Overcoming Operational Inefficiencies through Lean Tools and Change Management: Evidence from a Peruvian Flexible Packaging SME

Diana Carolina Paredes-Loli; Rodrigo Fernando Torres-Marocho; Richard Nicholas Meza-Ortiz

doi:https://doi.org/10.14445/23497157/IJRES-V12I5P101

Research Article | Open Access | Download PDF

Volume 12 | Issue 5 | Year 2025 | Article Id. IJRES-V12I5P101 | DOI : https://doi.org/10.14445/23497157/IJRES-V12I5P101

Overcoming Operational Inefficiencies through Lean Tools and Change Management: Evidence from a Peruvian Flexible Packaging SME

Diana Carolina Paredes-Loli, Rodrigo Fernando Torres-Marocho, Richard Nicholas Meza-Ortiz

Received	Revised	Accepted	Published
09 Jul 2025	14 Aug 2025	02 Sep 2025	18 Sep 2025

Citation :

Diana Carolina Paredes-Loli, Rodrigo Fernando Torres-Marocho, Richard Nicholas Meza-Ortiz, "Overcoming Operational Inefficiencies through Lean Tools and Change Management: Evidence from a Peruvian Flexible Packaging SME," International Journal of Recent Engineering Science (IJRES), vol. 12, no. 5, pp. 1-12, 2025. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23497157/IJRES-V12I5P101

Abstract

Small and medium-sized enterprises in Peru's flexible packaging sector have faced persistent inefficiencies due to long setup times, unplanned downtime, and suboptimal job sequencing. While Lean and TPM tools have improved isolated processes, previous studies seldom addressed the cultural resistance that often undermines implementation. This study proposed an integrated model combining ADKAR-Lewin change management, Johnson's Rule, SMED, and dual maintenance strategies to address these challenges holistically. When implemented at a small-to-medium-sized enterprise in Peru, the model elevated overall production efficiency from 63.85 percent to 72.10 percent, slashed setup times by more than 33 percent, cut processing duration by 18 percent, and boosted equipment reliability, pushing the mean time between failures up to 17.7 percent. These gains underpin the expected synergy between targeted technical upgrades and a disciplined program of behavioral change. Beyond its theoretical merit, the framework delivered clear socio-economic returns, including less scrap material and better use of labor and raw inputs. Continued investigation in other sectors is recommended to test the approach´s generality and to examine its durability under shifting market and technological conditions.

Keywords

Lean Manufacturing, Change Management, SMED Technique, TPM Implementation, Production Scheduling, Flexible Packaging Industry.

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