Enabling or inhibiting? : exploring the impact of information technology on lean manufacturing

• In recent years researchers have gradually revised their assumptions regarding IT-related change. It is now contended that this is best understood as a dynamic, reciprocal and interpretive process during which manufacturing processes and institutional structures are inextricably linked. The aim of this paper is to better understand the enabling and inhibiting impacts IT has on lean manufacturing. This paper provides a rich picture of a paper mill producing liner reels and the impact of a reel administration system on the manufacturing process. It is important that an IT tool supporting lean manufacturing reflects its organization. When it does the IT tool can act as an enabler of organizational change that in turn increase productivity and the production quality, when it fails to do so it inhibits organizational change and hampers the quality of production. The conclusion is that framing the definition of high production quality regarding product and process is important and that teambuilding would be a contribution to this end by enhancing perspective taking among the employees.

Keyword

Lean manufacturing

organizational change

quality management

production quality

industrial IT

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)