A holistic framework for successfully implementing a plant-wide lean pull system: evidence from an automotive supplier in Tunisia

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a guiding framework for the implementation of a plant-wide lean pull system (LPS) and to demonstrate its applicability and practical relevance in an automotive supplier company in Tunisia. Design/methodology/approach Action research is used to develop the framework in a collaborative context. The effectiveness of the framework in addressing the original research problem and achieving the desired outcomes is evaluated. Relevant lessons are drawn for future implementations, and opportunities for adapting the framework to other contexts are explored. Findings The paper highlights the usefulness of the framework not only in guiding the LPS implementation process but also in organising managers’ thinking and deepening their understanding so that success in terms of performance outcomes can be achieved. The paper improves understanding of the integrated approach to LPS, promotes the key idea that pull is not a black and white concept but rather a matter of degree and highlights the critical role of developing stability to successfully manage the transition from one level of pull to the next. This role also extends to sustaining, improving and extending the LPS at the plant level, which are too important implementation steps to be ignored in the literature. Originality/value Previous studies have often taken a narrow approach to LPS implementation, reducing it to the pull phase and limiting its scope to a single segment of the value stream. However, the proposed framework unfolds further phases, pre- and post-pull and synergistic interactions between phases and underlying lean tools to support a holistic and integrated approach to LPS implementation at the plant level.