Proponents of Lean Manufacturing (lean) claim that the benefits of implementing this system are not restricted to the automotive industry where lean originated. On the other hand, opponents of lean argue against its claimed universality and stress that even within the automotive industry mass production still prevails. This research aimed at examining this claimed universality by investigating whether lean is applicable to the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) Industry. The research was carried out via qualitative, multiple case-studies of three different Saudi Arabia FMCG operations including two confirmatory interviews, one with a US FMCG manufacturer and another with a UK manufacturer. Data was collected via semi-structured interviews with 22 participants.
The research concluded that the same types of waste identified by lean in the automotive industry are present in the FMCG industry, suggesting that lean could be implemented in FMCG operations. The study also identified the conditions required for successful implementation and consequently developed a conceptual framework for implementing lean in the FMCG industry.
