LEANNESS LEVEL OF MANUFACTURING COMPANIES - A SURVEY ON LEAN MANUFACTURING IMPLEMENTATION

Abstract

Lean manufacturing is a well-known methodology to optimize company processes towards the increase of company performance. Despite the fact its benefits were confirmed over many years, the rate of successful implementations is questionable. This article focuses on an evaluation of the leanness level given by a level of implementation of lean manufacturing methodology in manufacturing companies. It brings results gained from the survey made in the production companies related to the Czech Republic. The survey focused on an evaluation of the use of basic lean manufacturing tools. Based on acquired data, the leanness level of the companies was calculated. Results showed that an overall average leanness level is 56%. Big differences between large companies and small and medium companies were found. A gap between theoretical promoted tools and their utilization in real companies was found as well. There is a discussion on the possibility of improving the level of leanness.