Library research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Library research - Essay Example Jimenez, E., Tejeda, A., Blanco, J. and Martinez, E. â€Å"Application of lean production with VSM to the Rioja wine sector.† International Journal of Production Research 50.7 (2012): 1890-1904. Print. The article reports on a study on the use of lean production in wine sector in La Rioja. Its subject, lean production is a theory that aims at achieving economic utilization of resources towards optimum production levels, is a topic in operations management. The authors focus on lean production in a different sector from the theory’s traditional industry of application and investigate potential use of the lean production theory for economic utility of resources in the La Rioja’s wine sector towards optimum benefits. Operations management however defines management of processes in production and transportation of goods and services to users and this incorporates lean production concepts at the management’s production stage. The authors identify significance o f lean production in attaining competitiveness and efficiency and the fact that lean production has not been popular in many sectors. The theory establishes and eliminates all activities and processes in a production that do not benefit the process. Using Main Stream Mapping, the authors demonstrates applicability of lean production in La Rioja’s wine sector with the objective of making inference from the results. Lean production was developed in Japan’s motor vehicle industry but its advantages such as lower change periods, better working environments, quality workforce and accurate improvement initiatives has extended its popularity and application in other industries. Results show â€Å"reduction in raw materials† that â€Å"clarifying and quality test process† aids as well as lower inventory level for the organizations in the region’s wine sector. A number of benefits to the sector are attributed to the lean production strategy and examples inc lude lower overall production lead-time that can reduce by up to 60 percent, lower cost of raw materials from reduced volume, and this decrease can be as much as 13 percent of an organization’s expenditure on raw materials. The production approach also reduces losses and depreciation in materials’ value over the production process and facilitates communication between involved parties and departments in a production process. Improved efficiency in space and equipment utilization and better allocation of human resources across the production process are other identified benefits from the study. The results are valid because of their simulation in the target population with positive outcomes (Jimenez, Perez, Blanco and Martinez 1890- 1902). The article demonstrates the role of operations management, through lean production, in organization’s production efficiency and profitability. It identifies efficiency through improvements in production activities and processe s such as economical utility of time, space and human resource and improved quality that is also a result of the efficiency. This corresponds to the overall management objective, considering operations management as a branch of management, of reducing overall costs and improving overall revenues. The article therefore explains the role of oper