Achieving social sustainability through lean manufacturing practices: Insights from structural equation model and system dynamics

The relationship between Lean Manufacturing (LM) practices and their impact on Social Sustainability (SOS) remains an area that warrants further investigation, especially in developing countries and industrial sectors with a high level of manual work in which there are many occupational diseases, where well-being is required by labor laws, such as Mexican maquiladora (MM) companies. Recognizing this research gap, this study explores and assesses the influence of LM practices on MM's SOS. The study proposed and evaluated a structural equation model (SEM) with eight hypotheses tested statistically using information obtained from 411 responses to a questionnaire distributed across the MM. WarpPLS software (version 8.0) was employed to validate the SEM and STELLA ARCHITECT V3.0.1, to evaluate a system dynamics model to simulate the longitudinal behavior of LM practices on SOS. The findings underscore the critical role of the 5 S methodology in facilitating the adoption of practices, such as Total Productive Maintenance, Quick changeover, and One-piece Flow, exhibiting positive repercussions on SOS. Notably, the study's estimates suggest a timeline of approximately 6.5 years to attain 100% implementation of these tools, while achieving complete SOS may extend to approximately 11.75 years. It is imperative to approach these projections cautiously, because of the dynamic nature of business environments, wherein unforeseen alterations may significantly influence these timelines. These estimates offer valuable insights into the potential temporal dynamics of LM practices and SOS implementations in industrial contexts.