استفاده‌ی همزمان از تولید ناب و ERP: حرکت به سوی یک فرآیند اجرایی ناب مبتنی بر ERP

Lean production and enterprise resource planning systems are often quoted as being the two most important strategies for achieving competitive advantage in today's global manufacturing environments. Though IT has traditionally been viewed as a contributor to waste within lean production, we suggest that modern developments in IT and the onset of hybrid “push-pull” production control mechanisms have allowed ERP and lean approaches to converge towards a state where ERP systems can in fact be used to support the deployment of lean practices. This paper analyses typical lean and ERP implementation processes contained within the scientific literature, and by further examining a concurrent implementation process in real-time, we develop and propose a process for ERP-based lean implementations. Our findings suggest that the implementation of a contemporary ERP system can act as a catalyst for the application of lean production practices.

There seems to be a continuous debate in the literature as to whether or not lean production and information technology can be successfully combined in an enterprise (e.g. [6], [9] and [15]). However, in practice, companies have been building hybrid environments in which they take advantage of lean production practices facilitated by developments in information technology for quite some time [48]. This article attempts to shed light on the argument by addressing the parallel application of both approaches. By adopting an action research methodology, we examine the concurrent application of ERP and lean production practices within a single organization, in order to develop an ERP-based lean implementation process. Though coverage of such dual-implementations is currently very low, Masson and Jacobson [35] suggest that ERP-based lean implementations will grow over time. We draw parallels between the ERP and lean implementation processes, and show how the ERP implementation process can in fact behave as a catalyst for lean implementation. In order to guide our inquiry, we pose the following research question: RQ. How can existing methodologies for the implementation of lean production and ERP systems be combined to develop a single “best-practice” process for ERP-based lean implementations? 1.1. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems ERP is one of the most widely accepted choices to obtain competitive advantage for manufacturing companies [66]. ERP systems are designed to provide seamless integration of processes across functional areas with improved workflow, standardization of various business practices, and access to real-time data [32]. The fundamental benefits of ERP systems do not in fact come from their inherent “planning” capabilities but rather from their abilities to process transactions efficiently and to provide organized record keeping structures for such transactions [24]. Hopp and Spearman [22] suggest that whilst (at least on the surface) ERP seemed to contain aspects of just-in-time (JIT) by providing modules with names like “repetitive manufacturing” that provided the capability to level load the MPS and to implement pull, the philosophical elements of continuous improvement, visual management, and mistake proofing were missing. 1.2. Lean production Lean production is based on the principles and working processes of the Toyota Production System (TPS), and has been defined as doing more with less [65]. In its simplest terms, lean production can be described as the elimination of waste [30]. It has been most prominent in discrete, repetitive assembly-type operations [43]. Liker [30] suggests that the goals of lean production are highest quality, lowest cost, and shortest lead time. Lean production can be considered as a philosophy and as a set of tools and practices for the continuous improvement of operations. 2. Existing methodologies for the implementation process The extant literature in the form of international academic journals and educational textbooks was examined in order to identify existing processes and methodologies for the implementation of ERP systems and lean production. The most frequently cited implementation processes were selected for further analysis. The main criterion for selection was that the identified implementation process should have a definite sequence (i.e. a step-by-step implementation process).

Many managers feel that one of the benefits of ERP implementation is the chance to re-engineer their operations [22]. Similarly, Wallace and Kremzar [61] also state that ERP can be used to provide the foundation upon which additional productivity and quality enhancements can be built, whilst Abbas et al. [1] suggest that an ERP system can be used as a mechanism to effect enterprise-wide change with the long-term goal of significant business improvement. In this paper, we have combined existing methodologies for lean production and ERP systems in order to propose a single best practice approach which we call an “ERP-based lean implementation process”. We have also used data gathered from an action research project at an electronics producer in Trondheim, Norway, to develop the suggested methodology. Our findings suggest that the ERP implementation process can in fact be considered as a catalyst for the implementation of lean production in an enterprise. For example, Nauhria et al. [39] suggest that a well-implemented ERP system is the foundation on which an effective lean (six sigma) programme can be built. We go a step further and suggest that future perspectives of lean manufacturing should consider the ERP system as one of the tools in the lean toolbox, as the results of this research has placed the ERP implementation process as an imperative element of the lean implementation process. We also suggest that this type of methodology has practical implications for SMEs, as these types of company often struggle to implement either of the approaches independently. By using the ERP implementation process as a platform and catalyst for the deployment of lean practices, an SME can gain advantage from both approaches to production management.