Abstract:
1. Introduction
The apparel sector of Sri Lanka contributes significantly to the economy by
providing employment opportunities and enhancing national income. The
apparel industry is labor-oriented and subjected to considerable errors and
wastage. The lean practice is a systematic approach to eliminate wastage by
removing non-value-adding operations. This study aims to explore the
impact of lean practices on the operational performance of the apparel
sector with special references to the Kandy district. The study's main
objective is to investigate the impact of lean practices, i.e., 5S, kaizen
suggestions and visual management, on operational performance in the
apparel sector to fill the empirical gap and to provide insight into the lean
implementation in the Sri Lankan context.
2. Research Methodology
The quantitative approach and positivist research paradigm were adopted
for the sample of 157 entities in the Kandy district. A structured
questionnaire was distributed among the executives of the sample using
purposive sampling technique. Further, the study applied the deductive
approach to construct theoretical connections. The SPSS data analysis
package was applied to investigate effects of selected lean practices.
3. Findings and Discussion
The responses to all four selected items are reliable and reflect the
intended construction of the study. The results of the coefficients and
correlation show a strong positive significant relationship between all
selected lean practices and the operational performance. The ANOVA test
indicates the model is statistically significant. The 5S practices emerged as
the most prevalent lean tool among others. The empirical results reveal
that with proper training and effective implementation lean practices can
improve the apparel sector performance.
4. Conclusion and Implications
This study provides evidence that lean is an effective strategy for enhancing
operational performance in the apparel sector of Sri Lanka.
