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PurposeDrum-Buffer-Rope (DBR) is a method to adjust production flows, synchronize the release of materials and enable a process of focused improvement in production systems. Literature on DBR applications in engineer-to-order (ETO) production systems, where customers participate in product design decisions and, consequently, in the way production is planned and executed, is rare. However, the interest in improving production management in ETO systems has received attention from the scientific and business communities. The goal of this research was to evaluate the implementation of DBR in an ETO productive system, critically analyzing the necessary adaptations for its use.Design/methodology/approachThis research was conducted through a case study in a company that manufactures electronic equipment, known as avionics, in the aerospace sector.FindingsIn this context, the contribution of this study consists of evaluation of the implementation of DBR in an ETO productive system, describing the implementation and the necessary adaptations of the DBR to the ETO productive system explored, comparing it with the DBR theoretical proposals and Simplified Drum-Buffer-Rope (S-DBR) methods.Originality/valueThe study contributes to knowledge by expanding the field of the DBR application to make it more precise, and by applying the theory of constraints, in a general manner, to this type of productive environment.

PurposeThe fashion sector is complex. It involves multiple actors with distinct and potentially conflicting interests, forming a value ecosystem. Thus, knowing the interested parties and belonging to the fashion sector may be a means to promote technological innovation, such as products with wearables. The purpose of this paper to identify the participants of the fashion ecosystem from the perspective of wearable technologies and develop a conceptual model.Design/methodology/approachThe present work aims to identify the participants (actors) and develop a conceptual model of the fashion ecosystem from the perspective of wearable technologies. The systematic literature review is the recommended method to qualitatively analyze documents and identify the interested parties (actors) in the fashion sector in order to design the proposed conceptual model.FindingsFrom the studies, the conceptual model of the fashion value ecosystem was designed, and the wearable product was considered its core business. The studies identified addressed ecosystems of fashion value in general but not specific to wearable products and their relations with other complementary industries.Research limitations/implicationsThe model was designed using secondary data only. Its validation is relevant through interviews with experts.Originality/valueIn terms of relevance, when conducting a systematic literature review, there were no studies that included wearable technologies in the fashion ecosystems discussed and their relations with other industries. The topic of wearables is an emerging subject that needs further research aiming to insert this technology in productive sectors.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the relations in the Marketing/Operations interface through the analysis of data of the operational reality of a Brazilian company with a low technological intensity. The study aims to quantify and determine the impacts of marketing decisions on delivery performance and on flexibility of the operations area.Design/methodology/approachA longitudinal case study was conducted and the variables used in the model were derived from established theories and were evaluated with artificial neural networks. The case of a food manufacturing company was selected to reflect the relations in the marketing/operations interface of a low technological intensity enterprise.FindingsThe results show that the decisions on Place/Channel, Price and Product dimensions of marketing exert a significant impact on flexibility and delivery performance of the operation area.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of the case study cannot be generalised and the outcomes are specific to just one firm. However, the approach lends itself to replication, particularly within low technological intensity companies.Originality/valuePrior studies have focussed on coordination among functional areas as marketing and operations at higher levels of abstraction. The study contemplate empirical propositions through the data analysis of a company with a low technological intensity that can be used to improve managers' decisions and alignment in the Marketing/Operation Interface.

PurposeThe purpose of the present study is to identify and measure economically the losses related to inventory management in an oil refinery.Design/methodology/approachAn exploratory case study was conducted to search for a better understanding of a phenomenon and its implications.FindingsThe results obtained based on the case study suggest the need to observe this phenomenon in other contexts and take managerial actions that will eliminate waste as one of the forms of generating value for the company. The results were related to each other and to the traditional metrics of inventory management and can be used as a base to improve mathematical and computational models for production planning and scheduling and also performance indicators.Originality/valueNo studies have been found that attempt to measure the economic losses derived from inventory management and their capacity in this environment.

Purpose Football is significant in the global economic context. However, the same significance is not identified in the value added to the chain, as the elements that make it up act in a disintegrated and independent manner with undesired effects. Consequently, it is necessary to structure the undesired effects to seek the basic causes that sustain this problematic situation. Thus, this paper aims to use a CRT to structure the undesired effects and basic causes that limit the positive economic impacts of the south Brazilian football value chain. Design/methodology/approach A semi-structured questionnaire was applied with questions about the existing constraints. Based on the answers in the interviews, the current reality tree was elaborated, premised on identifying the basic causes that sustain the undesirable effects detected. Findings Among the main results, it was identified that management problems of the traditional leaders of football clubs and federations are considered the main reason why south of Brazil football cannot fully exploit its economic potential. Originality/value It is evidenced that the paper shows the undesired effect that has the most impact on the development of this chain, and it is important to propose improvements to its root causes, aiming at greater efficacy of the resulting actions.

Purpose Football is deployed into various segments and consists of a complex value chain, with interrelationships and circularities. It is relevant in various segments and therefore it is important to understand the structure. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to present a model of a football value chain and the managerial implications inherent to this chain. Design/methodology/approach This research used a field study as its methodology, developing a semi-structured questionnaire containing open-ended questions about the representativeness of the football value chain. In-depth interviews with specialists in football were performed to collect data. Findings The results of the interviews indicated that the theoretical model is representative. Furthermore, through validation, the relevance and representativeness of the football value chain was shown, as well as its interrelationships with the other commodity and service segments. In addition, it was found that this segment is relevant and influential in the national and international market, and can be considered a factor of economic and social development. Research limitations/implications This paper provides a view of the actors who make up the football value chain, and also supplies a complementary view to the models of chains presented in the theoretical review, enabling the provision of evidence on the axis with greater added value as a new step. The limitation of this research involves the context approached, because as identified throughout the investigation, this context is complex and dynamic. In this way, the linear approach used to construct this chain led to a reduced view of reality and of present relationships. Practical implications The model shows the presence of the main actors and the structure for the transformation of raw material into a final product, and is useful to understand the existing relationships and the layers of added value. Social implications The evaluation of the conceptual model of football value chain confirms that this is a professionalized chain, which generates a significant number of direct and indirect jobs. Originality/value The authors propose a model of a football value chain which is complementary to the theoretical review developed, exposing a linkage of the players present in this chain and at what stage they are present, and supplies the managerial implications inherent to this.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a method for assisting micro and small companies of the industrial sector with the adoption of Lean practices.Design/methodology/approachThe paper outlines the method construction steps, which used a design science research approach.FindingsThis research led to the structuring of a method for implementing Lean Manufacturing tools in micro and small companies of the industrial sector. The developed method contributed to the knowledge in Lean Manufacturing by systematizing its tools in a heuristic approach that can be applied to an operation using overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) as a guiding indicator.Practical implicationsThis method can be used to guide the implementation of Lean tools in SMEs industries.Originality/valueThe originality of this paper lies in the adoption of an operation-focused approach only (rather than an approach that begins with the mapping of an entire process) and the use of OEE as the basis for prioritization of improvements to be performed and operational control.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the productive efficiency and the best operational practices in an armaments manufacturer.Design/methodology/approachA longitudinal case study is performed using data envelopment analysis (DEA). Using DEA, an assessment of six years in the company manufacturing process is conducted. The research aims at developing an internal benchmark on three production lines of the company.FindingsThe results show that only one of the three analyzed production lines increased efficiency over time. With this result, the most efficient production line may be used as a reference in relation to the best operational practices of the company. Moreover, it was found that the current indicators to evaluate efficiency are insufficient and may lead to wrong management decisions.Practical implicationsThis research could allow a larger understanding of the factors that really contribute to increased operational efficiency. This is due to internal benchmark assist in the identification of the best practices. The identification of best practices can contribute to enhance the efficiency of inefficient operations without the need for external comparisons.Originality/valueDEA contributes due to its robustness, for the evaluation of productive efficiency. One of the contributions of this study is to identify opportunities for improvement in key components of the operation through targets, internal benchmarking and robust assessment of productive efficiency.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to longitudinally assess the technical efficiency and productivity, considering investment projects and technological change, in a second-generation petrochemical company. Design/methodology/approach The study uses data envelopment analysis (DEA) together with the Malmquist index to measure efficiency during the analysis periods. The working method consists of four main phases, namely development of the conceptual model, construction of the mathematical model, application of model to the case, and analysis of the results. The study utilizes a quantitative approach with descriptive goals seeking to evaluate the impacts of technical changes on the operational efficiency and productivity of the production process. Findings The use of DEA associated with the Malmquist index proved to be viable for analyzing a single company and identifying efficiency improvements, as well as the impacts of the learning process and the implementation of improvement projects. However, the results of the improvement projects and learning process were not representative and had no statistical significance on the actual change in efficiency of the company during the periods analyzed. For the case in question, the learning process and continuous improvement were not observed during all study periods. Practical implications The proposition that the improvement projects and investments implemented increased the efficiency of the company was rejected. Hence, with this work, it was possible to determine that the company unnecessarily invested resources in projects to increase efficiency. Furthermore, the company could have explored more internal resources before making significant investments in increased efficiency. Originality/value As for the value of this research in the theoretical and academic scope, this paper advances knowledge on the application of DEA because it proposes to establish an internal reference benchmarking for comparison. The literature contains few studies that analyze organizations using continuous processes, such as petrochemical processes, in longitudinal studies as a function of time, especially with the use of DEA.

Purpose Research in business processes has been developed around a disciplinary approach toward the production of traditional knowledge, known as Mode 1. The problems studied with this approach are solved in a context in which academic knowledge prevails, with no major concerns regarding its practical applicability. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to propose a structure for knowledge production based on Mode 2 for business process researches. Design/methodology/approach A bibliometric research was conducted to define and conceptualize the classes of disciplinary problems, by assessing the years 2007-2012 of the Business Process Management Journal publications. Findings A framework for the Mode 2 knowledge production was proposed in the development of research in business process and conceptualized classes of problems related to this issue. Research limitations/implications This work was carried out with specific focus on research in business process, so the defined classes of problems cannot be generalized. Originality/value The studies identified by this research are in the form of a disciplinary approach toward the production of traditional knowledge, known as Mode 1. This paper aims to fill the gap of a transdisciplinary production of knowledge and practical application, known as Mode 2 in the context of business process.

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to present a case of integration between the processes modeling by using the Value Stream Mapping (VSM) and the Thinking Process of the Theory of Constraints (TP-TOC) through the analysis of productive processes of an organization, indicating the complementary aspects between them and their benefits to the organization.Design/methodology/approach– The paper uses a company of the Brazilian automotive industry as the administering site. The research began by identifying the organization's processes and choice of a family of products to model according to the VSM approach. The integrated view between the losses in the process (VSM) and the unwanted effects of the adding value process were analyzed by using the Current Reality Tree. After the analysis, different improvement procedures are proposed based on the lean principles. Finally, a work plan is presented based on the previous steps aiming to achieve the proposed future state.Findings– The analysis of this case helps to understand and identify the causes of the current problems in the processes studied, providing an integrated view between the losses in the process and the prioritization of steps for the elimination of such losses. The approach in its initial administration was robust and the solution steps were promising. By integrating these approaches, it was possible to verify improvement opportunities by identifying the losses and the basic causes that sustain the unwanted effects in the processes at the same time.Originality/value– The study proposes an approach that enables a systematic and systemic analysis of the processes at organizations through the combined use of process modeling through the VSM and TP-TOC. Simultaneously, the losses in the processes and the unwanted effects are identified. Thus, through the construction of an effect-cause-effect robust logic, both losses in particular and the unwanted effects in general can be prioritized in order to maximize the improvement efforts in the processes.

PurposeThe paper aims to present a case of integration between process engineering and the thinking process of the theory of constraints (TP‐TOC) through the analysis of an organization's processes, pointing out the complementary aspects between the two theories and their benefits for the organization.Design/methodology/approachThe paper has used an Institution of Higher Education as its case study. The research has started by identifying the processes of the institution and choosing one to model according to the process engineering approach. The process was then analyzed through the elaboration of the current reality tree technique. After the analysis, the evaporating clouds technique was applied in order to breach the assumptions that were avoiding the problems to be solved. Finally, the process has been redesigned based on the results of the previous steps.FindingsThe analysis of this case contributes towards understanding and identifying the causes of the current problems in the studied processes, providing a systemic and systematic view through the proposed approach.Originality/valueThe paper proposes an approach that enables a systematic and systemic analysis of organizations' processes through the use of process engineering and the TP‐TOC.