Lean and Green Manufacturing in operations strategy: cases from the automotive industry

Abstract

Players in the automotive industry have been adopting different strategies to remain competitive, including product and process innovation, Lean Manufacturing, and, more recently, Green Manufacturing. In this paper, we seek to explore the integration of Lean and Green manufacturing activities from the perspective of Operations Management and Operations Strategy. We carried out case studies at four Original Equipment Manufacturers and two first-tier suppliers in the automotive industry, examining their operations strategies, their Lean practices and their Green practices to discuss whether Lean and Green practices were integrated and aligned with companies' operations priorities. We found that companies have adopted different Operations Strategies considering operations competitive priorities, decision areas subjected to changes, and Lean and Green practices implemented. Cases analysed show different levels of Lean and Green Manufacturing adoption and different levels of integration of Lean practices and Green practices. The study indicates that the implementation of an operations strategy, with the addition of the Environment to the set of competitive priorities and involving the implementation of Lean and Green practices – or the implementation of Green practices in production systems that have already adopted Lean practices –, is a complex management task.