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An analysis of the sustainability of the lean manufacturing implementation at Volkswagen Group South Africa

This research report examines the changing nature of the organisation of work, in particular, the production methods in the South African automotive industry. The competition in the local and global markets has increased significantly in recent years. The increased complexity of products and individuality of customers pose strong challenges for the automotive manufacturers, (OEM – Original Equipment Manufacturers), with regard to product Quality, Cost and Delivery. For these challenges, Volkswagen Group South Africa, has defined objectives that, when met, will contribute towards establishing it as a leading automotive brand. It is aligned to the Volkswagen Group AG, Strategy Mach18, increased vehicle production and the creation of long-term delighted customer base. To achieve these objectives, the Volkswagen Production System (VPS) is an imperative component of the Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWGSA) production strategy. The core elements consist of, “Cycle”, “Flow”, “Pull” and “Perfection”. These are the four fundamentals on which Lean Manufacturing is built, as first introduced and described by the Toyota Production System. Lean manufacturing is a whole-systems approach that creates a culture in which everyone in the organisation continuously improves the process and production. Volkswagen Group South Africa is facing increased competition in the South African and global marketplace. A search of the internet revealed that extensive research has been conducted into Lean manufacturing in South Africa. However, no research is noted with regard to the sustainability of Lean manufacturing at Volkswagen Group South Africa. The aim of this study is to analyse the sustainability of the lean manufacturing implementation at VWGSA.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nmmu/vital:8901
Date January 2012
CreatorsWilliams, Anand
PublisherNelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis, Masters, MBA
Formativ, 88 leaves, pdf
RightsNelson Mandela Metropolitan University

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