The effect of lean manufacturing on a high-mix low-volume metal fabrication manufacturer

Lean manufacturing was typically viewed as a process improvement technique implemented by large-scale, mass production manufacturing firms; little documentation existed on small-scale-manufacturing firms making use of lean manufacturing. The objective of this research was to explore the impact the implementation of lean manufacturing has had on a small-scale manufacturing operation.;The majority of manufacturing firms in the United States fit within a small to mid-sized categorization, yet literature is disproportionately focused on the large mass production, automobile assembly type of operations. The health of the United States manufacturing economic base depends on the success of these small-scale entities.;Due to increased foreign competition, many manufacturing firms in the United States have faced two basic choices: either improve their operations and remain competitive or concede the domestic operations, relocating outside of the United States to take advantage of the cost reduction opportunities that exist elsewhere.;This study was based on a small-scale manufacturer that has implemented lean manufacturing in an attempt to remain competitive domestically. The research made use of paired t-test and pattern matching to evaluate the results obtained following the implementation of lean manufacturing.;This research took place over 21 months, comparing the performance of eight operational metrics before and after lean manufacturing implementation. The data indicates that the impact of lean manufacturing has had mixed results on the company being studied, with four of the eight operational metrics showing improvement.