The Utilization of Automation and Lean Approach to Im-prove Efficiency and Productivity: The Implementation of Automated Sales Data Management and Reporting System. Case Company X

Abstract

Automation and digital transformation have become a topic that several companies strive to adopt. In the competitive market, firms without a digital transformation effort could become incompetent. Automation and digital transformation are exceptional solutions to improve the efficiency, productivity and profitability of a business; thus, it is worth to invest in. This dissertation paper aimed to utilize popular and low-cost office tools and Lean thinking to create the new Automated Sales Data Management and Reporting system (A/MS&A/RS) for the case company X. The biggest purpose of making this new system was to digitize the manual working method into a more automated process in order to achieve higher working performance efficiency and productivity. In the theoretical framework, the correlation of automation and efficiency as well as productivity was discussed. Furthermore, Lean thinking including Lean principles, Value-added and Waste elimination concepts, and the literature about Lean models such as Kaizen continuous improvement and PDCA cycle were clarified as fundamental for implementing the empirical research. The implementation of building A/MS&A/RS for case company X was the main theme of the empirical research. In order to successfully construct a new effective system for CX, both qualitative interviews and quantitative follow-up surveys were used parallelly throughout the research period. The results of this dissertation paper could prove the practice of Lean approach and automation could help business to accomplish better efficiency and productivity result.