• Energy Research

The main purpose of this paper is to show that if three specific contextual factors are present in a company, it is possible to achieve great performance improvements with a lean and industry 4.0 implementation. In terms of research methods, a case study was carried out of a project to implement digitalization and Lean practices in a cutlery company, which in fact encompassed a project of master’s degree in engineering and industrial management. Thus, the research question is: “It is possible to achieve major improvements in a lean and industry 4.0 implementation if three specific contextual factors are present in the company, namely (i) commitment of top management, (ii) knowledge on digitalization and lean, and (iii) very low Value-Added Ratio?”. Regarding the company project, action-research was adopted, and the project team began by mapping and diagnosing the production processes of the two product families (knives and spoons/forks). High levels of work in process, long throughput times, poor flow planning and control, and high stocks of finished products, quickly stood out in both families. Improvement proposals were developed and implemented, namely: (i) creation of a production scheduling and control system, (ii) improvement of the warehouse stock management system, and (iii) adoption of new routines, management tools, visual management, and kaizen meetings. The results achieved were excellent (e.g., throughput time reduced by 27.6% and productivity increased by 36.5%) and aligned with Sustainable Development Goals SDG 9 and 12. The findings of this study corroborate that exceptional results in the company performance can be achieved through a lean and industry 4.0 intervention, if the three referred contextual factors occur.

Production systems are often kept unchanged for long periods of time despite changes on both the marketplace and on the management model. Over relevant timeframes, this stagnation causes an accumulation of inefficiencies and wastes that leads to unproductive production systems. This paper presents a number of case studies on the redesign of production systems within the context of Lean Production. The findings revealed that fresh graduates in industrial engineering conducting their Master's project, acquainted with different production paradigms, are able to identify a number of problems and the respective need for the redesign of the production system. A number of benefits were observed among the companies that enabled the required changes, namely an improved productivity and flexibility as well as a reduction on the shop floor Lean' wastes.

Abstract Sustainable development is a subject of intense discussion, mainly due to climate change, pollution, and increased waste, among other factors. The governments of various countries worldwide have been setting environmental targets for emissions and consumption to combat climate change and improve the state of our planet. Therefore, it is necessary to have an environmental policy with stakeholder engagement. The literature review method, bibliometric analysis, and visual mappings were applied to understand how these sustainable targets are formulated and used by companies to comply with the limits proposed by governments. The Web of Science platform allowed data collection about Lean and Green, Key Performance Indicators (KPI), and Science-Based Targets (SBT). The carried analyses identified the most relevant papers using the PRISMA method, including their authors, their temporal distribution, and a correlation map using the VOSviewer tool. Hence, mapping the current state of the art concerning the SBT topic. Furthermore, a novel conceptual model is proposed to integrate lean and green and create new KPI applied to the definition of SBT to give companies a path and tools to achieve the climate targets efficiently. Future research should focus on the implementation of the conceptual model in several companies to understand its impact to correct and improve the conceptual model proposed.

Abstract Due to the increase in gas emissions and the growth of environmental problems globally, companies are striving to reduce their emissions and waste products in order to become more sustainable and preserve the environment. In order to solve this problem, an initiative called Science Based Targets has been created with the aim of defining targets and paths for companies to follow in order to reduce their carbon footprints. This article will analyse the impact that adherence to this initiative has had on companies' sustainability. To obtain the data, a survey was sent to Portuguese companies. It was concluded that in general Science Based Targets contribute to the sustainable development of organisations, however it is still a very recent initiative which has had low uptake by Portuguese companies.

Companies are continuously looking to improve their production systems using excellence models, with lean thinking, the Shingo model, six sigma and lean six sigma being the most comprehensive and applied. It is expected that the initial focus for the survival of companies is their economic profitability, but when economic needs are met, the next step is to achieve operational excellence. For this, in addition to economic objectives, it is necessary to include social and environmental objectives, i.e., the other two pillars of sustainability. This study aims to propose a conceptual model identifying the tools that can help achieve the desired results in the three pillars of sustainability aligned with operational excellence. The design of the conceptual model was based on a bibliometric analysis of the literature that relates the concepts of lean thinking, six sigma, lean six sigma and the Shingo model. The Web of Science was the platform selected for the collection of data, and the timeframe considered was 2010 to 2021. A total of 125 articles were analyzed using the VosViewer software, through which it was possible to analyze different topics of study related to the literature. The bibliometric analysis allowed for the identification of the temporal distribution of publications, the categorization of topics, different areas of application and the importance of the tools used in different practical cases. This study points out that companies have at their disposal several tools to achieve economic objectives. On the other hand, there is a set of more restricted tools that are used to meet the objectives of the social and environmental pillars. Future research should focus on identifying tools that meet social and environmental goals in order to strengthen these pillars that are essential for operational excellence and for the sustainability of companies.