Exploring the adoption of Lean principles in medical laboratory industry: Empirical evidences from Namibia

Hilma Dhiginina Isack is a Master of Industrial Engineering Student at Namibia University of Science and Technology, Namibia. She obtained her Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences from Namibia University of Science and Technology, Namibia in 2013. She is currently working as Medical Technologist at Namibia Institute of Pathology. Her current research focuses on the application of industrial engineering tools and techniques in health care for efficient and effective service delivery.

Michael Mutingi is a Senior Lecturer in Industrial Engineering at the Namibia University of Science and Technology, Namibia. He is also a Senior Visiting Research Associate at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. He obtained his PhD in Engineering Management from the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. He also holds an MEng and a BEng in Industrial Engineering from the National University of Science and Technology, Zimbabwe, where he served as a Research Fellow and a Lecturer in Industrial Engineering. Mutingi also served as a Research Associate at the National University of Singapore, Singapore and a Lecturer at the University of Botswana, Botswana. His research interests include operations management, quality management, multi-criteria decision-making and operational excellence in health care. He has published one book and more than 90 articles in international journals and conference proceedings. He is Member of the South African Institute of Industrial Engineering and the International Association of Engineers.

Hileni Kandjeke is a Lecturer in the Department of Mechanical and Marine Engineering at the Namibia University of Science and Technology, Namibia. She obtained her Master in Mechanical Engineering Technology from the University of Jana Evangelisty Purkyně, Faculty of Production Technology and Management, Ústí nad Labem, The Czech Republic. Currently, she is a registered PhD Student at the Namibia University of Science and Technology. Her research interests include lean management in health care, process re-engineering, supply chain management, renewable energy – biochar, biogas and solar drying. She has two articles in reputable international journals and conference proceedings. She is a Member of the Engineering Professions Association of Namibia.

Abhishek Vashishth has done his bachelor’s degree in production and industrial engineering from Rajasthan Technical University, Kota (India). He later joined the Indian Institute of Management Tiruchirappalli as Fellow Program Scholar. His area of research is in operations management with a focus on service quality.

Ayon Chakraborty is currently working as an Associate Professor in the Operations Management and Quantitative Techniques area at IIM Tiruchirappalli. He obtained his doctorate from Industrial and Systems Engineering Department, National University of Singapore after completing his masters in manufacturing systems from BITS, Pilani with distinction. He is also a qualified Six Sigma Green Belt. Previously, he was a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Services Science Discipline, Information Systems School at Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. Professor Chakraborty has more than 11 years of experience in teaching business students and executives at various institutes such as Queensland University of Technology, James Cook University Australia (Singapore Campus). He has taught MBA courses on service operations and innovation management, project management, quality planning and management and quantitative techniques. As a Researcher, Professor Chakraborty has worked closely with public sector organizations in Singapore and with Suncorp, Infosys Australia and Queensland Government.