The automotive components manufacturing sector is facing tremendous pressure to remain competitive in a global economy. The application of performance improvement techniques to optimise factor production inputs remains a key strategic mechanism to effect the necessary change towards competitiveness. The high failure rate of these programmes, however, is a risk factor that should be considered by manufacturing firms. The investment into the implementation of these programmes will yield no return if the organisational maturity profile is not considered. The expected gains may not materialise and the execution of critical projects may take much longer than required. It is for this reason that an approach towards selecting the correct Performance Improvement Programme to optimise the performance of companies is a business imperative. Through a better understanding of the relationships between Performance Improvement Programmes and Organisational Maturity Variables, implementation success rates can increase, leading to improved results and sustainability. The approach taken to this research was quantitative in nature. Various descriptive and inferential statistics were applied to the selected respondents from the Eastern Cape automotive sector. The respondents had a working knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) and Six Sigma. The research instrument was administered through an online survey. The research sought to identify whether there was a relationship amongst the variables under the three identified constructs. The research also sought to establish whether there was a difference between the specific Performance Improvement Programmes’ and Organisational Maturity Variables’ relationships. This affirmed the use of a new framework that integrates the programmes on the basis of their relationship to Organisational Maturity Variables. The research also provided insight into the challenges of the industry from a performance perspective and linked these with the relationship between Organisational Maturity Variables and Organisational Performance Variables. This allowed the researcher to include this additional insight as a consideration in the integrated implementation framework developed as part of the research. The results show that good consideration should be given to the Organisational Maturity Variables as these variables are related to the successful adoption of Performance Improvement Programmes. The research also shows that Lean Manufacturing, Total Productive Maintenance and Six Sigma are related to an organisations’ maturity profile in different ways. These results support the integrated Performance Improvement Programme approach, using a common set of tools and selecting the necessary programme specific tools based on a firm’s maturity profile. The research affords industry a framework to aid in decision making considering the relationships tested as part of this research. The linkages between Performance Programmes, Organisational Maturity Variables and Organisational Performance Variables are now more specific in nature.

Management’s response to shareholders’ return on investment as a priority occurs in an increasingly dynamic environment. Accompanying these activities is the need to realign responsibilities and to allocate scarce resources effectively. This is done in order to ensure that companies achieve global competitiveness and increase shareholders’ return on investment. Against this backdrop, local industry needs to find new methods or strategies in order to achieve world-class competitiveness, and to be able to access foreign investment. One way to achieve these goals is through Value Based Management (VBM). The objective of this study is to evaluate the strategic intent of Multinational Entities in applying VBM to increase shareholders’ return on investment. Based on the study, certain factors are critical to ensure the success of VBM. A postal survey to managers in the motor manufacturing and component manufacturing companies was conducted to check the managers’ familiarity with VBM, and their scope, and usage of VBM; and, based on the finding, to evaluate the impact of VBM on companies’ results. The empirical finding was compared with a literature review, and the following findings were made: There is a strong understanding and application of the VBM principle on the part of local entities with Foreign Direct Investment (FDI); Departmental performance is critical to an entity’s overall performance; Based on the study, 23 per cent of the respondents use Economic Value Added (EVA) as an internal reporting measure, and an average of 19 per cent use other metrics; A total of 89 per cent of respondents indicated that they strongly agree with the use of incentives for motivation. The above-mentioned points were covered by means of 4-M framework ― that is: Measurement, Management, Motivation, and Mindset.

In the global automotive industry there is a drive toward integration of autonomous and human operated equipment. Monfared and Yang (2006:546) suggest that this dynamic requirement could be met with elements to be investigated in a research paper. Current investigations show a gap in management not having a guideline which can be used to help decide between automation versus human capital in the planning of new production facilities in the automotive assembly plant. (Skjerve and Skraaning, 2004:3). The purpose of this research is to determine what factors affect this decision-making process. In order to carry out this research, an in-depth literature review was conducted using various sources. The sources included, but were not limited to, interviews at assembly plants, the Nelson Mandela Metro University library, various e-journals and the internet. The literature review led to the finding of the factors which affect Levels of Automation (LOA) and to the development of the research instrument which was used to measure the impact of those factors. The results of fifty-two (52) respondents were then analysed and used as evidence to support the three hypotheses proposed. As a result of completing the above procedure the following hypotheses were supported. The greater the level of technology and the lower the skills of employees the greater the level of automation in an automotive assembly plant to be used. The greater the complexity of the assembly processes the lower the level of automation in an automotive assembly plant to be used. The higher the flexibility the greater the level of automation in an automotive assembly plant to be used. This means that managers and supervisors of assembly plants should consider the level of technology and skills of employees, flexibility and complexity during the design stages of an automotive assembly line as these factors will affect profitability by reducing waste, improve quality as well as allow for flexibility in customer demand in terms of volumes and product variance.

To stay competitive and to be able to sell high-class products in the modern automobile production it is absolutely necessary to check the quality standard of a manufactured vehicle. The normal measurement strategy to check the quality standard of a completely assembled car is through a complex measurement strategy whilst the vehicle is in the actual series production. This is an immensely time and money consuming process. Furthermore, measurement systems are fixed within a certain position and the flexible measurement of a produced vehicle is very difficult to realize. This project presents a measurement system compliant to all quality guidelines, with which it is possible to measure any mounted component from a completely assembled vehicle wherever and whenever required. For the first time it is possible to measure the vehicle quality and dimensional standard from the first body in white prototype assembled in production up to the completely assembled vehicle delivered to the customer. The result of this project is a measurement system that consists of a hardware tool and a specially programmed software add-on. The complete system could easily be carried to the vehicle that must be analysed. This gives a lot of advantages. Furthermore it is possible to use this developed technology for the whole Volkswagen Company including the other brands like Audi, Skoda and Seat.

Faculty of Engineering and Built Enviroment School of Mechanical,Industrial and Aeronamical Engineering 9901104p francisk@global.co.za / This research uses the SERVQUAL instrument developed by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry to evaluate the level of service quality perceived by customers at selected vehicle service dealerships in the country. In general, none of the dealerships’ performance meets or exceeds the customers’ expectation. The hypothesis of “customers view selected South African vehicle service dealerships as having equal levels of service quality” is not disproved. Findings of this research coincide with that of Cronin and Taylor; indicating that measuring perception scores has a higher internal consistency than measuring the difference between expectation and perception scores. In addition, respondents consider “reliability” as the most important aspect in service quality while dealerships perform the worst in this area. Finally, the discrepancy between customers’ expectations and managements’ perception on such expectations contribute partially to the overall service quality gap and further research should investigate the other gaps that broaden the overall service quality gap.

No description available.

No description available.

This research analysed four main themes – role of government, globalisation, foreign direct investment (FDI), and industrial clusters in the context of Chinese automobile industry. The aim was to explore how these four elements were brought together to achieve industrial development and modernisation in the Chinese automobile industry since 1949. In particular, the globalisation process, speedily driven by the world economy, has been shaping the automobile industry in a profound way. With this mega trend, China was able to initiate a set of policies undertaken by the government to develop its own automobile industry in several regional clusters across the country, which in turn hastened the progress of modernisation. Moreover, FDI has been critical for remaking a once backward automobile industry into one that has large-scale assembly capacity, comprehensive local supply networks, and a new generation of indigenous car brands and models. The overall methods adopted for this research are semi-structured face to face interviews and case studies. In order to accomplish the research aim, 11 interviews have been carried out with key personnel drawn from the Chinese automobile industry. Participants have been chosen because of their expertise on this topic. In addition, three case studies were developed on the performance of three different types of firms operating in China: private (Geely), state-owned (Chery), and joint venture (Beijing Hyundai). Three cases were analysed in-depth in order to gain a rich understanding of the context of operation in the Chinese automobile industry. The key conclusions are both the role of government and FDI by multinational firms have been crucial to the development of the automobile industry in China and will be so for many years to come.

M.A. (Economics) / The high soaring motor vehicle prices put the accessibility of a new motor vehicle out of reach of the average South African consumer. The South African motor vehicle and related industry was protected to a point where it became virtually a monopoly. or a very small oligopoly. Curtailing costs and keeping prices low wasn't a priority and the consumer had to pay the price. The brunt of custom duties, excise taxes and high tariffs were paid by the consumer. in order to keep an inefficient local motor vehicle industry alive. When the General Agreement on Tariff and Trade (GATT) takes effect in 1995. the South African .motor vehicle and related industry will start losing its protective base. This is good news for the consumer. but bad news for the South African motor vehicle and related industry. which wouldn't be ready for international competition in time. It is therefore of the utmost importance that the industry will start curtailing costs wherever possible. The sharp and continuous increases in motor vehicle prices indicate that the industry isn't cost effectively organized. This causes the South African motor vehicle and related industry to be internationally uncompetitive. The general impression is that the South African motor vehicle industry's input mix is wrong. This study investigated the level of optimalization of the capital and labour input base in the South African motor vehicle industry, to ascertain where the problem lies. It was revealed that the South African labour force is too unproductive and production costs could be curtailed if thousands of workers are retrenched and more capital is employed. This study also made a contribution to the theory of production. Equations were developed which can determine the optimal input ratio; the optimal amounts that should be allocated to capital and labour inputs, respectively, if a specific budget outlay is available; and what the optimal values of the capital and inputs should be to deliver a desired output, for example the market demand. A unique method to determine and quantify capital and labour productivity, and especially the decline in labour productivity were developed. The possible gains that could be made if the total cost outlay were optimally allocated between the factors of production, and the cost savings that could be made if the market demand was met by an optimal input combination, were also shown.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Sociology. Johannesburg, 1997. / This thesis is an investigation into worker responses to restructuring of work and production organisation in a South African automobile manufacturing company. The orgnnisation of work and production is analysed as part of managerial strategies aimed at promoting flexibility Worker responses will be conceptualized in a general model of worker subjectivity. Subjectivity here means the process through which workers make sense of changes in factory life according to regulative ideas and general moral and cultural constructions of the meanings of industrial work. I adopted a method based on observational research and semi-structured interviews with a group of workers, integrated by archival research and interviews with managers and union organisers, The results of my enquiry confirm hypotheses and theoretical frameworks critical towards the notion of flexibility as representing a clear divide with traditional "mass production" methods. In fact, managerial promotion of flexibility coexists here with relevant continuities in hierarchical and authoritarian structures, paternalism, lack of skills' recognition, use of technology as a mainly cost-cutting device, routinisation and lack of worker responsibility and independence. [Abbreviated Abstract. Open document to view full version]