USE OF LEAN TOOLS TO IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY: CASE STUDY IN A RESEARCH LABORATORY (ISB-COARI) AT THE FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF AMAZONAS – UFAM

Abstract

Organizations suffer from fierce competitiveness and continuous needs for change, due to the dynamic environment in which they operate, which also occurs in Higher Education Institutions. The market is increasingly competitive and fierce, where many organizations are looking for alternatives to sustain themselves by reducing waste. This waste often originates from internal factors, such as overproduction, high inventory levels, unnecessary movements, and high waiting rates. Given this, lean manufacturing has become a way for these organizations to continue improving production processes. Universities are going through a significant change in relation to the development of their activities with the reduction of their budget due to the current situation in the country, which compromises the payment of outsourced services such as purchases of materials and equipment maintenance. Given this, the work proposes a cost reduction methodology using the tools provided by the Lean philosophy and bringing the benefits of this methodology closer to the activities carried out in the laboratory sectors. Therefore, as a general objective of this study, we will use the lean concept of the Lean philosophy to optimize the material saving process and aim to increase productivity in the laboratories of the Institute of Health and Biotechnology. To develop the research, a bibliographic review, documentary analysis and field research were carried out. The approach is qualitative with an exploratory nature, presenting a case study. It is concluded that the tools associated with lean manufacturing provide a significant gain in the functioning of the organization, in professional development and, especially, in the financial gains of the organization.