The thesis at hand describes the findings of a systematic literature review that was undertaken to investigate if and how the Toyota Production System is being used in the European food and beverage industry. The research was conducted since the concerned industry is suffering from low productivity, increasing customer requirements and frequently occurring quality issues, although food safety is of utmost importance. The Toyota Production System was found capable to address all these issues both in its incumbent automotive sector and subsequently also in other industries.
After identifying the dominant authors in the body of literature and classifying the extant literature into epochs, the research objectives for the study are addressed. These included an investigation of the drivers for lean implementation, the obstructing and facilitating factors, the performance outcomes of lean implementation and the lean practices that are predominantly described. With regards to the latter, also adaptions that were made to the lean methodology are presented.
The most important findings include that lean methodology is already being used in the European food and beverage industry, even though only to a rather limited extent. Moreover, industry characteristics are found to present obstacles to lean implementation. Especially volatile demand patterns that are contrasted by production to forecast make it difficult to avoid overproduction. Also, natural variation and perishability of materials can make the adoption of lean principles challenging. However, although the body of literature does not provide a solution for all obstacles, some presented adaptions to the lean methodology can address at least some of them.
In the end, the concluding assessment is made that the Toyota Production System can be seen as applicable to the European food and beverage industry. However, industry characteristics make it at times necessary to adapt the lean methodology creatively.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Literature review
2.1. Operations management definition and paradigms
2.2. The Toyota Production System
2.2.1. Lean management’s origins in the Toyota Production System
2.2.2. 14 Lean management principles
2.2.3. The interconnectedness of lean practices
2.2.4. The diffusion of lean production
2.2.4.1. Discrete industries
2.2.4.2. Continuous industries
2.3. Operations management in the food & beverage industry
2.3.1. History of operations management in the F&B industry
2.3.2. Current state of OM in the European F&B industry
2.4. Research gap
3. Methodology
3.1. Research objectives, philosophy and approach
3.2. Introduction to systematic literature review methodology
3.3. Research framework
3.3.1. Planning the review
3.3.2. Literature preparation
3.3.3. Review execution and reporting & dissemination
4. Descriptive results
4.1. Generic study features
4.2. Dominant authors
4.3. Chronological distribution of papers
4.4. Classification of studies by industry sector
5. Findings and discussion
5.1. Drivers for lean implementation
5.2. Obstacles for lean implementation
5.2.1. F&B industry related obstacles
5.2.2. Organisational obstacles
5.2.3. Comparison of European F&B and automotive industry
5.3. Critical success factors for lean implementation
5.4. Lean practices used in the European F&B industry
5.5. Adaptions to lean methodology
5.6. Outcomes of lean implementation
6. Limitations & suggestions for further research
7. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Topics
The primary objective of this dissertation is to investigate the applicability of the Toyota Production System (TPS) within the European food and beverage (F&B) industry through a systematic literature review. The research addresses key challenges such as low productivity and food waste by evaluating how lean principles are implemented and adapted to the unique characteristics of the F&B sector.
- Analysis of drivers and obstacles for lean implementation in European F&B firms.
- Identification of predominant lean practices and necessary adaptations to the methodology.
- Evaluation of the performance outcomes resulting from lean applications.
- Assessment of the general applicability of TPS across diverse industry sectors.
- Examination of the differences between discrete and continuous manufacturing environments.
Excerpt from the Book
2.2.4.2. Continuous industries
As mentioned above, continuous industries produce quantities measured in units other than countable items. Typical examples include pharmaceuticals (Subramanian, 2015), chemicals (Cooke & Rohleder, 2006) and steel production (Yin, 2011). With regard to the focus of this research, large parts of the F&B industry also fall under this definition (Clark, 2009). Examples for this are dough-based bakery processes or the production of beverages.
In general, companies in continuous process industries have applied the lean concept later and in a smaller scale than the ones from discrete industries (Abdulmalek, et al., 2006). It is believed that this is due to the characteristics that distinguish continuous industries from discrete ones, such as: A frequent reliance on large, expensive and inflexible equipment, a smaller number of workstations and often no possibility to store more than a technically required amount of work in progress (WIP) between those workstations (Mahapatra & Mohanty, 2007). These characteristics can present obstacles to the application of lean methodology (Pool, et al., 2011). For instance, if companies rely on capital-intensive machinery, the benefit of a learning workforce, as fostered by lean, might not weigh as heavily as they do in discrete industries (Cooke & Rohleder, 2006).
Despite these cumbersome industry characteristics, there are nonetheless companies that have used it successfully. Abdulmalek, et al., (2006) mention that many continuous industries at some point also produce countable units. Taken the example of bakery processes from above, the processing of dough would be continuous, but once this is segmented e.g. into loaves of bread, it becomes discrete units. At minimum, lean methodology would be applicable downstream of this point (Pool, et al., 2011). Another suggestion is that lean implementation in continuous industries should start outside the actual production process. An example for this is the establishment of JIT-deliveries between a plant of Dow Chemicals and a customer firm (Abdulmalek, et al., 2006). For wider application also in the production process itself, the tools developed for discrete industries would at times need to be adapted to fit the specific context of continuous process companies.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Outlines the scale and challenges of the European F&B industry, identifying low productivity and waste as primary issues that warrant a systematic review of lean implementation.
2. Literature review: Provides theoretical foundations on Operations Management and the Toyota Production System, while discussing the specific history and current state of the European F&B sector.
3. Methodology: Details the systematic literature review (SLR) process, including research objectives, the framework used for identification and selection, and the approach for data synthesis.
4. Descriptive results: Presents an initial overview of the 53 studies identified for the review, including their methodologies, geographical origins, and chronological distribution over two identified "eras".
5. Findings and discussion: Synthesizes the core findings regarding drivers, obstacles, critical success factors, specific lean practices, necessary adaptations to the methodology, and implementation outcomes.
6. Limitations & suggestions for further research: Critically evaluates the constraints of the study, such as language and geographic scope, and highlights the need for quantitative primary research on financial performance outcomes.
7. Conclusion: Concludes that lean is applicable to the F&B industry but requires creative, context-specific adaptations to overcome sector-specific characteristics like perishability and volatile demand.
Keywords
Toyota Production System, Lean Manufacturing, European Food and Beverage Industry, Operations Management, Systematic Literature Review, Continuous Processes, Productivity, Supply Chain Management, Waste Reduction, SMEs, Critical Success Factors, Kaizen, Process Adaption, Quality Assurance, Industry 4.0.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this dissertation?
This work investigates whether and how the Toyota Production System (TPS) is applied within the European food and beverage industry to address operational challenges like productivity and waste.
What are the primary thematic areas?
The research covers lean methodology, the specific characteristics of the F&B industry (such as perishability and production-to-forecast), supply chain management, and the adaptation of standard lean tools to continuous process environments.
What is the overarching research goal?
The goal is to determine if the lean paradigm, originally developed for automotive assembly, is genuinely applicable to the F&B industry or if it requires significant modification.
Which research methodology was employed?
The author conducted a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) of 53 academic and practitioner sources to ensure a rigorous, transparent, and replicable analysis of existing evidence.
What does the main body of the work cover?
It covers theoretical backgrounds, the identification of literature "eras" (red meat vs. SME focus), drivers for implementation, specific obstacles, and an analysis of how lean practices are actually utilized by European F&B firms.
Which keywords best characterize this study?
Key terms include Toyota Production System, Lean Manufacturing, F&B Industry, Systematic Literature Review, Process Adaption, and Critical Success Factors.
What specific obstacles does the F&B industry face regarding lean?
The study identifies volatile demand, perishability of raw materials, regulatory requirements, and the need for production-to-forecast as major barriers that conflict with standard pull-based lean principles.
What are "Fixed Sequence Variable Volume" (FSVV) and "product wheels"?
These are creative adaptations discovered in the literature that serve as alternatives to traditional Heijunka scheduling in continuous industries, helping to minimize changeover times while respecting machine constraints.
How do SMEs within the F&B sector differ from larger manufacturers in their lean approach?
SMEs often lack the internal knowledge, specialized staff, and financial resources found in large corporate groups, leading to different implementation strategies often centered on simplicity and owner-led change.
What is the author's final conclusion on the applicability of TPS to this industry?
The author concludes that TPS is applicable, but highlights that success depends on "creative" adaptation rather than blind imitation, requiring managers to adjust principles to fit their unique operational context.
- Quote paper
- Thomas Hillmann (Author), 2017, The Toyota Way. A Systematic Literature Review On How Companies In The European Food And Beverage Industry Have Applied The Toyota Production System, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/455564
