Optimization of the procurement processes according to the principles of Lean Thinking. The Idrobase case study

This thesis was developed during an internship at auxiell Spa, a Lean management consultancy company, which collaborates with various client companies, including Idrobase Group Srl, a medium sized manufacturing company based in northern Italy. The core of the thesis is the transformation of the procurement and purchasing process, following the Lean principles. The first objective of the thesis is to analyze the lean techniques and tools used to optimize the processes in terms of quality of their output, associated costs and time that the processes take to be completed. After a theorical introduction to the tools used, the focus will be on the procurement and purchasing processes of this specific company. This analysis is performed with the awareness that a real change is only achieved if, before the application of these techniques and tools, the company has deep understanding of the principles that they are based on. This is the difference between a company that only does lean and one that is lean. This is connected to the second objective of the study, which is to describe the real meaning of a Complete Lean Transformation in a company, following a gradual improvement that consists of specific steps. The focus will be on the initial phases of the transformation, describing the first and fundamental steps undertaken by Idrobase Group in its lean journey. Finally, another purpose of this thesis is to show a successful case of application of the SPDCA method, a scientific approach for carrying out complex transformation projects, in order to allow organizations to methodically analyze, plan, implement, evaluate and sustain the transformation itself. The whole thesis is structured using an SPDCA cycle, according to the one developed by auxiell for the project: this is a demonstration of the effectiveness of the method in a more general sense, allowing for a systematic description of a complex problem and for planning and sustaining appropriate countermeasures.