Integrated manufacturing,employee and business performance: Australian and New Zealand evidence

This article reports on a large field study of Integrated Manufacturing (IM), consisting of Total Quality Management (TQM), Just in Time (JIT) and Advanced Manufacturing Technology (AMT). The relationship between these facets of Integrated Manufacturing and performance was examined empirically, including measures of employee performance and manufacturing performance. There was a significant correlation between employee performance and manufacturing performance. While all three facets of Integrated Manufacturing were relatively strongly connected with employee performance, manufacturing performance was significantly but less strongly connected to the intensity of TQM and JIT than employee performance, and not connected with the intensity of Advanced Manufacturing Technology. Some second-order interactive effects between the facets of Integrated Manufacturing and performance were found. Further, by partitioning the large data set into three using the AMT factor as a cutting variable, it was found that the stronger the AMT environment, the stronger the explanatory power of TQM and JIT on both employee and manufacturing performance. The interactive impact of AMT and TQM was significantly positively related to both employee and manufacturing performance.     

Contextual and mediation analysis between TQM critical factors and organisational results in the EFQM Excellence Model framework

Following a total quality management (TQM) approach and the EFQM Model framework, this contribution aims to study the influence of TQM social factors on organisational results, by considering the TQM technical factors as a mediating variable in this relationship. Moreover, the effect of size and type of business on the implementation of TQM and results is analysed, as well as determining which TQM practices have a more important effect on the operational results. The research questions and hypotheses proposed in this research model are tested on a sample of 116 Spanish firms. The results support the reliability, validity and the high-predictive power of the EFQM Excellence Model as a framework for the implementation of TQM. Moreover, our findings indicate that TQM social factors provide a cornerstone for the success of the quality system. Similarly, TQM technical factors partially mediate the relationship between TQM social factors and results. It was also found that TQM social factors and processes management are the main predictors of operational performance. Finally, significant differences were found in TQM implementation, and in the key results of companies, based on their size; however, these differences are not significant based on the sector activity.     

Beyond competition: A framework for the 21st century

In the new millennium, global economics and political spectra are getting more dynamic and tense. Companies of all types and sizes, particularly in the manufacturing sectors are finding that their survival in the market place is increasingly in doubt. What has been lacking is a robust solution in terms of new methodologies, techniques and tools to meet their own particular challenging needs. Some of the three-letter acronym programmes such as TQM, JIT, BPR and DFM are not highly effective because employees did not focus on those issues of strategic importance and significance in the market. This paper explores the role that a set of strategic functions plays in the long-term success of a company. The paper proposes a framework comprising those interrelated functions that may help to explain the extent to which companies fail to realize the importance of these functions as an integrated organism that cannot be individually focused.     

The transformation of Lebanese firms from ISO 9000 certified to TQM.

Over the past decade, the most effective method of implementing a quality system has been ISO 9000 certification. Lebanese companies have recently followed the same path of adopting and improving their status in quality systems. The overwhelming belief is that ISO 9000 is, by itself, not enough. It is a first stepping-stone in the road to business excellence, but ISO 9000 does not guarantee an improvement in the product or service being offered. All indications are that Total Quality Management (TQM) is the method for improving quality as a whole. This improvement is, of course, entirely reliant on the proper implementation and understanding of the scope and underlying objectives. The relatively new adoption of TQM as an effective tool in the struggle to achieve substantial improvements in quality is made clear in the results of a survey that are presented in this article. Recommendations as how to make the transition between ISO 9000 and TQM are made, and a discussion is provided of the need for organizational change, both internal and external, within companies in the Lebanese market. The aim of this work is to present a clear representation of what is actually occurring within the Lebanese domestic market with regards to the understanding the TQM philosophy.     

造船企业JIT拉式生产的实现研究

针对我国造船企业效益低下的问题,提出了应用JIT生产方式提高造船企业生产管理水平。结合船舶建造流程的特点,分析了限制造船企业应用JIT生产方式的原因。在此基础上,运用成组技术构建了单一流水线,根据流水线负荷,均衡流水线生产节拍,运用看板管理促进拉式生产的实现。最后,结合某造船企业进行案例分析,表明该流程的可行性及有效性。     

汽车行业本地化分阶段准时供货的实例

日本丰田汽车公司首创了准时生产方式，要求供应商准时供货。1990以来，上海汽车制造行业的一批合资企业开始了对准时生产模式的尝试，并在准时供货方面取得了一定的经验。本文介绍了在我国现有的国情下，过渡期本地化的准时供货的实践，讨论了准时供货存在的问题及相应的解决对策。     

Manufacturing cost deployment

Obviously, one of the major problems in manufacturing is to reduce cost. To do so, various activities such as Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), Total Quality Management (TQM), Industrial Engineering (IE) and Just-in-Time (JIT) are often carried out. However, many companies recognize that these activities do not necessarily guarantee cost reduction even if they have been implemented successfully. In the worst case, manufacturing cost rises with the introduction of such activities. This is an important issue in manufacturing, but strangely in the academic literature there have been no studies that have been addressed directly to the methodology of manufacturing cost reduction. The aim was to develop a good method that establishes a cost-reduction programme scientifically and systematically. This method, termed 'manufacturing cost deployment', is a very powerful tool to identify production losses to reduce costs. A simple algorithm to establish a cost-reduction programme is presented and one case study is given.     

A comparison of inventory cost reduction strategies in a JIT manufacturing system

Although many companies have found JIT manufacturing to be a very effective manufacturing strategy, few models have been developed which can help direct JIT efforts. This article discusses some of the problems with modelling JIT manufacturing, it describes some simple models of inventory costs in a JIT system and it uses these models to evaluate alternative inventory-cost reduction strategies in a printed circuit board (PCB) assembly system.     

TQM and environmental uncertainty levels: profiles,fit, and firm performance

That a manufacturer should align its implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM) to the external environment it faces has been indirectly argued for long. Theoretical and empirical evidence for this argument has, unfortunately, been lacking. Our research remedies this knowledge gap. Borrowing structural contingency theory and the concept of fit, we hypothesised and report three findings. First, we found contrasting normative TQM profiles between a high vs. a low level of environmental uncertainty. Second, we identified significant detrimental impact on firm performance when a firm deviates its TQM implementation from the normative TQM profile prescribed for a specific level of environmental uncertainty. Third, we also discovered discernible differences in the deterioration in firm performance between a positive vs. a negative deviation from the normative TQM profile. These robust findings were derived from analysing secondary survey data from 330 Chinese manufacturing firms via profile deviation analysis, MANOVA, MANCOVA and OLS regression. Contrary to the literature, manufacturers operating in a volatile external environment should pursue and benefit from TQM implementation. Manufacturers should, however, not seek to implement TQM to the fullest extent nor implement TQM half-heartedly. Instead, manufacturers should benchmark best performers as to what the normative TQM profile is and pursue their own TQM implementation to minimise deviations from the normative TQM profile.     

Using V-A-T analysis for determining the priority and location of JIT manufacturing techniques

V-A-T analysis is a procedure which categorizes manufacturing operations based upon the nature of product flow via the structure of the routeings and bill of materials. The letters V, A, and T stand for the shape of the dominant product routeings and bill of material structures within a manufacturing facility. The purpose of this article is to examine the possibility of using V-A-T analysis as an aid in JIT implementation. Contained in this paper is: an examination of the evolution of JIT manufacturing in Japan, and its introduction to the United States; an analysis of the various techniques constituting JIT; implementation issues regarding JIT; and an examination of V-A-T analysis as a tool for JIT implementation.     

Total Quality Management and Comprehensive Change

ABSTRACT

Total quality management (TQM) does not address all of the issues involved in achieving excellence. A number of other methods (for example, interactive planning, viable systems model, socio-technical systems, system dynamics, and organizational learning) effectively address other issues. These other methods are compatible with TQM and can be used to complement a TQM implementation project. Some of these methods can actually make the TQM implementation process easier. Guidelines for implementing other methods with TQM are suggested.     

How Quality Happens: Quality Management Program Results Analyzed within a Baldrige Award Framework

ABSTRACT

This research project sought to determine 1) whether the extent of implementing total quality management (TQM) principles in individual organizations could be measured easily by sampling the perceptions of professional workers who were familiar with TQM concepts and (2) if relationships existed between specific TQM implementation patterns and particular outcomes. Members of a Memphis, Tennessee, quality users group were surveyed using a questionnaire that incorporated selected elements of the 1991 Baldrige Award criteria.

Scores calculated from the survey responses were expressed in values consistent with the national award-scoring process and compared with data describing 1990 award applicants. The survey respondents appear to overrate their organizations, and for-profit (FP) respondents rated their organizations significantly higher in several important TQM areas than did the not-for-profit (NFP) responders. Using raw data, TQM implementation patterns and results were examined within and between the FP and NFP organizations. Within both groups, superior TQM results were associated with high scores in the implementation of more sophisticated TQM program elements including benchmarking and quality assurance methodology applied to suppliers and internal organization processes. Between groups, for-profit organizations appear to operate at a higher level of sophistication in applying TQM principles. In both groups, significant, logical associations were found between high scores in certain major parts of TQM programs and superior quality outcomes. These associations imply that the sequence followed in implementing TQM principles within an organization strongly affects overall results.     

A competitive progression perspective of JIT systems: evidence from early US implementations

This study investigates the holistic implementation of just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing. We contend that the most important elements of holistic JIT systems – focused factory, reduced setup times, group technology, total productive maintenance, multifunction employees, uniform workload, just-in-time purchasing, Kanban, total quality control and quality circles – should be implemented in a sequential manner for a firm to reap sustainable operational gains. The right sequence of implementation of JIT practices is derived using the theory of competitive progression and based on four JIT practice bundles – conformance quality related practices, delivery reliability related practices, volume flexibility related practices and low cost related practices. Data collected in a cross-sectional field study of US manufacturers are used to test the suggested implementation sequence of JIT practices and the impact of the JIT practice bundles on improvement in non-value added performance. The results indicate that implementations of JIT management practices should be in the order – first, conformance quality related practices; second, delivery reliability related practices; third, volume flexibility related practices and; finally low cost related practices. In addition, significant improvement in operational performance, as reflected in improvement of non-value added performance, is achieved via the cumulative capability building.     

The role of MRP in repetitive manufacturing

This paper discusses the findings of a study of production planning and control systems in nine repetitive manufacturers in the southeast United States. The purpose of the study was to identify the methods used by repetitive manufacturers to plan and control production. The companies in the study were selected so that three companies were noted for their use of MRP, three others were noted for their use of JIT, and three others were noted for their use of theory of constraints (TOC) (formerly OPT). The principle finding from the study was that all nine companies used a blend of production planning techniques using MRP as a framework to accomplish production planning. This finding was especially surprising when the companies had been specifically selected upon the recommendation of a panel of experts because some companies were known to be superior in the application of JIT and TOC methods     

Promotion Routes for Women Engineering Managers

ABSTRACT

Total quality management (TQM) has been increasingly accepted as a management philosophy. Criteria such as those contained in the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) often guide TQM implementation. However, reports indicate that fully assessing TQM efforts is difficult and hiring experts to help with this task is expensive. Using survey instruments is an attractive alternative to full-scale assessment. Despite the availability of many papers covering organizational performance assessment, few instruments specifically address TQM evaluation. Furthermore, none of the TQM assessment instruments has been subjected to rigorous validation; thus, only modest confidence can be placed in results obtained from their use. This article proposes a quick and cost-effective instrument that is a simple questionnaire designed to assist organizations in conducting self-evaluations of their TQM programs. The proposed instrument is based on the seven categories of the MBNQA criteria and was developed in cooperation with the Excellence in Missouri Foundation, which administers the Missouri Quality Award (MQA). This article highlights how questionnaire results can be used to guide further TQM implementation efforts.     

MRP和JIT两种生产管理系统的比较研究

长期以来，人们对ＭＲＰ和ＪＩＴ两种生产管理系统孰优孰劣一直争论不休。一方面，源于日本丰田公司看板系统的ＪＩＴ生产管理系统，随着日本经济的成功，使得许多人相信它在减少库存和在制品、缩短生产准备时间和生产提前期方面从根本上优于ＭＲＰ管理系统；另一方面，许多应用ＪＩＴ生产管理系统的企业并没有取得预期的经济效益，甚至生产效益没有任何改善。本文的目的，是通过建立两种生产管理系统的模型，进行计算机仿真研究，定     

A contingency perspective of just-in-time purchasing: globalization,implementation, and performance

This paper uses a survey-based methodology to examine the performance impact of Just-In-Time (JIT) purchasing strategies. Over the past decade much has been written concerning JIT philosophies; however, relatively little empirical research has been conducted that evaluates the impact of JTT on performance. Similarly, little work has been performed to evaluate the role of JIT in global competitive strategies. This paper uses contingency theory's environment-strategy-performance relationship to consider vital issues—planning, organizational support, and implementation status—affecting the success of JIT purchasing strategies. The findings suggest that JIT purchasing strategies represent an appropriate response to global competition and that JIT purchasing can have a significant positive impact on performance improvement when adequate planning and support are in place.     

Logistics support for JIT implementation

It is generally believed that to maximize the full potential of ‘just-in-time’ (JIT), it must be fully integrated, system-wide. To achieve such integration, a common understanding of and appreciation for JIT is needed within various functional areas. Therefore, manufacturers and logistics executives were surveyed to determine their attitudes and understanding about JIT. The primary objective was to identify how different or similar their opinions were regarding JIT adoption and implementation. The manufacturer respondents indicated a much broader view of JIT as a management philosophy whose goal is to eliminate waste throughout an organization. In contrast, the logistics respondents were more likely to view JIT as largely an inventory reduction policy. In general, there appears to be an opportunity for logistics managers to more fully utilize aspects of JIT to achieve overall performance improvements.     

A study of JIT implementation and operating problems

This paper reports the results of a survey of early implementators of the just-in-time (JIT) philosophy in the United States with particular emphasis on the identification of implementation problems and operating problems. There were 39 respondents to the survey who were in the process of implementing JIT. Five classes of implementation problems and eight classes of operating problems were identified.     

Relating TQM,marketing and business performance: An exploratory study

Total Quality Management (TQM) is perhaps the leading management approach that companies employ to improve their product and service quality with the aim of improving typical measures of business performance (e.g. increased profits, increased market share, reduced costs). However, consumer perception of quality not only results from an evaluation of the intrinsic quality attributes of the product (e.g. performance, reliability, durability) but is also affected by the marketing mix (e.g. price, advertising, warranties) adopted by the company selling the product. This paper offers a first attempt at cross-functional fertilization by examining the relationships between TQM, some marketing mix variables and measures of company performance by exploring the diverse multidisciplinary literature and developing an explanatory framework, which is tested using non-parametric correlation and refined through an empirical study of Spanish manufacturing companies. The results show that the most important TQM dimensions are the system of employee relations and the use of quality management-related design tools. The results also indicate the existence of a relationship amongst price, advertising and warranties, but that these marketing variables were not related to TQM and that further research is required to include a wider definition of marketing strategy.