekt baseret på case studier af Lean principper anvendt på et sygehus. Operationelle udfordringer i sygehusets arbejdsgange illustreres gennem et observeret patientforløb. Disse udfordringer, et oprids af sygehusenes vilkår, og gennemgang af tidligere...... tiltag omkring forbedringer på sygehusene leder frem til projektets problemstilling og tilgang i form af afprøvning af Lean principper....

Chemical structures and theoretical models of lean premixed ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

To better understand the chemistry involved in the lean-fuel combustion, the chemical structure of lean premixed propene-oxygen-nitrogen flames stabilized on a flat-flame burner at atmospheric pressure was determined experimentally. The species mole fraction profiles were also computed by the Premix code and three ...

Lean duplex stainless steels-The role of molybdenum in pitting corrosion of concrete reinforcement studied with industrial and laboratory castings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mesquita, T.J. [LEPMI, UMR5279CNRS, Grenoble INP, Universite de Savoie, Universite Joseph Fourier, BP 75, 38402 St Martin d' Heres (France); CRU Ugitech, Av Paul Girod 73400 Ugine (France); Chauveau, E.; Mantel, M. [CRU Ugitech, Av Paul Girod 73400 Ugine (France); Kinsman, N. [International Molybdenum Association, IMOA W4 4JE London (United Kingdom); Roche, V. [LEPMI, UMR5279CNRS, Grenoble INP, Universite de Savoie, Universite Joseph Fourier, BP 75, 38402 St Martin d' Heres (France); Nogueira, R.P., E-mail: ricardo.nogueira@grenoble-inp.fr [LEPMI, UMR5279CNRS, Grenoble INP, Universite de Savoie, Universite Joseph Fourier, BP 75, 38402 St Martin d' Heres (France)

2012-02-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Mo influence on corrosion of DSS was studied with industrial and laboratory heats. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Beneficial effect of Mo was associated with ferrite corrosion resistance. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Mo-species in the alkaline solution did not improve pit resistance. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Mo role in DSS under alkaline conditions was ascribed to its presence in oxide film. - Abstract: The influence of Mo addition on pitting corrosion resistance of lean duplex stainless steels is not clearly understood in alkaline chloride conditions even if this element is widely recognized to increase corrosion resistance in acidic and neutral environments. This work aims to study the effect of Mo on pitting corrosion of lean duplex stainless steels in synthetic concrete pore solutions simulating degraded concrete. Results are discussed with respect to the influence of Mo on pitting potential for two industrial alloys in chloride rich and carbonated solution simulating concrete pore environments. To establish the real effect of Mo addition on lean duplex corrosion and passivation properties, two specific laboratory lean duplex alloys, for which the only difference is strictly the Mo content, are also studied. Mo presented a strong positive influence on the pitting corrosion resistance of industrial and laboratory lean duplex stainless steels in all studied chloride-rich solutions, but its effect is as less pronounced as the pH increases. In presence of Mo, pitting initiates and propagates preferentially in the austenitic phase at high temperature.

Collateral fattening: When a deficit in lean body mass drives overeating.

Science.gov (United States)

Dulloo, Abdul G

2017-02-01

In his last review entitled "Some Adventures in Body Composition," Gilbert Forbes reminded us that "lean body mass and body fat are in a sense companions." To what extent the lean body mass (or fat-free mass) component in this companionship impacts on energy intake is rarely a topic for discussion, amid a dominant adipocentric view of appetite control. Yet an analysis of the few human studies that have investigated the relationships between objectively measured food intake and body composition reveals a potentially important role for both an increase and a decrease in fat-free mass in the drive to eat. These studies are highlighted here, together with the implications of their findings for research directed as much toward the elucidation of peripheral signals and energy-sensing mechanisms that drive hunger and appetite, as toward understanding the mechanisms by which dieting and sedentariness predispose to fatness. © 2017 The Authors. Obesity published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Obesity Society (TOS).

Value assignment and uncertainty evaluation for single-element reference solutions

Science.gov (United States)

Possolo, Antonio; Bodnar, Olha; Butler, Therese A.; Molloy, John L.; Winchester, Michael R.

2018-06-01

A Bayesian statistical procedure is proposed for value assignment and uncertainty evaluation for the mass fraction of the elemental analytes in single-element solutions distributed as NIST standard reference materials. The principal novelty that we describe is the use of information about relative differences observed historically between the measured values obtained via gravimetry and via high-performance inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry, to quantify the uncertainty component attributable to between-method differences. This information is encapsulated in a prior probability distribution for the between-method uncertainty component, and it is then used, together with the information provided by current measurement data, to produce a probability distribution for the value of the measurand from which an estimate and evaluation of uncertainty are extracted using established statistical procedures.

Shape Optimization of the Assisted Bi-directional Glenn surgery for stage-1 single ventricle palliation

Science.gov (United States)

Verma, Aekaansh; Shang, Jessica; Esmaily-Moghadam, Mahdi; Wong, Kwai; Marsden, Alison

2016-11-01

Babies born with a single functional ventricle typically undergo three open-heart surgeries starting as neonates. The first of these stages (BT shunt or Norwood) has the highest mortality rates of the three, approaching 30%. Proceeding directly to a stage-2 Glenn surgery has historically demonstrated inadequate pulmonary flow (PF) & high mortality. Recently, the Assisted Bi-directional Glenn (ABG) was proposed as a promising means to achieve a stable physiology by assisting the PF via an 'ejector pump' from the systemic circulation. We present preliminary parametrization and optimization results for the ABG geometry, with the goal of increasing PF. To limit excessive pressure increases in the Superior Vena Cava (SVC), the SVC pressure is included as a constraint. We use 3-D finite element flow simulations coupled with a single ventricle lumped parameter network to evaluate PF & the pressure constraint. We employ a derivative free optimization method- the Surrogate Management Framework, in conjunction with the OpenDIEL framework to simulate multiple simultaneous evaluations. Results show that nozzle diameter is the most important design parameter affecting ABG performance. The application of these results to patient specific situations will be discussed. This work was supported by an NSF CAREER award (OCI1150184) and by the XSEDE National Computing Resource.

Effect of Lewis number on ball-like lean limit flames

KAUST Repository

Zhou, Zhen

2017-10-13

The lean limit flames for three different fuel compositions premixed with air, representing three different mixture Lewis numbers, stabilized inside a tube in a downward flow are examined by experiments and numerical simulations. The CH* chemiluminescence distribution in CH4–air and CH4–H2–air flames and the OH* chemiluminescence distribution in H2–air flames are recorded in the experiments. Cell-like flames are observed for the CH4–air mixture for all tested equivalence ratios. However, for CH4–H2–air and H2–air flames, ball-like lean limit flames are observed. Flame temperature fields are measured using Rayleigh scattering. The experimentally observed lean limit flames are predicted qualitatively by numerical simulation with the mixture-averaged transport model and skeletal mechanism of CH4. The results of the simulations show that the entire lean limit flames of CH4–H2–air and H2–air mixtures are located inside a recirculation zone. However, for the lean limit CH4–air flame, only the leading edge is located inside the recirculation zone. A flame structure with negative flame displacement speed is observed for the leading edges of the predicted lean limit flames with all three different fuel compositions. As compared with 1D planar flames, the fuel transport caused by convection is less significant in the present 2D lean limit flames for the three different fuel compositions. For the trailing edges of the three predicted lean limit flames, a diffusion dominated flame structure is observed.

The Role of The Executive in Lean: A Qualitative Thesis Based

OpenAIRE

P. Marksberry; S. Hughes

2011-01-01

Lean manufacturing (Lean), as evolved from the Toyota Production System (TPS), has gained traction in many businesses as a tool for efficiency and improvement. However, the role of an executive or general manager within a Lean organization has not been clearly articulated in any official or proven way. This research looks at common approaches, theories, and problems concerning the role of the executive and how it can affect companies in their efforts to adopt Lean tools and principles. This r...

Limit, lean or listen? A typology of low-value care that gives direction in de-implementation.

Science.gov (United States)

Verkerk, Eva W; Tanke, Marit A C; Kool, Rudolf B; van Dulmen, Simone A; Westert, Gert P

2018-05-07

Overuse of unnecessary care is widespread around the world. This so-called low-value care provides no benefit for the patient, wastes resources and can cause harm. The concept of low-value care is broad and there are different reasons for care to be of low-value. Hence, different strategies might be necessary to reduce it and awareness of this may help in designing a de-implementation strategy. Based on a literature scan and discussions with experts, we identified three types of low-value care. The type ineffective care is proven ineffective, such as antibiotics for a viral infection. Inefficient care is in essence effective, but is of low-value through inefficient provision or inappropriate intensity, such as chronic benzodiazepine use. Unwanted care is in essence appropriate for the clinical condition it targets, but is low-value since it does not fit the patients' preferences, such as a treatment aimed to cure a patient that prefers palliative care. In this paper, we argue that these three types differ in their most promising strategy for de-implementation and that our typology gives direction in choosing whether to limit, lean or listen. We developed a typology that provides insight in the different reasons for care to be of low-value. We believe that this typology is helpful in designing a tailor-made strategy for reducing low-value care.

Interrelation of Lean and Green Management in Croatian Manufacturing Companies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miro Hegedić

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The goal of this article is to explore the link between lean and green management, reasons for their implementation, their effect throughout the whole life cycle, as well as the current state of use of lean tools, economic and environmental indicators in the context of Croatian manufacturing companies. A semi-structured interview was used in this research. As a result, the frequency of economic and environmental performance indicators and lean tools in Croatian companies has been defined, as well as the reasons for the implementation of lean management. Additionally, the understanding of the use of Life Cycle Assessment methods, environmental standards has been obtained and the integration of lean and green management in Croatian companies has been explored. Further on, results were compared to the similar study done in the UK. Finally, it can be concluded that the integration of lean and green management is not yet sufficiently present in manufacturing companies, although there are cases in which these two approaches are integrated, primarily in the process and food industry. It is for these reasons that in the integration of these two approaches lies great potential.

Case study of lean manufacturing application in a die casting manufacturing company

Science.gov (United States)

Ching, Ng Tan; Hoe, Clarence Chan Kok; Hong, Tang Sai; Ghobakhloo, Morteza; Pin, Chen Kah

2015-05-01

The case study of lean manufacturing aims to study the application of lean manufacturing in a die casting manufacturing company located in Pulau Penang, Malaysia. This case study describes mainly about the important concepts and applications of lean manufacturing which could gradually help the company in increasing the profit by studying and analyzing their current manufacturing process and company culture. Many approaches of lean manufacturing are studied in this project which includes: 5S housekeeping, Kaizen, and Takt Time. Besides, the lean tools mentioned, quality tool such as the House of Quality is being used as an analysis tool to continuously improve the product quality. In short, the existing lean culture in the company is studied and analyzed, with recommendations written at the end of this paper.

Static aeroelastic analysis and tailoring of a single-element racing car wing

Science.gov (United States)

Sadd, Christopher James

This thesis presents the research from an Engineering Doctorate research programme in collaboration with Reynard Motorsport Ltd, a manufacturer of racing cars. Racing car wing design has traditionally considered structures to be rigid. However, structures are never perfectly rigid and the interaction between aerodynamic loading and structural flexibility has a direct impact on aerodynamic performance. This interaction is often referred to as static aeroelasticity and the focus of this research has been the development of a computational static aeroelastic analysis method to improve the design of a single-element racing car wing. A static aeroelastic analysis method has been developed by coupling a Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes CFD analysis method with a Finite Element structural analysis method using an iterative scheme. Development of this method has included assessment of CFD and Finite Element analysis methods and development of data transfer and mesh deflection methods. Experimental testing was also completed to further assess the computational analyses. The computational and experimental results show a good correlation and these studies have also shown that a Navier-Stokes static aeroelastic analysis of an isolated wing can be performed at an acceptable computational cost. The static aeroelastic analysis tool was used to assess methods of tailoring the structural flexibility of the wing to increase its aerodynamic performance. These tailoring methods were then used to produce two final wing designs to increase downforce and reduce drag respectively. At the average operating dynamic pressure of the racing car, the computational analysis predicts that the downforce-increasing wing has a downforce of C[1]=-1.377 in comparison to C[1]=-1.265 for the original wing. The computational analysis predicts that the drag-reducing wing has a drag of C[d]=0.115 in comparison to C[d]=0.143 for the original wing.

Onsite-effects of dual-hemisphere versus conventional single-hemisphere transcranial direct current stimulation

Science.gov (United States)

Kwon, Yong Hyun; Jang, Sung Ho

2012-01-01

We performed functional MRI examinations in six right-handed healthy subjects. During functional MRI scanning, transcranial direct current stimulation was delivered with the anode over the right primary sensorimotor cortex and the cathode over the left primary sensorimotor cortex using dual-hemispheric transcranial direct current stimulation. This was compared to a cathode over the left supraorbital area using conventional single-hemispheric transcranial direct current stimulation. Voxel counts and blood oxygenation level-dependent signal intensities in the right primary sensorimotor cortex regions were estimated and compared between the two transcranial direct current stimulation conditions. Our results showed that dual-hemispheric transcranial direct current stimulation induced greater cortical activities than single-hemispheric transcranial direct current stimulation. These findings suggest that dual-hemispheric transcranial direct current stimulation may provide more effective cortical stimulation than single-hemispheric transcranial direct current stimulation. PMID:25624815

Lean for Government: Eliminating the Seven Wastes

Science.gov (United States)

Shepherd, Christena C.

2012-01-01

With shrinking budgets and a slow economy, it is becoming increasingly important for all government agencies to become more efficient. Citizens expect and deserve efficient and effective services from federal, state and local government agencies. One of the best methods to improve efficiency and eliminate waste is to institute the business process improvement methodologies known collectively as Lean; however, with reduced budgets, it may not be possible to train everyone in Lean or to engage the services of a trained consultant. It is possible, however, to raise awareness of the "Seven Wastes" of Lean in each employee, and encourage them to identify areas for improvement. Management commitment is vital to the success of these initiatives, and it is also important to develop the right metrics that will track the success of these changes.

Micro-PIXE for the quantitative imaging of chemical elements in single cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ortega, R.

2013-01-01

Full text: The knowledge of the intracellular distribution of biological relevant metals is important to understand their mechanisms of action in cells, either for physiological, toxicological or pathological processes. However, the direct detection of trace metals in single cells is a challenging task that requires sophisticated analytical developments. The aim of this seminar will be to present the recent achievements in this field using micro-PIXE analysis. The combination of micro-PIXE with RBS (Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry) and STIM (Scanning Transmission lon Microscopy) allows the quantitative determination of trace metal content within sub-cellular compartments. The application of STlM analysis will be more specifically highlighted as it provides high spatial resolution imaging (<200 nm) and excellent mass sensitivity (<0.1 ng). Application of the STIM-PIXE-RBS methodology is absolutely needed when organic mass loss appears during PIXE-RBS irradiation. This combination of STIM-PIXE-RBS provides fully quantitative determination of trace element content, expressed in μg/g, which is a quite unique capability for micro-PIXE compared to other micro-analytical methods such as the electron and synchrotron X-ray fluorescence or the techniques based on mass spectrometry. Examples of micro-PIXE studies for subcellular imaging of trace elements in the various fields of interest will be presented such as metal-based toxicology, pharmacology, and neuro degeneration [1] R. Ortega, G. Devés, A. Carmona. J. R. Soc. Interface, 6, (2009) S649-S658. (author)

Welding and Weldability of Directionally Solidified Single Crystal Nickel-Base Superalloys

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vitek, J M; David, S A; Reed, R W; Burke, M A; Fitzgerald, T J

1997-09-01

Nickel-base superalloys are used extensively in high-temperature service applications, and in particular, in components of turbine engines. To improve high-temperature creep properties, these alloys are often used in the directionally-solidified or single-crystal form. The objective of this CRADA project was to investigate the weldability of both experimental and commercial nickel-base superalloys in polycrystalline, directionally-solidified, and single-crystal forms.

Catalytically stabilized combustion of lean methane-air-mixtures: a numerical model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dogwiler, U; Benz, P; Mantharas, I [Paul Scherrer Inst. (PSI), Villigen (Switzerland)

1997-06-01

The catalytically stabilized combustion of lean methane/air mixtures has been studied numerically under conditions closely resembling the ones prevailing in technical devices. A detailed numerical model has been developed for a laminar, stationary, 2-D channel flow with full heterogeneous and homogeneous reaction mechanisms. The computations provide direct information on the coupling between heterogeneous-homogeneous combustion and in particular on the means of homogeneous ignitions and stabilization. (author) 4 figs., 3 refs.

Managing paradoxical tensions during the implementation of Lean capabilities for improvement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Maalouf, Malek Miguel; Gammelgaard, Britta

2016-01-01

Purpose: – Through the identification and investigation of the organisational paradoxes in lean, the purpose of this paper is to deepen the understanding of lean implementation intricacies, and contribute to sustaining lean in companies. Design/methodology/approach: – Case study based on semi...... also points to a range managerial responses used for dealing with the three paradoxes and facilitating lean transformation. Research limitations/implications: – This is a theory development paper which increases the understanding regarding the role of the organisational paradoxes in facilitating...

Medical and scientific writing: Time to go lean and mean

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Payal Bhardwaj

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The Lean Six Sigma methodology for process improvements and driving efficiency is old, but lean writing was adopted late by the pharmaceutical world in terms of size of the documents. The documents were lean earlier, and then became voluminous, and now we are about to complete a full circle in this regard, i.e., coming back to the lean documents again using e-formats and hyperlinking. Furthermore, writing has become more and more precise over time. The need for this lean and mean medical and scientific writing arose from voluminous research globally, both industry and academia which are abuzz with skyrocketing regulatory and scientific submission volumes. The quantum of literature is so much that reviewers or information seekers firmly believe that going through even selected and relevant literature has become highly challenging. Considering this, there has been much insistence on downsizing the medical writing documents, which could be tempting enough to be leveraged for scientific publications as well. Here, we present the need for lean and mean medical writing, discuss this concept in relation to the pharmaceutical industry, and how to apply this to key documents. Furthermore, presented is the proposed algorithm for lean and mean clinical study reports and manuscripts. These thoughts are aligned to the recently established concept of data transparency, and can be easily achieved by web links between the protocols and clinical trial results disclosed publicly, and the corresponding manuscripts.

Lean tool used in the automotive industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manuela Ingaldi

2014-10-01

Full Text Available In the paper basic concepts of Lean Manufacturing were presented. A company specializing in the development of vehicle dynamics, driver assistance systems, brake systems, seat belt sand electronics technology was characterized. The company is engaged in designing and manufacturing world-class products for the automotive market. The Lean tools used in the production hall, such as Yamazumi chart, machine motion analysis, MTM method and timing, were presented.

NO adsorption behaviors of the MnO{sub x} catalysts in lean-burn atmospheres

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guo, Li [School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China); Tianjin Key Laboratory of Applied Catalysis Science and Technology, Tianjin 300072 (China); The Co-innovation Center of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering of Tianjin, Tianjin 300072 (China); Xian, Hui [School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China); Pei-Yang Distillation Engineering Limited Company, Tianjin 300072 (China); Li, Qi-Feng; Chen, Da [Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biomedical Detecting Techniques and Instruments, School of Precision Instruments and Opto-electronics Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China); Tan, Yi-Sheng [State Key Laboratory of Coal Conversion, Institute of Coal Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Science, Taiyuan 030001 (China); Zhang, Jing; Zheng, Li-Rong [Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China); Li, Xin-Gang, E-mail: xingang_li@tju.edu.cn [School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China); Tianjin Key Laboratory of Applied Catalysis Science and Technology, Tianjin 300072 (China); The Co-innovation Center of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering of Tianjin, Tianjin 300072 (China)

2013-09-15

Highlights: • α-Mn{sub 2}O{sub 3} is a promising NO{sub x} adsorber for lean-burn exhausts even at low temperatures. • NO{sub x} was weakly bonded on α-Mn{sub 2}O{sub 3}, but strongly bonded on β-MnO{sub 2}. • NO could efficiently adsorb/desorb within the lean/rich cyclings over α-Mn{sub 2}O{sub 3}. • The superficial oxygen species plays a key role for the NO oxidation over α-Mn{sub 2}O{sub 3}. • The NO adsorption and oxidation follow the L–H and/or E–R mechanism over α-Mn{sub 2}O{sub 3}. -- Abstract: NO{sub x} emission control of lean-burn engines is one of the great challenges in the world. Herein, the MnO{sub x} model catalysts with the different calcination temperatures were synthesized to investigate their NO adsorbability for lean-burn exhausts. The transformation from (β-)MnO{sub 2} to (α-)Mn{sub 2}O{sub 3} following the increased calcination temperatures was evidenced from the viewpoint of the local atomic level. Among these samples, the one calcined at 550 °C containing the single α-Mn{sub 2}O{sub 3} phase displayed the best NO adsorbability: NO was mainly adsorbed in the forms of NO/nitrites and NO{sub 2}/nitrates at the low and high temperatures, respectively; the NO oxidation ability displayed the volcano-shape following the increased operating temperatures, and reached the maximum, i.e. 92.4% of the NO-to-NO{sub 2} conversion, at 250 °C. Moreover, this sample presented the efficiently reversible NO adsorption/desorption performance in alternative lean-burn/fuel-rich atmospheres, due to the weakly bonded NO{sub x} on it. The superficial oxygen species plays a critical role for the NO oxidation over α-Mn{sub 2}O{sub 3}. The consumed superficial oxygen could be further compensated by the gaseous and lattice oxygen therein. Our findings show that the α-Mn{sub 2}O{sub 3} material is a promising NO{sub x} adsorber for lean-burn exhausts even at low operating temperatures.

The productive operating theatre and lean thinking systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Kasivisvanathan, R; Chekairi, A

2014-11-01

The concept of 'lean thinking' first originated in the manufacturing industry as a means of improving productivity whilst maintaining quality through eliminating wasteful processes. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how the principles of 'lean thinking' are relevant to healthcare and the operating theatre, with reference to our own institutional experience.

Scaling Lean in primary care: impacts on system performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Hung, Dorothy Y; Harrison, Michael I; Martinez, Meghan C; Luft, Harold S

2017-03-01

We examined a wide range of performance outcomes after Lean methodology-a leading strategy to enhance efficiency and patient value-was implemented and scaled across all primary care clinics in a nonprofit, ambulatory care delivery system. Using a stepped wedge approach, we assessed changes associated with the phased introduction of Lean-based redesigns across 46 primary care departments in 17 different clinic locations. Longitudinal analysis of operational metrics included: workflow efficiency, physician productivity, operating expenses, clinical quality, and satisfaction among patients, physicians, and staff. We used interrupted time series analysis with generalized linear mixed models to estimate Lean impacts over time. Projected outcomes in the absence of changes (ie, counterfactuals) were compared with observed outcomes after Lean redesigns were implemented, and mean differences were assessed using 95% bias-corrected bootstrap confidence intervals (CIs). We observed systemwide improvements in workflow efficiencies (eg, 95% CI, 5.8-10.4) and physician productivity (95% CI, 3.9-27.2), with no adverse effects on clinical quality. Patient satisfaction increased with respect to access to care (95% CI, 15.2-20.7), handling of personal issues (95% CI, 2.1-6.9), and overall experience of care (95% CI, 11.0-17.0), but decreased with respect to interactions with care providers (95% CI, -13.4 to -5.7). Departmental operating costs decreased, and annual staff and physician satisfaction scores increased particularly among early adopters, with key improvements in employee engagement, connection to purpose, relationships with staff, and physician time spent working. Lean redesigns can benefit primary care patients, physicians, and staff without negatively impacting the quality of clinical care. Study results may lead other delivery system leaders to innovate using Lean techniques and may further enhance support for Lean learning among public and private payers.

Ferroelectric lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate single crystals for ultrasonic hydrophone applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lau, S.T.; Lam, K.H.; Chan, H.L.W.; Choy, C.L.; Luo, H.S.; Yin, Q.R.; Yin, Z.W.

2004-01-01

Ferroelectric lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate (PMN-PT) single crystals with a composition around the rhombohedral-tetragonal morphotropic phase boundary (65 mol% of PMN) were used to fabricate single-element needle-type hydrophones for measuring the spatial and temporal characteristics of medical ultrasonic transducers. PMN-PT single crystal was grown by a modified Bridgman method. Discs (0.5 mm thick) with normal along the direction were cut and then poled by a dc field in the thickness direction. The single crystal has a high relative permittivity (ε r ∼4000) making it appropriate for small area hydrophone applications. Single-element needle-type hydrophones with this material as the sensing element have been fabricated and characterized. The hydrophones have flat frequency response and good receiving sensitivity over certain frequency range in the megahertz region

Waste Measurement Techniques For Lean Companies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maciej Pieńkowski

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The paper is dedicated to answer the problem of measuring waste in companies, which are implementing Lean Manufacturing concept. Lack of complex identification, quantification an visualization of waste significantly impedes Lean transformation efforts. This problem can be solved by a careful investigation of Muda, Muri and Mura, which represent the essence of waste in the Toyota Production System. Measuring them facilitates complete and permanent elimination of waste in processes. The paper introduces a suggestion of methodology, which should enable company to quantify and visualize waste at a shop floor level.

Improving the medical records department processes by lean management.

Science.gov (United States)

Ajami, Sima; Ketabi, Saeedeh; Sadeghian, Akram; Saghaeinnejad-Isfahani, Sakine

2015-01-01

Lean management is a process improvement technique to identify waste actions and processes to eliminate them. The benefits of Lean for healthcare organizations are that first, the quality of the outcomes in terms of mistakes and errors improves. The second is that the amount of time taken through the whole process significantly improves. The purpose of this paper is to improve the Medical Records Department (MRD) processes at Ayatolah-Kashani Hospital in Isfahan, Iran by utilizing Lean management. This research was applied and an interventional study. The data have been collected by brainstorming, observation, interview, and workflow review. The study population included MRD staff and other expert staff within the hospital who were stakeholders and users of the MRD. The MRD were initially taught the concepts of Lean management and then formed into the MRD Lean team. The team then identified and reviewed the current processes subsequently; they identified wastes and values, and proposed solutions. The findings showed that the MRD units (Archive, Coding, Statistics, and Admission) had 17 current processes, 28 wastes, and 11 values were identified. In addition, they offered 27 comments for eliminating the wastes. The MRD is the critical department for the hospital information system and, therefore, the continuous improvement of its services and processes, through scientific methods such as Lean management, are essential. The study represents one of the few attempts trying to eliminate wastes in the MRD.

Individualisation of Lean Concept in Companies Dealing with Mass Production

Science.gov (United States)

Bednár, Roman

2012-12-01

The methods of lean manufacturing primarily designed for businesses dealing with serial production, are also used in other types of production. However the concept of lean production was not designed for these types of businesses, they are utilized only partially. Paper focuses on applying methods of lean concept in companies which are dealing with mass production and their options of exchange for other methods in the event of disagreement. Basis of the article is a list of lean methods with its description and its utilization in practice. The questionnaire was utilized to identify information from the practice. Based on this survey were identified the critical methods that are no longer appropriate for companies dealing with mass production. However, there are alternative methods of describing the problem. It is possible to say that companies are trying to get closer to their goal by modification of the basic concepts. And the concept of Lean Enterprise serves as a standard.

Direct single-molecule dynamic detection of chemical reactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Guan, Jianxin; Jia, Chuancheng; Li, Yanwei; Liu, Zitong; Wang, Jinying; Yang, Zhongyue; Gu, Chunhui; Su, Dingkai; Houk, Kendall N; Zhang, Deqing; Guo, Xuefeng

2018-02-01

Single-molecule detection can reveal time trajectories and reaction pathways of individual intermediates/transition states in chemical reactions and biological processes, which is of fundamental importance to elucidate their intrinsic mechanisms. We present a reliable, label-free single-molecule approach that allows us to directly explore the dynamic process of basic chemical reactions at the single-event level by using stable graphene-molecule single-molecule junctions. These junctions are constructed by covalently connecting a single molecule with a 9-fluorenone center to nanogapped graphene electrodes. For the first time, real-time single-molecule electrical measurements unambiguously show reproducible large-amplitude two-level fluctuations that are highly dependent on solvent environments in a nucleophilic addition reaction of hydroxylamine to a carbonyl group. Both theoretical simulations and ensemble experiments prove that this observation originates from the reversible transition between the reactant and a new intermediate state within a time scale of a few microseconds. These investigations open up a new route that is able to be immediately applied to probe fast single-molecule physics or biophysics with high time resolution, making an important contribution to broad fields beyond reaction chemistry.

Lean and leadership practices: development of an initial realist program theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Goodridge, Donna; Westhorp, Gill; Rotter, Thomas; Dobson, Roy; Bath, Brenna

2015-09-07

Lean as a management system has been increasingly adopted in health care settings in an effort to enhance quality, capacity and safety, while simultaneously containing or reducing costs. The Ministry of Health in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada has made a multi-million dollar investment in Lean initiatives to create "better health, better value, better care, and better teams", affording a unique opportunity to advance our understanding of the way in which Lean philosophy, principles and tools work in health care. In order to address the questions, "What changes in leadership practices are associated with the implementation of Lean?" and "When leadership practices change, how do the changed practices contribute to subsequent outcomes?", we used a qualitative, multi-stage approach to work towards developing an initial realist program theory. We describe the implications of realist assumptions for evaluation of this Lean initiative. Formal theories including Normalization Process Theory, Theories of Double Loop and Organization Leaning and the Theory of Cognitive Dissonance help understand this initial rough program theory. Data collection included: key informant consultation; a stakeholder workshop; documentary review; 26 audiotaped and transcribed interviews with health region personnel; and team discussions. A set of seven initial hypotheses regarding the manner in which Lean changes leadership practices were developed from our data. We hypothesized that Lean, as implemented in this particular setting, changes leadership practices in the following ways. Lean: a) aligns the aims and objectives of health regions; b) authorizes attention and resources to quality improvement and change management c) provides an integrated set of tools for particular tasks; d) changes leaders' attitudes or beliefs about appropriate leadership and management styles and behaviors; e) demands increased levels of expertise, accountability and commitment from leaders; f) measures and

Solid State Electrochemical Sensors for Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) Detection in Lean Exhaust Gases

OpenAIRE

Rheaume, Jonathan Michael

2010-01-01

Solid state electrochemical sensors that measure nitrogen oxides (NOx) in lean exhaust have been investigated in order to help meet future on-board diagnostic (OBD) regulations for diesel vehicles. This impedancemetric detection technology consists of a planar, single cell sensor design with various sensing electrode materials and yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) as the electrolyte. No reference to ambient air is required. An impedance analysis method yields a signal that is proportional to t...

Implementation analysis of lean enablers for managing engineering programs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

von Arnim, Joachim; Oehmen, Josef; Rebentisch, Eric

2014-01-01

This paper presents research to improve the applicability of the Lean Enablers and consists of two parts. The first is a case study of a very successful project management maturity improvement initiative at Siemens Industry Sector’s Industry Automation division in the US. It views the initiative...... from the perspective of the Lean Enablers [Oehmen 2012] and is based on information from [Sopko 2012a], [Sopko 2012b], [Sopko 2010], [Sopko 2009], interviews, internal documentation, and the used MSP program management methodology [UK 2011]. The analysis of Lean Enablers incorporated in the MSP...

Standard work for room entry: Linking lean, hand hygiene, and patient-centeredness.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Reilly, Kristin; Ruokis, Samantha; Russell, Kristin; Teves, Tim; DiLibero, Justin; Yassa, David; Berry, Hannah; Howell, Michael D

2016-03-01

Healthcare-associated infections are costly and fatal. Substantial front-line, administrative, regulatory, and research efforts have focused on improving hand hygiene. While broad agreement exists that hand hygiene is the most important single approach to infection prevention, compliance with hand hygiene is typically only about 40%(1). Our aim was to develop a standard process for room entry in the intensive care unit that improved compliance with hand hygiene and allowed for maximum efficiency. We recognized that hand hygiene is a single step in a substantially more complicated process of room entry. We applied Lean engineering techniques to develop a standard process that included both physical steps and also standard communication elements from provider to patients and families and created a physical environment to support this. We observed meaningful improvement in the performance of the new standard as well as time savings for clinical providers with each room entry. We also observed an increase in room entries that included verbal communication and an explanation of what the clinician was entering the room to do. The design and implementation of a standardized room entry process and the creation of an environment that supports that new process has resulted in measurable positive outcomes on the medical intensive care unit, including quality, patient experience, efficiency, and staff satisfaction. Designing a process, rather than viewing tasks that need to happen in close proximity in time (either serially or in parallel) as unrelated, simplifies work for staff and results in higher compliance to individual tasks. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Lean logistics management in healthcare: a case study].

Science.gov (United States)

Aguilar-Escobar, V G; Garrido-Vega, P

2013-01-01

To study the applicability of the principles of Lean Production to manage the supply chain of a hospital. In particular, to determine which Lean practices and principles are applicable, the benefits obtained and the main barriers for its implementation. Managing the hospital supply chain is an important issue, both for its effect on the quality of care and its impact on costs. This study is based on a case study. 2005-10. Hospital Virgen Macarena in Seville. Process of implementing a comprehensive logistics management plan based on Lean principles and technological investments. The implementation of the comprehensive plan has reduced inventory, decreased lead times and improved service quality. Also, there have been other important improvements: enhanced employee satisfaction and increased staff productivity, both dedicated to health and the logistics. The experience analysed has shown the applicability and appropriateness of Lean principles and some of its techniques in managing the logistics of hospitals. It also identifies some of the main difficulties that may arise. Copyright © 2011 SECA. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Lean Production as an Innovative Approach to Construction

Science.gov (United States)

Spišáková, Marcela; Kozlovská, Mária

2013-06-01

Lean production presents a new approach to the construction management which has enabled enterprises to attain very high levels of efficiency, competitiveness and flexibility in production systems. Nowadays, a number of industrial processes are managed in accordance with these advanced management principles [1]. The principles of lean production are applied within the integrated design and delivery solutions (IDDS) and prefabricated construction. IDDS uses collaborative work processes and enhanced skills, with integrated data, information, and knowledge management to minimize structural and process inefficiencies and to enhance the value delivered during design, build, and operation, and across projects. Prefabrication presents a one of opportunities for construction methods, which allows the compliance with principles of sustainable design, provides the potential benefits such as faster construction, fewer housing defects, reduction in energy use and waste and elimination of environmental and safety risks. This paper presents the lean production within the IDDS and its potential in the modern prefabrication. There is created a field providing of benefits of lean production in construction industry.

Lean Management—The Journey from Toyota to Healthcare

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sorin T. Teich

2013-04-01

Full Text Available The evolution of production systems is tightly linked to the story of Toyota Motor Company (TMC that has its roots around 1918. The term “lean” was coined in 1990 following the exploration of the Toyota model that led to the “transference” thesis sustaining the concept that manufacturing problems and technologies are universal problems faced by management and that these concepts can be emulated in non-Japanese enterprises. Lean is a multi-faceted concept and requires organizations to exert effort along several dimensions simultaneously; some consider a successful implementation either achieving major strategic components of lean, implementing practices to support operational aspects, or providing evidence that the improvements are sustainable in the long term. The article explores challenges and opportunities faced by organizations that intend incorporating lean management principles and presents the specific context of the healthcare industry. Finally, the concepts of “essential few” and customer value are illustrated through a simple example of process change following lean principles, which was implemented in a dental school in the United States.

Lean Management—The Journey from Toyota to Healthcare

Science.gov (United States)

Teich, Sorin T.; Faddoul, Fady F.

2013-01-01

The evolution of production systems is tightly linked to the story of Toyota Motor Company (TMC) that has its roots around 1918. The term “lean” was coined in 1990 following the exploration of the Toyota model that led to the “transference” thesis sustaining the concept that manufacturing problems and technologies are universal problems faced by management and that these concepts can be emulated in non-Japanese enterprises. Lean is a multi-faceted concept and requires organizations to exert effort along several dimensions simultaneously; some consider a successful implementation either achieving major strategic components of lean, implementing practices to support operational aspects, or providing evidence that the improvements are sustainable in the long term. The article explores challenges and opportunities faced by organizations that intend incorporating lean management principles and presents the specific context of the healthcare industry. Finally, the concepts of “essential few” and customer value are illustrated through a simple example of process change following lean principles, which was implemented in a dental school in the United States. PMID:23908857

Single-Phase Phase-Locked Loop Based on Derivative Elements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Guan, Qingxin; Zhang, Yu; Kang, Yong

2017-01-01

High-performance phase-locked loops (PLLs) are critical for power control in grid-connected systems. This paper presents a new method of designing a PLL for single-phase systems based on derivative elements (DEs). The quadrature signal generator (QSG) is constructed by two DEs with the same...... PLL to achieve high performance when the grid frequency changes rapidly. This paper presents the model of the PLL and a theoretical performance analysis with respect to both the frequency-domain and time-domain behavior. The error arising from the discretization process is also compensated, ensuring...

Lean Thinking in systems with non-negligible process variability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Erland Hejn; Simons, David

2000-01-01

Lean Thinking (Womack and Jones) improves quality, cost and delivery through the relentless elimination of wastes. For example, the exemplar of Lean, the Toyota Production system, focuses on improvement through the continual elimination of seven categorised wastes (Ohno). Time compression (Stalk ...

PENERAPAN LEAN MANUFACTURING UNTUK MEREDUKSI WASTE DI INDUSTRI SKALA UKM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Darminto Pujotomo

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Lean Manufacturing merupakan konsep manufaktur untuk menghasilkan produk yang efisien dengan mengurangi biaya produksi melalui efisiensi. Dalam konsep Lean, dikenal 7 macam pemborosan yang meliputi produksi berlebih, transportasi material yang berlebihan, menunggu, proses yang tidak perlu, persediaan, pergerakan dan cacat produk. Penelitian ini menggunakan value stream mapping dalam mengidentifikasi pemborosan dan menelusuri potensi terjadinya pemborosan. Potensi pemborosan yang terjadi akan direduksi dengan menggunakan instrumen yang sesuai berdasarkan indikator terpilih. Penelitian diharapkan dapat menghasilkan proses produksi yang lebih efisiensi sehingga mampu mereduksi biaya produksi. Pada akhirnya akan menghasilkan profit yang lebih besar. Kata kunci : lean manufacturing, value stream mapping, waste   Lean Manufacturing is a manufacturing concepts to produce products that are efficient by reducing production costs through efficiencies. In the Lean concept, known seven kinds of waste, including overproduction, excessive material transportation, waiting, unnecessary processes, inventory, motion and product defects. This study uses value stream mapping to identify waste and exploring the potential for waste. Potential waste that occurs will be reduced by using appropriate instruments based on selected indicators. The study is expected to produce a more efficient production processes so as to reduce production costs.Will ultimately result in greater profits. Keywords: lean manufacturing, value stream mapping, waste

Value Stream Mapping to Improve Workplace to support Lean Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmad Ahmad Nur Aizat

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In recent years, lean manufacturing is being followed by various sectors in order to keep their competitiveness in the global markets. Lean manufacturing plays a vital role in improving the efficiency of operation by eliminating or reducing wastes. Nonetheless, most of small and medium enterprises (SMEs lack sufficient knowledge or information on the benefits of implementing lean manufacturing. The main objective of this study is to apply value stream mapping, one of lean manufacturing tools, for improving the productivity in a SME by eliminating non-value added activities. In this study, lean manufacturing was adopted at a SME, particularly a food industry. Value stream mapping was served as main tool to identify the wastes and improvement opportunities in production line. Subsequently, different lean manufacturing tools such as Kaizen Burst, one piece flow, and 5S were applied to eliminate or reduce identified wastes. Based on the future state value stream mapping, final results showed that the total operation time and non-added value activities time were successfully decreased from 1993 seconds to 1719 seconds, and 234 seconds to 104 seconds, respectively. The findings of this study indicate that value stream mapping is an effective approach to eliminate the wastes and improve the productivity.

Guiding inpatient quality improvement: a systematic review of Lean and Six Sigma.

Science.gov (United States)

Glasgow, Justin M; Scott-Caziewell, Jill R; Kaboli, Peter J

2010-12-01

Two popular quality improvement (QI) approaches in health care are Lean and Six Sigma. Hospitals continue to adopt these QI approaches-or the hybrid Lean Sigma approach-with little knowledge on how well they produce sustainable improvements. A systematic literature review was conducted to determine whether Lean, Six Sigma, or Lean Sigma have been effectively used to create and sustain improvements in the acute care setting. Databases were searched for articles published in the health care, business, and engineering literatures. Study inclusion criteria required identification of a Six Sigma, Lean, or Lean Sigma project; QI efforts focused on hospitalized patients; descriptions of project improvements; and reported results. Depending on the quality of data reported, articles were classified as summary reports, pre-post observational studies, or time-series reports. Database searches identified 539 potential articles. After review of titles, abstracts, and full text, 47 articles met inclusion criteria--10 articles summarized multiple projects, 12 reported Lean projects, 20 reported Six Sigma projects, and 5 reported Lean Sigma projects. Generally, the studies provided limited data, with only 15 articles providing any sort of follow-up data; of the 15, only 3 report a follow-up period greater than two years. Lean, Six Sigma, and Lean Sigma as QI approaches can aid institutions in tackling a wide variety of problems encountered in acute care. However, the true impact of these approaches is difficult to judge, given that the lack of rigorous evaluation or clearly sustained improvements provides little evidence supporting broad adoption. There is still a need for future work that will improve the evidence base for understanding more about QI approaches and how to achieve sustainable improvement.

Cohesive Modeling of Transverse Cracking in Laminates with a Single Layer of Elements per Ply

Science.gov (United States)

VanDerMeer, Frans P.; Davila, Carlos G.

2013-01-01

This study aims to bridge the gap between classical understanding of transverse cracking in cross-ply laminates and recent computational methods for the modeling of progressive laminate failure. Specifically, the study investigates under what conditions a finite element model with cohesive X-FEM cracks can reproduce the in situ effect for the ply strength. It is shown that it is possible to do so with a single element across the thickness of the ply, provided that the interface stiffness is properly selected. The optimal value for this interface stiffness is derived with an analytical shear lag model. It is also shown that, when the appropriate statistical variation of properties has been applied, models with a single element through the thickness of a ply can predict the density of transverse matrix cracks

Selective and Stable Ethylbenzene Dehydrogenation to Styrene over Nanodiamonds under Oxygen-lean Conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Diao, Jiangyong; Feng, Zhenbao; Huang, Rui; Liu, Hongyang; Hamid, Sharifah Bee Abd; Su, Dang Sheng

2016-04-07

For the first time, significant improvement of the catalytic performance of nanodiamonds was achieved for the dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene to styrene under oxygen-lean conditions. We demonstrated that the combination of direct dehydrogenation and oxidative dehydrogenation indeed occurred on the nanodiamond surface throughout the reaction system. It was found that the active sp(2)-sp(3) hybridized nanostructure was well maintained after the long-term test and the active ketonic carbonyl groups could be generated in situ. A high reactivity with 40% ethylbenzene conversion and 92% styrene selectivity was obtained over the nanodiamond catalyst under oxygen-lean conditions even after a 240 h test, demonstrating the potential of this procedure for application as a promising industrial process for the ethylbenzene dehydrogenation to styrene without steam protection. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Direct chromosome-length haplotyping by single-cell sequencing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Porubský, David; Sanders, Ashley D; van Wietmarschen, Niek; Falconer, Ester; Hills, Mark; Spierings, Diana C J; Bevova, Marianna R; Guryev, Victor; Lansdorp, Peter Michael

Haplotypes are fundamental to fully characterize the diploid genome of an individual, yet methods to directly chart the unique genetic makeup of each parental chromosome are lacking. Here we introduce single-cell DNA template strand sequencing (Strand-seq) as a novel approach to phasing diploid

Load Insensitive, Low Voltage Quadrature Oscillator Using Single Active Element

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jitendra Mohan

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a load insensitive quadrature oscillator using single differential voltage dual-X second generation current conveyor operated at low voltage is proposed. The proposed circuit employs single active element, three grounded resistors and two grounded capacitors. The proposed oscillator offers two load insensitive quadrature current outputs and three quadrature voltage outputs simultaneously. Effects of non-idealities along with the effects of parasitic are further studied. The proposed circuit enjoys the feature of low active and passive sensitivities. Additionally, a resistorless realization of the proposed quadrature oscillator is also explored. Simulation results using PSPICE program on cadence tool using 90 nm Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS process parameters confirm the validity and practical utility of the proposed circuit.

Transverse wave propagation in [ab0] direction of silicon single crystal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yun, Sang Jin; Kim, Hye Jeong; Kwon, Se Ho; Kim, Young H. [Applied Acoustics Lab, Korea Science Academy of KAIST, Busan(Korea, Republic of)

2015-12-15

The speed and oscillation directions of elastic waves propagating in the [ab0] direction of a silicon single crystal were obtained by solving Christoffel's equation. It was found that the quasi waves propagate in the off-principal axis, and hence, the directions of the phase and group velocities are not the same. The maximum deviation of the two directions was 7.2 degree angle. Two modes of the pure transverse waves propagate in the [110] direction with different speeds, and hence, two peaks were observed in the pulse echo signal. The amplitude ratio of the two peaks was dependent on the initial oscillating direction of the incident wave. The pure and quasi-transverse waves propagate in the [210] direction, and the oscillation directions of these waves are perpendicular to each other. The skewing angle of the quasi wave was calculated as 7.14 degree angle, and it was measured as 9.76 degree angle. The amplitude decomposition in the [210] direction was similar to that in the [110] direction, since the oscillation directions of these waves are perpendicular to each other. These results offer useful information in measuring the crystal orientation of the silicon single crystal.

Lean Thinking in Systems with Non-Negligible Process Variability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Erland Hejn; Simons, David

2000-01-01

Lean Thinking (Womack and Jones) improves quality, cost and delivery through the relentless elimination of the wastes. For example, the exemplar of Lean, the Toyota Production system, focuses on improvement through the continual elimination of seven categorised wastes (Ohno). Time compression (St...

Relationship-centered health care as a Lean intervention.

Science.gov (United States)

Dunsford, Jennifer; Reimer, Laura E

2017-12-01

Continuous improvement efforts, recognized in much literature as Lean management techniques have been used in efforts to improve efficiency in democratic health care contexts for some time to varying degrees of success. The complexity of the health care system is magnified by the sheer number of processes and sub processes required to deliver value within a bureaucratic environment, while maintaining some level of compassionate and personalized care. There is inherent tension between what is required to be efficient and what is required to be caring and this conflict presses against Lean practice at the level of delivery.Administration and care intersect at the point of the patient's experience. In order to achieve the dual goals of improved value and lower costs, the application of Lean thinking for meaningful health care reform must acknowledge the fundamental dichotomy between the impersonal tasks required to provide health services, and human interactions. Meaningful health care reform requires an acknowledgement of this distinction, currently not recognized in literature. While administrative process improvements are necessary, they are insufficient to achieve a sustainable and caring health care system. Lean thinking must be applied differently for administrative processes and patient care encounters, because these are fundamentally different processes. In this way, Lean principles will effectively contribute to sustainable health system improvements. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press in association with the International Society for Quality in Health Care. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Studies to single subassembly flow monitoring with a complete 7 element array under sodium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hess, B.; Ruppert, E.; Stehle, H.; Vinzens, K.

1975-01-01

A core restraint system in a fast reactor serves to limit fuel element movement leading to reactivity changes and misalignment of control rod drives and instrumentation. To guarantee proper control rod function the upper ring of the passive restraint system for the SNR-300 should keep subassembly displacement below 20 mm, whereas a free bowing up to 25 mm does not impair subassembly handling. With respect to single subassembly instrumentation the influences of subassembly displacement on temperature and flow monitoring were not exactly known. As part of the SNR-300 R and D programme a complete clamped array, consisting of 4 full size fuel elements and 3 blanket elements was tested for more than 4000 hours at 600 0 C in the AKB sodium loop at Interatom, Bensberg. The test was split into two phases and the total cluster was prestrained in the second phase to simulate 15 mm subassembly displacement at the level of the upper pads. Although this test was mainly considered as an endurance test to demonstrate the integrity of prestrained core elements, effort were made to study the feasibility of single subassembly flow monitoring with this full size model of a core section. (Auth.)

Estimation of lean and fat composition of pork ham using image processing measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Jiancheng; Schinckel, Allan P.; Forrest, John C.