An integrated approach for evaluating lean innovation practices in the pharmaceutical supply chain

Abstract

Lean innovation focuses on minimizing waste in the product development stages in order to increase productivity by obtaining customer feedback more quickly and efficiently. The usage of lean innovation practices in product development stages in the pharmaceutical supply chain is the topic of an increasing amount of research on the critical question of how lean innovation practices can be implemented in a pharmaceutical supply chain or logistic sector. To answer this question, we first identified lean innovation practices by reviewing the literature. The identified practices were screened using the fuzzy Delphi method (FDM). The expert panel included eight persons working in pharmaceutical supply chain fields. In the next step, the causal relationships between practices were analyzed using the Gray DEMATEL (GDEMATEL) technique. The results show that technological knowledge was the most crucial factor in lean innovation practices in the pharmaceutical supply chain. Finally, based on the results, conclusions and suggestions are presented.