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.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Literature review
- Operations management definition and paradigms
- The Toyota Production System
- Lean management's origins in the Toyota Production System
- 14 Lean management principles
- The interconnectedness of lean practices
- The diffusion of lean production
- Discrete industries
- Continuous industries
- Operations management in the food & beverage industry
- History of operations management in the F&B industry
- Current state of OM in the European F&B industry
- Methodology
- Research objectives, philosophy and approach
- Introduction to systematic literature review methodology
- Research framework
- Planning the review
- Literature preparation
- Review execution and reporting & dissemination
- Descriptive results
- Generic study features
- Dominant authors
- Chronological distribution of papers
- Classification of studies by industry sector
- Findings and discussion
- Drivers for lean implementation
- Obstacles for lean implementation
- F&B industry related obstacles
- Organisational obstacles
- Comparison of European F&B and automotive industry
- Critical success factors for lean implementation
- Lean practices used in the European F&B industry
- Adaptions to lean methodology
- Outcomes of lean implementation
- Limitations & suggestions for further research
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This dissertation aims to explore how companies in the European food and beverage industry have applied the Toyota Production System (TPS), examining its effectiveness and challenges in this context. It seeks to identify common drivers, obstacles, critical success factors, and outcomes of lean implementation in the European F&B industry.
- The application of Lean principles and practices in the European food and beverage industry
- Identifying the drivers and obstacles for lean implementation in this sector
- Examining the critical success factors for successful lean implementation in European F&B companies
- Analyzing the adaptations and modifications of the lean methodology in the F&B context
- Evaluating the impact of lean implementation on operational performance and other key outcomes
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: This chapter introduces the research topic, outlining the background, relevance, and research questions driving the study. It also provides a brief overview of the Toyota Production System (TPS) and its potential applications in the European food and beverage industry.
- Literature Review: This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of existing literature on operations management, the Toyota Production System, and the application of lean principles in various industries, including the food and beverage sector. It examines the historical development of lean management and its diffusion into different industries.
- Methodology: This chapter details the research methodology employed for the study. It describes the research objectives, philosophy, and approach, followed by an explanation of the systematic literature review methodology. It then outlines the research framework, covering planning, literature preparation, review execution, and reporting stages.
- Descriptive Results: This chapter presents descriptive results from the systematic literature review, including a characterization of the collected data, identification of dominant authors, and a chronological analysis of published studies. It also provides a classification of studies based on industry sector.
- Findings and Discussion: This chapter presents the main findings from the study, analyzing the drivers, obstacles, critical success factors, and outcomes of lean implementation in the European food and beverage industry. It also compares the findings to those from the automotive industry, where lean is more established.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The key terms and concepts explored in this dissertation are the Toyota Production System, lean management, operations management, food and beverage industry, European industry, critical success factors, drivers, obstacles, and outcomes of lean implementation.
- Citation du texte
- Thomas Hillmann (Auteur), 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
