Purpose: This paper aims to investigate Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in the Brazilian context, seeking to identify its main characteristics and opportunities for future research.Design/methodology/approach: This study focuses on a literature review in the area of production engineering and operations management, where 104 relevant scientific publications were identified.Findings: The results show that the most important critical success factor for integrating LSS in Brazil is top management support and commitment. LSS integration occurs predominantly in large industrial companies, being incipient in small and medium-sized enterprises. In general, there is no structured way of applying LSS. A standard framework for LSS is still lacking.Research limitations/implications: This study is limited to a sample that only comprises Brazilian scientific studies.Practical implications: Professionals and practitioners can understand the evolution of LSS through practical applications and the main LSS tools used in both the industrial and services sectors. It also points out the critical success factor for the implementation of LSS. The study highlights several roadmaps for LSS implementation adopted by large and modern Brazilian automotive industries based on a robust technological base. This study also contributes to expanding the evidence base of LSS application, both in Brazil and in other countries.Originality/value: Some suggestions are proposed to clarify the structure and complexity of integrated implementation of LP and SS as well as expand the LSS application in small and medium-sized enterprises. This study is the first to discuss the current situation of LSS in Brazil and provide suggestions to expand LSS in the country. Comparisons of Brazilian LSS literature review with researches of others countries are also presented.

Practical and theoretical evidence suggests that Sustainable Lean Six Sigma contributes to an organization’s performance as it highlights environmental aspects. However, the theoretical contribution of Sustainable Lean Six Sigma has not been discussed enough in the literature, and many companies do not know where to begin integrating Sustainability and Lean Six Sigma in operation management. This paper aims to identify and discuss recent developments in Sustainable Lean Six Sigma frameworks through a systematic literature review, considering the benefits, outcomes, tools and practices, sustainability key performance indicators and critical success factors. The results show that Lean Six Sigma tools have been adapted to incorporate the measurement of environmental waste. However, sustainability key performance indicators must improve and there are few empirical studies on critical success factors for Sustainable Lean Six Sigma. This study also identified gaps in Sustainable Lean Six Sigma frameworks and gives directions for future research.

Apesar da ampla literatura existente sobre Manufatura Enxuta (ME), pouco esforço tem sido dedicado a sintetizar o estado da arte sobre métodos que avaliam sua implantação. Nesse sentido, este artigo tem como objetivo apresentar uma revisão da literatura sobre métodos científicos de avaliação da implantação da ME, buscando identificar suas principais características. Foram identificados 48 artigos relacionados ao tema, no período de 1996 a agosto de 2012. Depois da revisão, as publicações foram classificadas, utilizando os seguintes parâmetros de caracterização: tipo de abordagem metodológica; foco de avaliação; forma de apresentação do diagnóstico; dinâmica de aplicação do diagnóstico de avaliação; práticas clássicas da ME avaliadas; entre outros parâmetros complementares. A principal contribuição desta pesquisa concentra-se em condensar em um único material, uma visão geral sobre os métodos de avaliação da ME para que pesquisadores e profissionais da área selecionem o método que melhor se adapte à realidade de determinada empresa, ou o que ofereça a melhor perspectiva de como se apresenta a implantação da ME.

Goal: The objective is to conclude, based on a comparative study, if there is a significant difference in sensitivity between the application of MCE and the individual application of the CUSUM or EWMA chart, i.e., greater sensitivity particularly for cases of lesser magnitude of change. Design/Methodology/Approach: These are an applied research and statistical techniques such as statistical control charts are used for monitoring variability. Results: The results show that the MCE chart signals a process out of statistical control, while individual EWMA and CUSUM charts does not detect any situation out of statistical control for the data analyzed. Limitations: This article is dedicated to measurable variables and individual analysis of quality characteristics, without investing in attribute variables. The MCE chart was applied to items that are essential to the productive process development being analysed. Practical Implications: The practical implications of this study can contribute to: the correct choice of more sensitive control charts to detect mainly small changes in the location (mean) of processes; provide clear and accurate information about the fundamental procedures for the implementation of statistical quality control; and encourage the use of this quality improvement tool. Originality/Value: The MCE control chart is a great differential for the improvement of the quality process of the studied company because it goes beyond what CUSUM and EWMA control charts can identify in terms of variability.

This manuscript proposes the usage of Statistical Control Charts (SCC) to monitor water consumption in buildings. The charts were employed to study the impact of replacing toilets, providing visual and statistical feedback to measure the efficiency gain resulting from the replacement of outdated flushing equipment with newer devices. The case study was conducted in a building from a university in the South of Brazil. The building has four restrooms, from which a total of 41,554 readings were collected during a 15-month period using digital water meters. After the toilets were replaced, a reduction averaging 30.22% in water consumption was observed (from 7.51 L/flush/day to 5.24 L/flush/day). Additionally, the control charts were able to pinpoint dates when unique events happened during the water-consumption monitoring process.

O presente artigo tem como objetivo analisar e controlar estatisticamente um processo industrial, em que o gráfico do tipo Shewhart é o atualmente utilizado. A partir de uma aplicação realizada por meio da pesquisa axiomática quantitativa, são analisadas outras opções como o emprego de um gráfico CUSUM e um gráfico combinado Shewhart-CUSUM. Paralelamente à aplicação dos gráficos de controle, foram desenvolvidos scripts em ambiente R para calcular os limites de controle do gráfico CUSUM, por meio da aproximação de Siegmund (1985) e da construção do gráfico combinado Shewhart-CUSUM. Os resultados demonstram que a aplicação, tanto do gráfico CUSUM quanto do gráfico combinado Shewhart-CUSUM, possibilita detectar interferências no processo, as quais não foram identificadas pelo gráfico do tipo Shewhart. Assim, considera-se o gráfico de controle CUSUM, isolado ou combinado com o gráfico do tipo Shewhart, uma ferramenta preventiva mais sensível para avaliar interferências na qualidade do processo. Este artigo será útil tanto para pesquisadores quanto para profissionais da área de Engenharia de Produção e gestão de operações interessados em melhor compreender os parâmetros que compõem o projeto de um gráfico de controle CUSUM, bem como introduzi-lo em processos nos quais atualmente se utiliza somente o gráfico de controle de Shewhart.