The logistics industry is a critical enabler of economic growth, facilitating the seamless movement of goods from manufacturers to end consumers. However, persistent operational inefficiencies — including excess inventory, unnecessary material movement, prolonged loading and unloading delays, and frequent dispatch errors — continue to erode productivity and inflate costs. Lean management, rooted in the Toyota Production System, offers a systematic framework for eliminating non-value-added activities and enhancing process efficiency. This study investigates the impact of lean practices on waste reduction in logistics operations, with specific reference to OM Logistics Ltd., Chennai. A structured questionnaire was administered to 76 employees spanning warehousing, transportation, operations, and administration departments. Percentage analysis, Chi-square tests, correlation analysis, and one-way ANOVA were employed to interpret the primary data. The findings reveal that 97.4% of respondents are aware of lean practices, and the majority agree that tools such as 5S, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and Visual Management have positively reduced various forms of waste. Operational efficiency indicators — including on-time delivery, space utilization, and error reduction — showed marked improvement. The study concludes that lean practices have a significant and positive impact on waste reduction, and recommends expanding training programs and continuous improvement initiatives to sustain these gains.
Richard.M et al. (Thu,) studied this question.