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 country’s 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 company’s 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 – the supplier base – 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

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 ‘bottom-up’ 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

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, management’s 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

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

Investigating the meaning of supplier-manufacturer partnerships : An exploratory study

Supplier partnerships can be the key in enhancing the performance of manufacturing companies. Consequently, partnership has been strongly recommended by academics and practitioners alike. Surprisingly, the concept of partnership is only poorly understood. Many authors have identified the advantages that it can bring but far less has been published on the attributes of partnership itself. What is known is that partnerships are “close” relationships and thus, the level of relationship closeness is an appropriate angle for exploring supplier partnerships. Research was conducted using the repertory grid technique with an exploratory sample of ten managers from four German engineering companies. It revealed that supplier partnerships are very different from other forms of relationship and identified five distinct attributes of partnerships. These findings have a number of implications for both practitioners and researc

Supply base management : an empirical investigation

Manufacturing companies place a strong emphasis on the role of supply chain management-the management of supplies, suppliers, inventory and distribution. Supplier management is key and much of the literature talks about the trend to reduce supplier base. Database analysis gave empirical evidence of this trend in UK manufacturing companies-201 companies from different industrial sectors were all found to have cut their supplier base over the last four years, on average by 9% in the household products sector and approximately 35% in the process, engineering and electronics sectors. Further research at four companies looked at their experiences with suppliers and established that a key reason for supplier base reduction is to free time to more effectively manage the remaining suppliers. The criteria used for supplier selection and reasons why single- sourcing was avoided were also identified. These findings on supplier management have implications for both researchers and managers in industry