Use of Lean Manufacturing to Reduce Waste in Aerospace and Defence Industry: A Quantitative Study

Abstract

This research analysed o the role of lean manufacturing in waste reduction within the Aerospace and Defence (A&D) industry. Using a comprehensive literature review and analysis of secondary data from 32 studies, 49 observations were recorded on the effect of lean techniques on waste reduction. The study highlighted an average waste reduction of 13.8% across various lean tools, with Quality Function Deployment (QFD) proving to be the most effective, followed by colour coding, Kanban, Value Stream Mapping (VSM), Lean Six Sigma (LSS) and 5S. The effectiveness of lean tools in A&D was found to differ based on the firm size, with large firms observing a mean waste reduction of 16% compared to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) at 10.8%.