Citation:

Sean Carlos Junior Garay-Livia, Diego Andres Chavarry-Pinazo, Wilson David Calderón-Gonzales. "Driving Operational Reliability through Lean-TPM Synergy: A Case Study in a Freight SME from Peru" International Research Journal of Economics and Management Studies, Vol. 4, No. 5, pp. 233-246, 2025.

Abstract:

This study explored recurring operational issues in a medium-sized freight company in Peru, where truck downtime and unplanned maintenance disrupted service continuity. While past research has addressed Lean Manufacturing and TPM separately, few works have brought them together in a way that suits small and medium enterprises. The research developed and tested a hands-on model that combined 5S, Kanban, and autonomous and preventive maintenance strategies to bridge this gap. After applying the model, corrective maintenance hours dropped by nearly 59%, availability improved to 92.24%, and financial losses linked to downtime were considerably reduced. These outcomes suggest that well-structured but simple actions, when adjusted to the company’s reality, can lead to tangible improvements and stronger maintenance habits. The results add practical insight to the academic discussion on integrated approaches and offer useful guidance for companies operating under resource limitations. This work encourages future studies on sustainable, tech-supported maintenance models for logistics SMEs.

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Keywords:

Lean Maintenance, Total Productive Maintenance, Fleet Availability, Freight Transport SME, Operational Improvement.