Autor: Yilmaz Uygun

In this paper we present a short summary of the empirical studie we conducted among German logistics service providers in order to derive the diffusion of methods of Lean Production Systems in this industry. The study sheds light on the extent of the latent application of some methods so as to evaluate the preconditions of the development of a „Lean Production System” for logistics service providers.

Lean Production-Systems (LPS) are widespread especially among the big automobile producers. LPS are company-specific configured systems which optimally coordinate technical, personal, and organisational methods. The implementation and maintenance (of elements) of an LPS requires a certain effort, but provides also many benefits. The effort-benefit relation especially for small and medium-sized enterprises is often not known. This paper allows in this context an overview of how to make this relation transparent as to production factors and size of enterprise.