Eastern Michigan University DigitalCommons@EMU Master's Theses, and Doctoral Dissertations, and Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations Graduate Capstone Projects 5-10-2015 Factors that influence the implementation of the lean 5S tool within U.S. automotive suppliers Randy R. Kazmierski Follow this and additional works at: http://commons.emich.edu/theses Part of the Technology and Innovation Commons Recommended Citation Kazmierski, Randy R., "Factors that influence the implementation of the lean 5S tool within U.S. automotive suppliers" (2015). Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations. 621. http://commons.emich.edu/theses/621 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Master's Theses, and Doctoral Dissertations, and Graduate Capstone Projects at DigitalCommons@EMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@EMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Factors that Influence the Implementation of the Lean 5S Tool within U.S. Automotive Suppliers by Randy R. Kazmierski Research Dissertation Submitted to the College of Technology Eastern Michigan University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN TECHNOLOGY Concentration in Engineering Management Dissertation Committee: John Dugger, Ph.D., Dissertation Chair Alphonso Bellamy, Ph.D., Research Methods Representative Denise Pilato, Ph.D. Michael McVey, Ed.D. May 10, 2015 Ypsilanti, Michigan Abstract This study identified a number of key factors influencing the implementation of each of the phases of the lean 5S tool in suppliers to the U.S. automotive industry and to determine if these factors vary according to selected demographic variables. This study was conceived to develop a better understanding as to why some organizations fail to implement all five of the 5S phases and become stagnant. The research questions that guided the study included: RQ1: What factors were perceived by the respondents to have influenced the implementation of the lean 5S phases and elements in suppliers of manufacturing products to the U.S. automotive industry? RQ2: What is the relationship of the selected demographic variables on the perceived factors and the lean 5S phases in suppliers of manufactured products to the U.S. automotive industry? Active members of the American Society for Quality (ASQ) who have leadership functions within U.S. based automotive industry suppliers constituted the population for this study. An electronic survey questionnaire was developed and administered to active members who have leadership responsibilities within U.S. manufacturing suppliers and belonged to selected ASQ sections from the states of Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. The findings for research question 1 revealed that there is a strong relationship between all factors, elements and phases, and therefore all nine factors were perceived by the respondents to have an impact on the implementation of the lean 5S phases. The findings for research question 2 revealed that seven of the ten selected demographic variables affected each factor and each lean 5S phase. The results of the study provide a series of steps that i when followed can increase the likelihood of 5S implementation success within suppliers to the U.S. automotive industry. Suggestions for future research include: Develop a quasi-experimental study that can address cause and effect relationships for selected factors. A future study could be directed toward a comparison of an organization that has successfully implemented all of the 5S phases to one that has failed to determine what causes resulted in success or failure. A recommendation for future research is to develop a qualitative study to better understand the conditions that influence significant differences in respondents from different states that operate within the same automotive business. A recommendation for future research is to study suppliers of manufactured products to non-automotive organizations to determine if any similarities exist. Additionally, a recommendation for future research is to study the lean 5S implementation by suppliers to the service industries such as academia, medical services and entertainment. Another recommendation for future research is to study group dynamics such as the behavioral differentiation and the integration process of achieving unity of groups toward a common goal. ii Dedication To my wife, Ann; daughter Stacey; and son David, for their love, understanding and support iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Dugger, chair of my dissertation committee, for his professional support, guidance, encouragement, and valuable input throughout the dissertation process. I would also like to thank the other dissertation committee members: Dr. Pilato, Dr. McVey, Dr. Bellamy and Dr. Fields for their valuable advice, support, and feedback throughout this process. I am grateful to all faculty members at the College of Technology who taught me during the Ph.D. program. I am also grateful to all of the participants who completed my survey and made this study possible. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ...................................................................................................................................... i Dedication ................................................................................................................................ iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................................... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................................... v LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................. viii LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................. x Chapter 1: Introduction and Background .................................................................................. 1 Statement of the Problem ...................................................................................................... 6 Elements of Lean ................................................................................................................... 6 Lean 5S Tool ......................................................................................................................... 8 Rationale for the Study .......................................................................................................... 9 Purpose of the Research ...................................................................................................... 13 Research Questions ............................................................................................................. 13 Assumptions ........................................................................................................................ 14 Definitions of Terms ........................................................................................................... 14 Summary ............................................................................................................................. 16 Chapter 2: Review of the Literature ........................................................................................ 17 U.S. Manufacturing ............................................................................................................. 17 U.S. Manufacturing Trends ................................................................................................. 19 Automotive Manufacturing Industry ................................................................................... 22 Automotive Industry Suppliers ........................................................................................... 27 Quality-Improvement Leaders ............................................................................................ 28 Continuous Improvement Systems...................................................................................... 34 Continuous Improvement Tools .......................................................................................... 38 v Lean Systems....................................................................................................................... 39 Impacts of Lean Systems on Manufacturing ....................................................................... 41 Lean System Tools .............................................................................................................. 44 Lean 5S Tool ....................................................................................................................... 50 Summary ............................................................................................................................. 59 Chapter 3: Methods ............................................................................................................. 61 Research Methods ............................................................................................................... 61 Population and Sample ........................................................................................................ 62 Instrument Development ..................................................................................................... 62 Concept Identification.