Previous

Page - 15

ii. Increasing product variety:
With each auto component manufacturer now supplying to multiple auto manufacturers (e.g., Sona Koyo's customer list includes Maruti Udyog, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors, Toyota Kirloskar, Hyundai, etc.), the product variety demanded of each manufacturer has increased. This new requirement of product flexibility increases the pressure on the manufacturing system.

iii. Supplier development:
The manufacturers who have successfully adopted the first stage of lean practices now need to develop their suppliers in turn, to make their practices aligned with their own.

iv. Creating an environment of continuous learning:
The skill levels of workers need to be enhanced in a continuous and systematic manner by training them. The workers, besides being taught work-related skills, also need to be taught to think about problem-solving in order to make practices, like suggestion schemes, a success.

v. IT integration:
Integration of enterprise software like ERP and SCM packages is the next step to realize increased productivity gains from manufacturing.

The challenges listed above are adapted from Sethuraman & Tirupati 2000.

vi. Problems with lean in global supply chains:
It has been noted (Levy 1997) that practicing lean production techniques in an international supply chain poses a lot of problems, viz: -

Next

* Contributed by -
Vaishnav Tadatmya Ashok,
IIM, Lucknow.