22 Years of Lean Supply Chain Management: a science mapping-based bibliometric analysis

Abstract

This article examines how the research into Lean Supply Chain Management (LSCM) has evolved over the period 1996-2018 with the identification of the main issues explored and future trends. A performance bibliometric analysis has been conducted through a study of published documents, citations, journal impact factor, h-index, most cited papers and authors, and data on the geographic distribution of publications. More relevantly, a science mapping analysis has been performed with SciMAT bibliometric analysis software using co-word networks in a longitudinal overview. The large number of studies of LSCM published has enabled a conceptual evolution map to be constructed of the way that this research has developed. The results have enabled us to identify four thematic areas in the LSCM field: Methods, Key factors, Internal efficiency, and Performance.