THE IMPACT OF WORLD-CLASS MANUFACTURING PRACTICES ON SMALL MANUFACTURERS - by
David K. Johnson

Summary Data Analysis

Initial analysis of the summary data (See Appendix B) collected from the surveys provides valuable insight into the practices of small sized manufacturers. From this data general observations can be made as to why the survey participants tended to respond in the way they did.

Performance

The collected data tends to indicate that the performance of small manufacturers has generally improved during the last three years. Although performance measures such as quality, lead-times, and productivity indicate that performance has greatly improved, the measurements of profits and market share show little change (figure 14). This indicates a very competitive landscape, in which continuous improvement is required just to maintain the status quo. The manufacturing environment has become so competitive that not only must companies continuously improve their performance, but they must also do it at a quicker pace than their competitors. In such a competitive environment the use of world-class manufacturing techniques becomes even more important.

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Copyright © 2005. David K. Johnson. All Rights Reserved.