Investigating the Level of Utilization of Lean Manufacturing Tools in Palestinian Manufacturing Enterprises Case Study: Ramallah رسالة ماجستير

Abstract

Lean Manufacturing (LM) principles and tools have been used by manufacturing enterprises all over the world to achieve operational excellence and gain competitive advantage in the market; it is believed that LM can be introduced to assist enterprises in achieving effective and efficient production which will result in better business performance. This research aims to investigate the extent to which LM tools are utilized by manufacturing enterprises in Ramallah and the relation between some enterprise characteristics and the level of utilization of these tools. The motivation of the research was based on the substantial benefits that can be achieved from the application of the LM in addition to the very limited research in this area in the Palestinian context, where the need for understanding the current state and formulation of an overview of the manufacturing enterprises is an essential step to design future research and interventions. The research adopted a quantitative approach where a random sample from the manufacturing enterprises was used to collect relevant data from 147 enterprises working in Ramallah governorate. Focusing on the most commonly used LM tools, ten tools were selected associated with LM: (5S, JIT, TPM, VSM, KAIZEN, Standardized Work, Visual management, Cellular design, Setup reduction and SMED, Smaller lot Size). Data were collected using a structured questionnaire consisting mainly of closed-ended questions and was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings indicate medium to high level of utilization of LM tools in manufacturing enterprises in Ramallah, Palestine. The level of utilization of LM tools depends on a XI variety of factors, including the enterprise's size and industry sector, while ownership type doesn’t have an influence on the level of utilization. This research contributes to the existing body of knowledge, especially in the Palestinian context, by providing insights about the LM tools used in the manufacturing enterprises where limited research is available on this topic.