精益管理诊断方法

在精益理论研究和精益咨询实践中发现,由于不同企业的情况差异较大,实施精益生产的人手点、路径和内容也不同,所以指导者在精益生产实施前的精益诊断,对精益生产的实施成败影响甚大。     

几种精益生产方式的混合应用

精益思想已逐渐被国内许多企业所接受,5S、均衡化生产、看板管理和价值流管理等精益生产方法均已被广泛使用。企业在实施精益生产过程中．如果孤立的使用某些精益生产方法,往往顾此失彼,导致实施效果不佳。本文通过某公司的实际案例,研究这几种精益生产方式的应用,并分析它们之间的相互关联和影响     

精益生产在中小制造企业中的应用研究

本文通过对目前我国中小型企业所处现状的研究,说明精益生产对中小企业转型升级的重要性,并提出了在中小型制造企业中实施精益生产的几点建议。     

精益生产在T公司的应用及实施

本文从介绍精益生产理论入手,通过对T汽车零部件制造公司现状分析,在搜集和整理当前生产现状资料数据的基础上,综合运用精益生产及生产质量管理等现代管理工具,探讨精益生产在T公司的应用及实施,验证了T公司引进精益生产的现实意义和必要性。     

精益生产信息化在电子制造业的应用研究

针对产品生产呈现出多品种小批量趋势以及企业的海量数据存储问题,企业需要对现有的生产管理模式做出思考,实施精益信息化将是企业未来的发展趋势。本文介绍精益生产信息化的基本原理,它将精益思想融入到应用软件中,通过通信触发和事件管理功能来缩短应变时间,实现业务流程的实时可视化,指出电子看板系统可以有效传递以及储存信息,方便企业对生产的实时监控,最后进一步阐述了精益生产信息化在电子制造业中的具体实现。     

精益企业理念与精益生产实现模式研究

本文通过对精益生产和企业理念特征的研究，揭示了精益生产与企业理念的内在本质联系；通过对当前生产企业所面临的内外部环境的研究，分析了精益企业理念的特征，提出了传统大批量生产中精益生产转换的一种实现模式和策略。     

企业精益生产的管理——以出版企业为例

出版行业由事业单位改为企业后,出版企业的原有生产方式也在逐渐改变,精益生产日渐成为行业内关注的重点。本文通过分析精益生产及出版企业生产管理的理论和实践知识,结合XX出版社的实例,具体分析出版企业转制后精益生产的应用,探索在实施精益生产与管理的经验和途径。笔者认为,精益生产不仅适用于制造业,也同样适用于文化企业,乃至公共服务机构。     

永无止境de全面质量管理

<正> 我国从1978年开始推行全面质量管理(TQM),80年代是我国TQM的高潮期,这期间为企业带来了可观的实际效果。然而进入90年代以后,我国的TQM工作转入了低谷。有人便怀疑中国采用TQM是否会取得与日本一样的成功。而我们无论从TQM的理论本质还是它已带来的实际成果来看,TQM都是适合中国的发展的。重要的是如何实施。     

TQM管理技术和管理模式案例研究

全面质量管理（Total Quality Management, 简称TQM）是企业管理的重要内容,但很多企业在运用时流于形式。TQM是一项系统工程,不仅需要强烈的“问题”、“改善”意识,更需要的是要“改革”、“实践”、“应用”。随着新经济时代的到来,企业管理对其高效性、竞争力将有更高的要求,而TQM作为企业管理的重要内容,越来越成为管理界的共识,越来越发挥出重要的作用。本论文研究了美国总统轮船公司（American President Lines Co.,Ltd. 简称ＡＰＬ）南京分公司全面质量管理的情况,从理论和实践的结合上深入研究了TQM及其应用。论文首先介绍了APL高效、合理的质量管理体系和公司组织结构,它为实施TQM提供了有效的组织保证。多年实践证明,TQM在APL和顾客中取得了双赢绩效。论文进一步研究了TQM中的质量改进(Quality Improvement, 简称QI)小组的组织形式、组织原则、小组成员、具体任务以及工作阶段和步骤,这是一种合乎逻辑的、极其有效的工作程序,说明实施TQM有规律可循。最后根据QI七个工作步骤,对QI工作过程进行了深入的分析,说明QI是实施TQM,改进、提高工作质量的一个非常重要的环节,不但清晰地找出了TQM过程中的问题,而且分析了产生问题的各种原因,明确提出了解决问题的措施及实施方案     

精益生产和六西格玛的管理模式在中小型军工企业中的应用探讨

本文通过介绍精益生产理论和六西格玛理论及其应用研究,引出精益生产和六西格玛的整合即精益六西格玛理论,说明了二者整合的必要性,分析了精益六西格玛应用的成功和失败之处,对在中小型军工企业中推行精益六西格玛提出了期望。     

Evaluating the impact of lean practices on environmental performance: evidences from five manufacturing companies

Abstract

Previous evidence suggests that lean practices help organizations to enhance environmental performance. However, the impact of lean practices on the environment is still unclear. This study, therefore, aims to analyse the relationship between lean and environmental performance in two main stages: first, a review of the relevant literature was developed, followed by a multiple case study analysis conducted in five manufacturing companies. Onsite data were collected from the firms during a 5 years’ time span of research and developing semi-structured interviews. Findings indicate that the environmental performance of the companies analysed is generally enhanced in the long-term after the implementation of lean. Moreover, the results suggest that the environmental performance of the firms investigated is mainly improved by using JIT and TQM practices in a lean transformation context. The research findings provide further results remarking the possible negative impact of Kanban deliveries, 5S and TPM on various environmental performance indicators.     

Soft TQM,hard TQM,and organisational performance relationships: an empirical investigation

TQM literature suggests that hard TQM has a profound impact on organisational performance. However, most empirical studies have examined the impact of each dimension of TQM on performance separately. We argue that it is more appropriate to investigate the direct impact of soft TQM on the diffusion of hard TQM, and then assess the direct impact of hard TQM on performance. Analysis of 261 Australian manufacturing companies revealed significant positive relationships between soft TQM and hard TQM elements. In addition to direct affects, soft TQM also has an indirect affect on performance through its effect on hard TQM.     

Universal versus contextual effects on TQM: a triangulation study using neural networks

The objective of this study is to extend previous research on total quality management (TQM)-context-performance relationships and ‘fit’ using multiple methods. We combine artificial neural networks (ANNs) with structural equation modelling (SEM) to analyse several hypotheses and propositions. This is the first study in this area of research that utilises ANNs and a triangulation technique in the presence of several contextual factors. The SEM analyses suggest that company size and industry type may have contingency effects on some of the TQM practices and/or TQM-performance relationships. However, the ANN models have shown that these two contingency factors do not moderate TQM outcomes, implying that all organisations can benefit from TQM regardless of size and type. As well, these models show that formal TQM implementation and/or ISO certifications do not add any predictive power to the ANN models except in one case: TQM implementation and/or ISO certification added to organisational effectiveness and customer results to predict financial and market (F&M) results. The results further indicate that even though implementing TQM alone has a bigger impact on F&M results than obtaining ISO certification alone, combining the two will have an even greater impact on these results. Joint implementation leads to greater improvements in organisational effectiveness, which, in turn, has a positive effect on customer results and consequently F&M results. This is a unique finding within the context of moderator effects on TQM-performance relationships.     

The integration of TQM and technology/R&D management in determining quality and innovation performance

This paper presents an empirical study which examines the co-alignment between Total Quality Management (TQM) and technology/research and development (R&D) management in predicting organizational performance in terms of quality and innovation. This study improves our understanding of the relationship between TQM and innovation based on the following two major issues. First, this study contributes to the understanding of the co-alignment between TQM and technology management along with R&D management by bridging the gap between the two areas which are often addressed in a separate fashion. Second, this study also examines the impact of the integration between TQM and technology/R&D on quality and innovation performance which have been considered as the primary sources of a competitive advantage. The empirical data was drawn from 194 Australian organizations and analyzed using the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique. The findings indicate that TQM shows a strong predictive power against quality performance but no significant relationship against innovation performance. On the other hand, technology and R&D management shows a significant relationship with quality performance but at a lower level than that of TQM, and shows much stronger relationship with innovation performance. In addition, there is strong and positive correlation between TQM and technology/R&D management. The major implication of this study is that technology/R&D management is an appropriate resource to be used in harmony with TQM to enhance organizational performance, particularly innovation.     

The impact of environmental characteristics on TQM principles and organizational performance

One recurrent theme within the literature on total quality management (TQM) is the study of its effect on organizational performance. Nonetheless, most research has focused on analyzing the relationships between the implementation of different elements and several types of performance. This paper incorporates the effect of organizational environment as a variable for explaining the impact of TQM on business results. The model is tested using structural equations, employing a survey of quality managers in 273 Spanish firms. The causal analysis results show that dynamism, munificence and complexity influence the degree of implementation of the main TQM principles. The most relevant effects emerge as a result of the environmental dynamism, and the least effects are due to munificence. Similarly, the dimensions of TQM have an impact on different types of performance. The model can be used by organizations to assess their level of TQM success depending on specific environmental characteristics.     

TQM implementation: organisation practices and information infrastructures

This paper provides deeper exploration of the attitudes and perceptions of senior executives reported in an earlier paper. In particular, it investigates two issues; (a) differences in TQM implementation practices due to organisation size and (b) inconsistencies between the senior executives' attitudes and perceptions and their organisations' practices. The method used is to compare the attitudes and perceptions from earlier work with actions, practices and behaviours, including the propensity for measurement and information management. The results underline the central role of data and information, and hence measurement, in successful TQM implementations. Further questions arise which suggest the need for still deeper investigation via in-company case research. The data did not support the interim prediction that TQM implementation is poorer in small firms. Moreover, the more optimistic perceptions of TQM reported in medium and large firms were not sustainable when compared with their actual practices. The paper also provides a foundation for the next phase of this longitudinal research programme, which will track this cohort of firms (n=113) beyond the so-called “two year barrier” to see how many are still practising TQM thereafter. Finally the data shows TQM for this regional sample to be predominantly internally focused on cost reduction at operational levels.     

Impact of Information Technology Integration and Lean/Just‐In‐Time Practices on Lead‐Time Performance*

Managers seeking to improve lead‐time performance are challenged by how to balance resources and investments between process improvement achieved through lean/just‐in‐time (JIT) practices and information technology (IT) deployment. However, extant literature provides little guidance on this question. Motivated by both practical importance and lack of academic research, this article examines empirically the relationships among interfirm IT integration, intrafirm IT integration, lean/JIT practices, and lead‐time performance using data from IndustryWeek's Census of Manufacturers ( IndustryWeek, 2006 ). The results provide several new insights on the relationship between IT integration and lean/JIT practices. First, the study confirms that implementing lean/JIT practices significantly reduces lead time. Second, lean/JIT practices mediate the influence of IT integration on lead‐time performance. This suggests that process improvements that result from lean/JIT practices are important contributors to the success of IT integration. Even companies that have experienced success in reducing lead time through lean/JIT practices may benefit from IT integration practices such as those embodied in enterprise resource planning systems. The findings provide managers with empirical evidence and a theoretical framework on the balance between lean/JIT and IT for effecting improvement in lead‐time performance, thus offering practical guidance on this important question. Future research is needed to extend the lean/JIT practices in this study to supply chain practices and explore the relationship between supply chain practices and IT integration.     

An information system for Just-In-Time

In recent years, U.S.'s worldwide industrial and economic leadership has been seriously challenged by many foreign countries. In order to counter the problem, many U.S. manufacturing companies have sought effective materials management systems such as MRP and the ‘Just-In-Time’ (JIT) system as used by many Japanese companies. Even through many practitioners and academicians have been studying the JIT concept and have recommended ways of adapting the concept to the U.S. manufacturing environment, not very many organizations are enjoying benefits of JIT system in full scale because of misunderstanding of information needs in JIT system. The objectives of this paper are (1) to identify information requirements of the materials management systems under JIT concept, (2) to compare them against the requirements under MRP system, and (3) to propose an integrated management information system to support materials management system in JIT environment. The goal of this paper is to facilitate more effective implementation of the JIT system, and stimulate further research on the subject matter.     

DEVELOPING SOPHISTICATED QUALITY IMPROVEMENT APPROACHES THROUGH BUSINESS-ACADEME COLLABORATIONS: INTRODUCTION TO THE SPECIAL ISSUE

The pursuit of better performance has led to a number of business-academe collaborations. These collaborators have developed a number of sophisticated approaches that go far beyond such traditional simple methods as benchmarking against the best company, Ishikawa diagrams on feedback and control, Pareto diagrams, incentive systems based solely on output or quality, standard process control charts, and separate treatment of control charts and product inspection. The authors in this special issue report on approaches like benchmarking industrial performance through industry studies; the use of an artificial-intelligence statistical-tree growing method to analyze complex customer service data; an incentive system based on the total quality management (TQM) concepts of continuous improvement, teamwork, adaptation to change, and a focus on customer satisfaction; and integration of product inspection and process control. Because of the continuing widespread interest in TQM, there is an opportunity to take stock of how successful TQM initiatives have been and how we should consolidate and further extend the knowledge in TQM. Two of the papers report on the gap between what organizations espouse as TQM and what they actually implement and on the literature on TQM.     

A grounded theory research approach to building and testing TQM theory in operations management

Total quality management (TQM) has continued to develop as a strategic business improvement approach in organisations and within the Operations Management literature. Strategic TQM is a dynamic phenomenon, reflecting the complexity and technology development in the business environment. Therefore, this conception of TQM has led to significant challenges with regards to developing suitable models and research methodology where traditional, and normative research data, includes survey responses associated with deductive theory and testing. Such data, and its use, is often premised on cause and effect rationality and fails to supply deep rich data to address meanings, phenomena and complex socio-political events, which is a feature of strategic TQM.