Purpose – This editorial briefly outlines present applications of lean systems applications in healthcare and then summarises the contributions to this special edition. Design/methodology/approach – A brief background to lean is introduced to provide the context for the subsequent papers in this special issue Findings – The requirements for successful introduction of Lean Systems Thinking (LST)...

Purpose – This editorial briefly outlines present applications of lean systems applications in healthcare and then summarises the contributions to this special edition. Design/methodology/approach – A brief background to lean is introduced to provide the context for the subsequent papers in this special issue Findings – The requirements for successful introduction of Lean Systems Thinking (LST)...

The objective of the research is to examine and develop new methods and tools for management of knowledge in Lean Product development. Lean Product development attempts to apply lean philosophy and principles within product development process. Special emphasis is given to the so-called Set Based Lean Design principles. Such product development process requires innovative methodologies and tool...

Lean thinking “translation” from manufacturing to services settings is a topic of growing interest among academics and practitioners. Healthcare organizations have been one of the latest services settings adopting Lean principles, tools and techniques feeding a crescent stream of literature. However, despite of the important contribution of some review articles, the Lean embeddeness in differen...

The implementation of lean manufacturing has been on the rise globally. Numerous manufacturing industries including the Electrical and Electronics (E&E) industry in Malaysia has embraced lean methods in order to improve efficiency, achieve better quality and be more competitive on the global market front. However the journey to implement lean manufacturing is bound to encounter challenges. The ...

Lean philosophy, which promotes business excellence through continuous improvement, originates from the Japanese car manufacturer, Toyota’s Production System (TPS). An area where lean has not been fully explored is remanufacturing, a process that brings used products back to useful life. Remanufacturing is often a more complex process than manufacturing due to the uncertainty of process steps/t...

Popularisation of Lean in healthcare has led to emphasis on Lean quality improvement tools in isolation, with inconsistent results. We argue that delivery of safer, more efficient, and higher quality-patient focused care requires organisational transformation of which the Lean toolkit is only one component. To successfully facilitate system transformation toward higher quality care at lower cos...

Competitive cyclists typically sprint out of the saddle and alternately lean their bikes from side to side, away downstroke pedal. Yet, there is no direct evidence as whether leaning bicycle or conversely, attempting minimize lean, affects maximal power output during cycling. Here, we modified a cycling ergometer so that it can but also be locked prevent lean. This made possible compare 1-s cra...

In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that ANG II causes a greater vasoconstriction in obese Zucker rats, a model of type 2 diabetes, with mild hypertension. Measurement of isometric tension in isolated aortic rings with intact endothelium revealed a modest but not significantly greater ANG II-induced contraction in obese than lean rats. Removal of endothelium or inhibition of nitric o...