Sustainable Production: New Thinking for SMEs

The future of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) depends greatly, not only on operational excellence and performance to execute successful business ideas but also on sustainable production practices that combine both environmental and socioeconomic considerations to meet optimal product, process and productivity expectation. In an advanced lean operation scenario, such as the Production Preparation Process (3P) or Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) process, etc., when integrated into the environmental conservative-adherence requirement, is essential to lead a sustainable pathway to operational excellence, and boost enterprise business competitiveness. The author in the present paper empirically examines the likeness of SMEs responsiveness toward sustainable production activities to accelerate business performance, while, promoting social, economic and environmental interest. Several mechanisms by SMEs to achieve sustainability in their manufacturing operations: the combinatory approach of lean principle to improve non-emissive, conservable energy-practice and eco-design/materials selections are reviewed. More so, the paper contributes to the literature on sustainable development for developing countries and sub-Saharan Africa in perspective. Within the different models of development and networks for improvement of the concept of sustainable industry practices, SMEs play a quintessential role. This goes to say; there is a great need to consider collaborative, Governmental/policy, and the integration of new developing Information Communication Technology (ICT) initiative to promote corporate business profitability actively and transform enterprise structures to become more resilient while functioning sustainably.