World‐class manufacturing project: overview and selected results
International Journal of Operations & Production Management
ISSN: 0144-3577
Article publication date: 1 July 1997
Abstract
A number of authors have used terms such as “world‐class manufacturing”, “high performance manufacturing” and others to describe comprehensive approaches to manufacturing performance improvement. They have broken new ground by introducing the notion of broad, organization‐wide improvement approaches, involving many complex interrelationships. However, testing the associated relationships is just beginning. The WCM Project seeks to articulate the practices which are associated with world‐class manufacturing and their interrelationships. In this attempt, a number of studies have been conducted, using the comprehensive database developed for the project. Provides a detailed examination of the development and verification of the database, which contains perceptual and objective information about quality, JIT, technology, strategy, organization characteristics and human resource management practices of 42 plants in the machinery, electronics and transportation components industries. It also provides a brief overview of three of the studies conducted as part of this project, dealing with: manufacturing process innovation; the relationship between quality practices and performance; and the relationship between TQM and JIT. Each of these highlights specific practices which are related to performance, as well as relevant infrastructure characteristics.
Keywords
Citation
Flynn, B.B., Schroeder, R.G., Flynn, E.J., Sakakibara, S. and Bates, K.A. (1997), "World‐class manufacturing project: overview and selected results", International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol. 17 No. 7, pp. 671-685. https://doi.org/10.1108/01443579710175592
Publisher
:MCB UP Ltd
Copyright © 1997, MCB UP Limited