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Introduction
It has been documented that Lean Six Sigma (LSS), when utilized as a business or management strategy, has provided companies with a competitive advantage to survive in a global market (Chaurasia et al., 2016; Sunder, 2016). LSS serves as a quality check to help them bring about bottom-line improvements (Vijaya, 2015). However, the benefits of LSS in the textile and apparel industry have not been well documented. Studies of LSS in textile and apparel companies are difficult to locate.
LSS is a scientific methodology for continuous quality improvement with the aim of reducing waste and variation while optimizing a given process (Erdogan and Canatan, 2015; Desai et al., 2012). LSS has been widely associated with large manufacturing firms like Motorola, who was the first to introduce the concept of Six Sigma. Reasons for implementing LSS include reducing defects and contributing to financial savings (Vinodh et al., 2014), remaining economically competitive (Thomas et al., 2014), improving process quality and improving services to customers (Carsten et al., 2015). Lean and Six Sigma began as two distinctly different methodologies. Lean aims at reducing cost by eliminating waste and wasteful steps within a process, whereas Six Sigma deals mostly with the scientific approach to reducing variation within a process (Bhamu and Sangwan, 2014; Cudney and Elrod, 2011). It was natural for the two methodologies to join together as LSS.
Many studies have documented the use of LSS in large companies, but there are far fewer studies on LSS in small- and medium-sized companies (Albliwi et al., 2015). Two examples of studies on small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are Timans et al.’s (2014) study of an injection moulding company and Okpala’s (2013) study of SME s in Nigeria. Even fewer studies of LSS in the manufacturing sector of the textile and apparel industry have been published. Karthi et al., 2013 found three peer-reviewed studies. In a literature search for the current study, one peer-reviewed research study since 2013 in the textile and apparel industry was located (Uluskan et al., 2016). This current case study will contribute to filling this gap in the literature.
The textile and apparel supply chain begins with fibers (be it natural or man-made) that are converted...