**6. Three IT (information technology) innovation trends impacting lean manufacturing**

According to [19] one of the industries with the greatest global impact is the manufacturing industry, in which there is high competition worldwide. Therefore, he recommends that companies become aware of the transformation they must have in three areas: Internet of things (IoT), Smart factory and Personnel management.

#### **6.1 Internet of Things (IoT)**

Within the manufacturing sector, identification devices such as RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) or RTLS (Real Time Location System) are key to optimizing and planning process automation [19].

#### **6.2 Smart factory**

More and more companies are interested in adopting digital approaches in their processes to optimize costs and times. One of the great transformers in the sector is business software that integrates processes, since they help improve the profit margin or reduce machine downtime. An example is ERPs (enterprise resource planning system), which benefit the generation of proactive analysis, the reduction of errors or the monitoring of payments and collections [19].

In Mexico, 5S's application software was for MSMEs with the aim of being an engine of change towards continuous improvement [20]. Transforming the way of carrying out day-to-day operations in the MSME field is the innovative contribution that is intended to achieve it with the development of a 5S's application software. An improvement to the software is considered by adding four more S's, Shikari, Shitsukoku, Seishoo and Seido (Constancy, Commitment, Coordination and unification through standards); that is, implement up to 9S's in companies. Likewise, the 5 W (5 why), poka yoke and visual control tools can be developed in the same software.

The implementation of the 5S tool in all SMEs, aims to eliminate waste and ensure a clean and orderly work environment. The results of the application of this lean tool in SMEs are immediate, the result is a great visual impact, avoiding customer complaints, improving staff participation and improving process efficiency [21–23].

### **6.3 Personnel management**

The manufacturing industry is one of the most questioned when it comes to staff turnover. The sector must be more sensitive to the importance of retaining the bestqualified workers because their potential generates greater competitiveness. It invests in the training, promotion and well-being of workers. It also detects areas of opportunity and improvement in the functions they perform within the organization [19].

According to [24] successful innovation requires a strategic and tactical deployment in the organization, integrating the commitment, resources, capabilities, and joint efforts of the different dependencies of the company, from senior management to operators. This includes engineering, research and development (R&D), production, marketing, merchandising, finance, human resources, and other functions.

In the context of lean manufacturing and its multiple tools, continuous improvement is immersed (**Table 2**). This is a key element in quality standards and processes. Currently in the quality culture of companies, the main standard is precisely continuous improvement, whose philosophy has permeated in various sectors around the world. A typical example is the Japanese companies, which lead the application of the tools of lean manufacturing, quality management and continuous improvement. This work methodology is about the Toyota Company, which is currently a


**Table 2.** *Tools related to innovation.* model to follow in lean manufacturing since it achieved a balance in the combination of strategy design and operational excellence.

Some of the tools mostly used in companies, aimed at the operational area are 5 s (Seiri, Seiton, Seiso, Seiketsu, Shitsuke), which is applied in companies basically to avoid waste, improve performance and efficiency and thereby improve productivity in the workplace. SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Die), its usefulness in the processes is to reduce the change time and increase the reliability of the change process itself. TPM (Total Productive Maintenance), focuses on managing the maintenance of the company in order to maintain zero failures, here all personnel and all phases of the production process are involved. Kanban serves to identify the material requirements made in the production process [25].

JIT (Just In Time) tools, which originated with the purpose of eliminating inventory, are also widely used, in addition to other diagnostic and monitoring tools, automatic stops, takt time, level production etc. These tools originally created in the Japanese automotive industry, with a notable deployment to other sectors of the maquiladora industry, but especially in other areas and in small or medium-sized companies around the world.

In summary, lean manufacturing has triggered a series of steps that allow a true adherence to excellence, among these steps is continuous improvement, the objective of which is to achieve standards and good quality management. In this sense [26] mention that the starting point for companies is to have an organization focused on the client, understand current and future needs and try to satisfy them. Another essential aspect is having excellent leadership through which the staff is involved and thereby enhances the participation of different levels and areas of the company, which translates into a high level of commitment.

In the culture of quality, emphasis is on the focus on systematized processes directed towards quality management. These aspects result in a constant evolution towards quality and lead to efficient decision making that benefits both the forward processes, that is, with the client; as backwards, that is to say with the providers; thus achieving a convergence in all the processes involved.

Historically, there have been great companies and brands that have made revolutionary contributions to quality. Proof of this is undoubtedly Ford Motor Company, American Telephone & Telegraph and Western Electric, whose processes initiated the implementation of quality criteria in various areas, not only in production. On this same subject, the participation of Japanese companies has been more than relevant, since in addition to Toyota, "Company Wide Quality Control" was created, which involves all the resources and processes existing in the company, thus achieving what is called "total quality" [27].

On the other hand, in Europe there is the "European Foundation For Quality Management" that synthesizes its quality model in the satisfaction of customers and employees through leadership that promotes policies and strategies of the organization. Along with an adequate implementation of the resources and above all a perfect management of the most important processes in the organization to obtain excellence in results [28].

As for the Latin American region, there are also records of the implementation of lean manufacturing tools as a strategy for achieving quality. In the study [29] analyzed Mexican and Colombian companies, and applied an instrument where they were asked, among other things, how often they use tools for quality management. The responses showed a clear trend towards use in managerial positions and from middle to senior management onwards. What is interesting about this analysis is that it focused on small and medium-sized companies, which makes it clear that the culture of quality has permeated not only in various areas, but also in companies from different sectors.

#### *Lean Manufacturing as a Strategy for Continuous Improvement in Organizations DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96427*

In summary, lean manufacturing provides great benefits to companies by eliminating waste, processes that do not generate value and that make administration bureaucratic and expensive. The new projects seek to be born in the context of continuous improvement and quality culture, and on the other hand, existing companies make great efforts to incorporate these work methodologies, seeking as their main purpose the reduction of operating costs.

It is clear that the adoption of lean manufacturing is on the way towards efficiency in the processes of the main line of business of companies. It is evidently focused on permeating the organizational culture in order to transform the competitiveness of the company; and thus be more attractive to shareholders, employees, suppliers and customers. Every time of a demand of better conditions not only in the products, but also in the prices, response times of the company, the commitment that it shows on social responsibility and environmental responsibility; and in general in the image that is projected towards the market [30].

For companies to have the ability to respond to the new and increasingly demanding market requirements, the decision to adopt the culture of quality is necessary first. It corresponds to managers or owners of the companies, probably encouraged by the workers themselves who are in the operational area and know and experience the problems that carry out their work in a daily way.

A part of special importance in such a large organizational change is to establish, provide and promote the appropriate conditions for the development of this type of project. Carrying out an organizational transformation entails re-educating all the parties involved. From suppliers, at the time they are requested to implement computer systems that make deliveries just in time and without defects, through production that must focus on zero errors, zero waste and zero delays, encouraging real production cost calculations and exact, documentation, improvement and control of each of the processes, as well as efficient and effective management of resources. All the departments that together make up the company must also be involved, that is; continuous improvement and lean manufacturing must permeate the entire organization.

These business transformations must emerge from the organizational culture itself, it does not mean a change of personnel to generate new uses and customs, but an evolution in the way in which business processes are carried out, trying to reduce the maximum movements and the number of processes and transactions carried out to achieve production.

Among the main elements of the culture of quality, it is suggested to bear in mind that perfection does not exist; however, processes can work in a harmonious, uninterrupted way and with immediate error detection to avoid waste and rework. It is important to have an open mind that socializes the information openly, and above all to talk and share problems as well as opportunities for improvement, for example holding kaizen events where problems are analyzed to obtain holistic resolutions that involve the entire company.

Another essential aspect in the culture of continuous improvement is to instruct workers to maintain a dynamic based on learning, which is also systematized and is not linked especially to one person, but to the work team in general. This is important given that when a problem is studied and all parties participate, each department exposes its intervention in the analyzed process and the way in which they can intercede to improve and at the same time reduce the amount of processes, costs, and waste that were generated.

Once this open culture is established, the next level is to encourage accompaniment to support people in the development of their processes, and remain receptive to the emergence of new ways of doing things, accept, adopt and adapt changes that generate added value, lower costs and provide greater agility in deliveries. It should

not be forgotten that in lean manufacturing there are four important parts that must be coordinated to achieve perfection in the systems. According to [31] the starting point is the design and engineering of the product, the supply chain, the demand and the customer.

The design is based on teamwork made up of members who come from different departments, with experienced leaders who encourage effective and respectful communication, where all participants must express acceptance of the decisions made, with the aim of that differences and conflicts are exposed at the beginning of the projects and not afterwards.

On the other hand, companies require excellent coordination in the supply chain to have access to good quality materials, with fair prices and in a timely manner. In the lean philosophy, functional levels are proposed and each of them has its own responsibilities. The first level is the integral part of the design and development of a new product. The second level is where the necessary parts are supplied. It should be borne in mind that lean manufacturing considers the customer first as the guiding principle of what to do. Therefore, companies must adapt to the market and the constant transformation of demand.

It is worth mentioning that every day the market and with it the demand, tastes and preferences of consumers continue to globalize. This fact has led small companies to incorporate lean manufacturing practices since to be part of the global value chains of the production systems of large companies (transnational, multinational, international and global), the main requirement is the management of quality demonstrated from production under standardization.

In this increasing integration, it is impossible to go back and regionalize production since supply chains are interconnected globally, which means that production is also global. In this sense, it is urgent, especially for micro, small and medium-sized companies, to join what has also been called the Toyota house, whose main objective is excellence in operations [32].

The key piece of this transformation is undoubtedly a human talent that enjoys commitment, academic training, professional experience, communication and leadership skills and with sufficient motivation to direct their efforts towards the realization of stable and standardized processes that result in a level production, always working under the motto of continuous improvement.
