Abstract—The purpose of this study is to investigate the adoption of lean manufacturing tools and techniques in the silk production Industry, A questionnaire survey was used to explore 14 key areas of lean manufacturing namely, scheduling, inventory, material handling, equipment, work processes, quality, employees, layout, suppliers, customers, safety and ergonomics, product design, management and culture, and tools and techniques. The respondents were asked to rate the extent of implementation for each of these areas. The average mean score for each area was calculated and some statistical analyses were then performed. In addition, the survey also examined various issues associated with lean manufacturing such as its understanding among the respondent companies, its benefits and obstacles, the tools and techniques used, etc. The survey results show that many companies in the Silk Production industry are committed to implement lean manufacturing. Generally, most of them are “moderate-to-extensive” implementers. All the 14 key areas investigated serve as a useful guide for organizations when they are adopting lean manufacturing. In essence, this is perhaps the first study that investigates the actual implementation of lean manufacturing in the Silk production industry.

Index Terms—Lean manufacturing tools and techniques, Silk production industry, Andhra Pradesh

Cite: Y Sujatha and K Prahlada Rao, "A Study on Lean Manufacturing Tools and Techniques Implementation in the Andhra Pradesh Silk Production Industry," International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics Research, Vol. 2, No. 4, pp. 59-73, October 2013.