The Transfer Process of Lean Approach Within Multinational Companies' Network: The Schnell S.p.A. Case Study

In a highly dynamic and competitive market environment, a crucial factor for companies is the ability to pursue objectives strongly oriented to continuous improvement, especially in terms of flexibility, quality and efficiency of business processes. This aspect becomes particularly important in the current scenario, where competition for high levels of quality and innovation and cost containment is no longer takes place locally, but globally. In this sense, the adoption of Lean Thinking could significantly support businesses, extending the concept of continuous improvement beyond the boundaries of their corporate system and encouraging integration between different value chains. In this perspective, the paper aims to investigate how Lean initiatives are inserted and disseminated in an international context, supporting businesses in their value creation process. To this end, it has been developed a single case study research based on the empirical method of the semi-structured interview. In particular, the study focuses on the analysis of the Schnell company, which has been successfully implementing Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma practices for years. The project has thus enabled the Schnell Group to achieve important results, further increasing its efficiency and capacity to respond to market needs. Limited to the involvement of the subsidiary, the main results achieved are the opening of forms of dialogue and collaboration, the increase in the efficiency of its processes, a greater sense of belonging to the group and the acquisition of new skills, in addition to the full achievement of the operational objectives set by headquarter.