The process to achieve “World Class Manufacturing” (WCM) has a number of philosophies and elements that are common for all companies. Therefore, when applied to the manufacturing field, TQM and WCM are synonymous.
We would like to observe that customer needs and expectations is a very important element in WCM. The manufacturing strategy should be geared to support these needs. These could be dealing with certification, market share, company growth, profitability or other global targets.
The outcomes should be defined so that they are measurable and have a definite timetable. These are also a means of defining employee responsibilities and making them feel involved. Employee education and training is an essential element in a World Class Manufacturing Company. They must understand the company’s vision and mission and consequential priorities.
As introduced in World Class Manufacturing, well known disciplines such as: Total Quality Control; Total Productive Maintenance; Total Industrial Engineering; Just In Time and Lean Manufacturing are taken into account. Thus, World Class Manufacturing is based on a few fundamental principles:
- the involvement of people is the key to change;
- it is not just a project, but a new way of working,
- accident prevention is a non-derogated “value”;
- the customer’s voice should reach all departments and offices;
- all leaders must demand respect for the standards set;
- methods should be applied with consistency and rigor;
- all forms of MUDA waste are not tolerable;
- all faults must be made visible;
- eliminate the cause and not treat the effect.
