LEAN PRODUCTION VS. ERP SYSTEMS: AN ICT PARADOX?

Lean production has lead to substantial improvements in performance across many industries and is widely implemented today. The development of ICT support for manufacturing has also led to substantial improvements in production effectiveness. While certain aspects of lean such as the focus on workplace organisation (5S) and total productive maintenance (TPM) have been applied to all types of industrial processes, the lean production control principles (i.e. JIT and kanban) have simply been avoided in the presence of ERP systems. With a focus on manufacturing planning and control, this paper aims to compare and contrast the differences between lean production control principles and ERP systems in order to identify the challenges of implementing both approaches within the manufacturing industry of today. The challenges will form areas for further research.