90 research outputs found
Italian and UK Manufacturing compared
Although the Italian economy has seen a steady growth in the importance of the
service sector, manufacturing still plays a key role in the economy. It employs
32 per cent of the active population and accounts for about 33 per cent of the
countryâs gross national product. For this reason, the performance of Italian
manufacturing plants relative to their international counterparts is of
considerable domestic importance, as well as highly relevant for those
interested in wider European comparisons and benchmarks. This article reports on
a research project that looked at the performance of manufacturing plants in
Italy, and in the
A study into continuous improvement initiative sustainability
The idea of continuous improvement is familiar to most managers and there are many examples of how its use can increase a companyâs overall performance. However, while numerous companies have adopted the approach, very few have seen the long term sustainability of such programmes. This paper reports on research that was carried out into the sustainability of continuous improvement initiatives. A case study was carried out in a manufacturing company that had been using the approach for five years. The case study identified several factors that helped to sustain the initiative but it also revealed some elements that had a negative impact
Supplier base management : the contrast between Germany and the UK
Supplier base management is an important aspect of the management of manufacturing operations, as reducing the number of suppliers â the supplier base â is a key approach in many companies including the US and the UK. By having fewer suppliers, manufacturers have more time to work closely with each remaining supplier, for instance, on improving quality and product innovation. However, is this approach being adopted in Germany as fast as it has been in the UK? This paper describes research which addresses this question and which also investigates how German companies are managing contacts with their suppliers. The study was conducted in two stages. Firstly, a survey of manufacturers in Germany and the UK identified the trends in the supplier base of companies in each country. Secondly, a follow-up telephone survey was carried through with purchasing managers at a random sample of 34 German plants to identify, for example, the advantages experienced by manufacturers, which had reduced their supplier base. The findings show that German manufacturers have not reduced their supplier base by as much as companies in the UK. The second part of the research showed that German manufacturers, which have reduced their supplier base, perceive the benefits of this. However, other companies appear to have failed to take the opportunity to gain advantages from a reduced supplier base
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Corporate responsibility, supply chain partnership and performance: An empirical examination
This is the post-print version of the final paper published in International Journal of Production Economics. The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2012 Elsevier B.V.Unlike corporate and business levels, there is little research examining corporate responsibility (CR) at the functional level of the firm including supply chain strategy. The results of a firm-level survey show that CR internal awareness, and monitoring CR performance are positively related to the supply chain partnership approach, however sharing CR best practices is negatively associated. Furthermore, the impact of CR on firm performance is mediated by the functional behaviour of supply chain partnership formation. Our study provides support for including CR awareness building and monitoring in the development of partnerships but cautions against imposing CR best practices on suppliers
A Model of Continuous Improvement Programme Management
The aim of this study is to identify key management decisions that enable the sustainment of a continuous improvement (CI) initiative. To accomplish this aim, we examine the procedures and practices used by two manufacturing companies for the management of their CI initiatives; one that is successfully sustaining the effectiveness of its CI initiative and another failing to do the same. This research makes two contributions to the conceptual understanding of CI programme management. First, we identify five CI programme management factors that enable the sustainment of a CI initiative. Second, the five factors are incorporated into a new CI programme management model. The model details a âbottom-upâ procedure for the generation of manufacturing performance improvement ideas and the management of their implementation
The search for generic manufacturing strategies in the UK engineering industry
The search for generic manufacturing strategies has been attempted previously using the American and the European Manufacturing Futures
survey data. This paper details the results of a study using manufacturing
strategy and performance data submitted by 120 competitors for the 1993 and
1994 UK Best Factory Award.
The research method used was the same as that applied by the previous
researchers of this subject. This was to carry out a cluster analysis of the
rankings of emphasis to be given to the improvement of six competitive
capabilities during a two year period following completion of the
questionnaire. Only data from UK engineering companies were used for this
analysis.
The study findings are similar to those of the previous American study but add
to them. Four distinct clusters of different competitive capabilities were
observed. The distinguishing competitive capability of each cluster was found
to be consistent with those detailed in a previously published theoretical
framework that linked competitive capabilities with generic manufacturing
strategy types.School of Managemen
Manufacturer-supplier relationships : An empirical study of German manufacturing companies
Effective management of suppliers is one of the ways manufacturing companies can
improve their performance. Typically, it has been argued in the literature that
close relationships with suppliers should be developed, in contrast to the
traditional price-driven transactional relationships. However, there has been
relatively little empirical research on how supplier management is applied
Is Management Commitment to Quality Just 'A Given'?
Reports on interviews held with management at six factories in the UK, which had
received awards for their manufacturing excellence, which aimed to discuss the
TQM initiatives and, in particular, to gauge the degree and nature of the
management commitment required to make these successful. Uncovers, from the
results, an indication of the emphasis that managers must place on becoming
personally involved if TQM is to be successful. Identifies four common
dimensions of management commitment in the approaches seen across the six
factories: the time and effort invested, emphasis on clear goals and
organizations, managementâs manufacturing expertise, and a strong focus on
employees (training and teamwork). Concludes that although the findings are
based on only six cases, the topic of commitment is an important one, with
significant implications for management and it is also an area which is ripe for
further, detailed investigati
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