Improving Enterprise Production Management System on the Basis of Lean Production

The modern Russian machine industry is characterized by low efficiency and a low level of competitiveness in comparison with the foreign one. The implementation of Lean production concept in Russian industrial enterprises is one of the ways to solve this problem. The article analyzes process of improving enterprise production activities using Lean production concept. We used an Internet survey instrument to collect responses from Russian firms about the reasons for Lean production implementation. Despite a rich literature on Lean production, there are limited researches on the features of this concept implementation process in Russia. Many Russian companies allocate significant resources to implementing Lean production on the manufacturing shop floor, but underestimate the role of staff. Moreover, Lean tools are actually forced, Russian firms create atmosphere of fear that contradicts Lean idea itself. Thus in the article the role of human factor in Lean technologies implementation is considered. In the course of this research, the role of staff in Lean production implementation at six Nizhny Novgorod enterprises was analyzed. The situation turned out to be quite similar. Therefore, as an example, we consider one of the machine industry enterprises in more detail. We used a survey instrument and conducted survey of workers on the topic “Organization and management of production activities in Shop Floor N1”. The questionnaire consisted of 30 questions including both open-close and multiple choice questions. A shop floor staff survey revealed serious problems that had not been clearly identified and formulated before. We tested our hypothesis that an appeal to the employees is not a formal attribute of Lean production. We found that it is an effective tool, the use of which allows management to identify many hidden losses and eliminate them using a minimum amount of financial resources, increase staff motivation as well as maintain creative atmosphere. Overall, our research suggests that Russian companies can get more out of their Lean implementations if they change the attitude of the staff.