Quality practices as a mediator of the relationship between Lean practices and production fitness

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to test a model that incorporates investments in quality and Lean practices and production fitness constructs, originating in the theory of swift even flow (SEF), to provide insights into successful implementation of manufacturing practices. Design/methodology/approach: This research uses data from the Global Manufacturing Research Group fourth round survey and empirically tests the relationships between investments in Lean practices and improvements in production fitness, using a sample of 844 plants in 17 countries. Findings: The results highlight that the implementation of Lean practices yields better results on production evenness, when the company has higher levels of investments in quality practices. Therefore, the implementation of quality practices is a prerequisite for achieving higher production fitness. Originality/value: The findings are important to the development and testing of operations management theory, as it integrates two research streams, manufacturing practices and SEF research, to gain insights into the interplay of manufacturing practices and how it influences the production fitness. For practitioners, this research assesses how better-performing plants compete. It provides operations managers with a better understanding of production fitness and how manufacturing practices foster its development.