Lean Thinking contribution to Operations Management: Implementation and Analysis of “Système de Management Opérationnel” (SMO) in Cartier - PGI S.p.a.

The purpose of this study is to understand how Lean Thinking contributes to improving operations management through the creation of lean and effective meetings. In order to do so, it will be presented how the basic principles of Lean contribute to and optimize meetings, thus ensuring that the main irritants are avoided or at least reduced and efficiency increased. On this basis, the company PGI Cartier and the application of the above theories through an operational management system will be analyzed as a case study. The project SMO “Systeme de Menagement Operationelle”, applied in several stages, has involved implementing smart daily meetings firstly in the production departments, and then extending it to departments working with different rhythms and needs such as product development and supply chain. Thus, starting with an analysis of the starting situation prior to the observed period, a feasibility study is conducted to describe the implementation of the needs identified in the previous analysis. A comparison is then made of the application of the same principles in two different perimeters of the company, analyzing similarities and differences. Then a targeted comparison on several fronts is conducted between the two areas with particular attention to the digital tool used during the meetings. A fist analysis was of qualitative type, relying on constant and prolonged observations of the meetings over time to identify a standard behavior and proposing improvements if necessary. However, with the data collected from the use of the iObeya software, its use is measured by evaluating the correlation between it and the success/unsuccess of a meeting. The thesis work concludes by describing the benefits due to the application of lean meetings observed in the company under examination and then goes into possible future actions useful for the completion of the project.