Level of implementation of lean manufacturing tools: a case study in the north of Portugal

Abstract

Nowadays business environment is very unstable, complex and requires a quick response from the companies, with a better allocation of their scarce resources, and a clearer strategic focus. The Lean Manufacturing requires that companies make the best use of their resources eliminating wastes. In this research, in order to evaluate the level of implementation of Lean tools in the companies located in the North of Portugal, an online survey was conducted. Results show that the 5S and TPM methods are the ones that have higher progress of implementation, and the Kanban tool has a lower level.