Management of barriers to lean production implementation: a study in the automotive sector

Abstract

During the process of lean production (LP) implementation it is common to arise barriers depending on the context in which the application occurs. This study aims to perfect a method of management the barriers to the implementation of LP developed in a previous study. The improvements were developed by applying the method in the assembly area of bumpers in a car manufacturer. Data collection involved thirteen interviews, participant observation for six months and analysis of LP-related documents. Among the main improvements over the original version of the method, it can be highlighted the addition of thirteen barriers in the list of barriers already identified in the literature, and also the identification of contextual characteristics that can facilitate or hinder the application of the method.

Keywords

• Produção enxuta. Barreiras. Indústria automotiva. Fatores de contexto. Implementação enxuta.