Open AccessApplication of a proposed TLS model in a Lean Productive System
Author(s) -
Rafael Dias,
Luis Diogo Silva,
Alexandra Tenera
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
independent journal of management and production
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2236-269X
DOI - 10.14807/ijmp.v10i1.830
Subject(s) - flexibility (engineering) , lean manufacturing , computer science , lean six sigma , profit (economics) , lean project management , six sigma , profit model , competitive advantage , industrial engineering , reduction (mathematics) , operations research , manufacturing engineering , industrial organization , business , operations management , economics , mathematics , marketing , engineering , management , microeconomics , geometry
The current market, becoming more rigid, forces companies to search continuously for innovation and improvement of their processes and products as a way to keep competitive and gain strategic advantages. Due to the global economic crisis, more and more companies try an approach through new management methodologies that allow better performances in terms of earning, profit and cost reduction. The present article proposes an integrated TOC (Theory of Constraints), Lean and Six-Sigma (TLS) model, with the objective of improving continuously a productive system, although it shows flexibility to be applied in other kinds of systems. The model synergistically integrate the best practices found in existing TOC, Lean and Six-Sigma models. The proposed model derivatives mainly from Eliyahu Goldratt’s TOC model of the “5 focus steps” and TLS model “Ultimate Improvement Cycle”, developed by Bob Sproull. The proposed TLS model was tested on an important Portuguese Manufacture. The implementation of a first continuous improvement cycle was completed and a second cycle began. The main results obtained by the implementation of the TLS model were extremely satisfactory.