LEAN MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND SUSTAINABLE OPERATIONS OF FOOD AND BEVERAGE COMPANIES IN SOUTH-SOUTH NIGERIA

The study investigated lean management practices and sustainable operations of food and beverage companies in South-South Nigeria. The specific objective is to determine the effect of on pull system on job satisfaction and assess the effect of value stream mapping on service delivery of food and beverage companies in South-South Nigeria. A survey research design was adopted. The researcher made use of primary source of data. The total population of the study was one thousand five hundred and ten (1510). The sample size was four hundred and twenty-nine (429) derived from Godden (2004) formula. A purposive sampling and random sampling technique was adopted. Regression model was used to test the hypotheses of the study. A total number of four hundred and twenty-nine (429) questionnaire was administer to the respondents at the selected foods and beverage firms  in South-South, Nigeria seventy-one (71) questionnaire were lost with the percentage ratio of 16.6%, while three hundred and fifty eight (358) questionnaire were retrieved with the percentage ratio of 83.4% which was suitable for the study to carry out the analysis. The findings of the study found out that pull system has a significant effect on job satisfaction of food and beverage companies in South-South Nigeria. Value stream mapping has a significant effect on service delivery of food and beverage companies in South-South Nigeria. The study concluded that organizations that adopt lean management practices often experience improved quality, increased efficiency, reduced costs, and higher customer satisfaction. The study recommended that companies under the study should adopt a pull-based work system where tasks are assigned based on actual demand and employees’ capacity. This approach prevents workload overload, reduces stress, and allows staff to work at a manageable pace.