The Prospects and Challenges of Lean Manufacturing Deployment within Manufacturing SMEs in Nigeria: A Literature Review

Abstract

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) played a vital role in manufacturing goods for consumer and industrial purposes, making them instrumental in business growth and economic development. However, issues of poor quality and substandard products prevail due to limited technical knowledge that hindered them from competing locally and globally in Nigeria—arising from the lack of lean manufacturing deployment and implementation. Therefore, the study aims to provide an insight into the prospect and challenges of manufacturing SMEs in Nigeria as it relates to the deployment of lean manufacturing tools and techniques. The study would aid manufacturing SMEs in better comprehending their potentials and problems, hence, deploying lean manufacturing initiatives successfully. The study applied a literature review approach through past empirical and conceptual studies from reputable journals and reports. Based on the available literature, the study finds that though manufacturing SMEs in Nigeria are faced with numerous issues, e.g., poor leadership, lack of qualified personnel, and inadequate funds , they have shown higher prospects of deploying lean manufacturing successfully. The study concludes that manufacturing SMEs should bank on potentials like flexible organizational culture and structure, easy access to customers and suppliers, and flexible manufacturing system to deploy lean manufacturing, which will further aid in waste elimination, value addition, customer satisfaction, and enhanced performance. The study serves as the foundation for further empirical research on issues related to lean manufacturing deployment within SMEs, thereby proffering solutions to the quality challenges they are facing.