Human Factor in Lean Production

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will comprise a selection of papers addressing investigations on lean production and its impact on a wide range of manufacturing-related systems where a human being can play an evitable role in effective and efficient operation. Its aim is to show the relation between common practices associated with lean production, such as bottleneck removal (production smoothing), cellular manufacturing, competitive benchmarking, continuous improvement programs, cross-functional work force, cycle time reductions, focused factory production, just-in-time/continuous flow production, lot size reductions, maintenance optimization, new process equipment/technologies, planning and scheduling strategies, preventive maintenance, process capability measurements, pull system/Kanban, quality management programs, quick changeover techniques, re-engineered production processes, safety improvement programs, self-directed work teams, and total quality management (Shah & Ward, 2003) and human resources as one of the factors influencing the implementation, maintenance, and continuous improvement of these tools, techniques, and approaches. All the papers referring to the misusage of lean tools, techniques, and approaches which can lead to overlooking health-related issues are also welcome. The awareness of the relationship between worker health and lean production among lean practitioners is not always visible, but worth further investigation and discussion.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to deepen the knowledge about the role of human resources in a lean environment.

This Special Issue addresses a spectrum of theoretical and practical topics. It provides an excellent forum for exploring frontiers between researchers and practitioners from academia and industry.

Dr. Beata Mrugalska
Guest Editor

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