Companies realize to stay competitive they have to introduce quality improvement programs. Many companies are challenged today with the sustainability of these quality improvement programs. Generally the understanding of the dynamic behaviour of quality improvement programs is poorly understood with soft issues as factors of the system. System dynamics may solve this problem. This research was focussed on operational management of operations. The organising framework of this research has been qualitative research where the research design was a polar type research design where the case studies focussed on initiatives that were dramatic success or failures, with the expectation that their comparison would help identify those processes that prevent competence enhancing change. A dynamic hypothesis has been constructed from archival data, semi-structured interviews and direct observations, gathered during these case studies. A system dynamics model for quality improvement programs in an automotive environment has been tested and expanded to be applicable for a heavy engineering manufacturing environment. The structure of the system dynamics model has been expanded to include a sustainability feedback loop which also included a management support model. The management support model included soft factors such as management support, management pressure and managerial effectiveness. The complete quality improvement program system dynamics simulation model with sustainability has been tested and validated against a real system data, for a heavy engineering manufacturing environment, gathered during the case studies. The model parameters were determined from a calibration algorithm, by using the Vensim® simulation platform, that fitted the real system behaviour the best. A sensitivity analysis has been done on the model parameters determining the information cues for the management decision policies. From the system dynamics model of the complete quality improvement program, including the sustainability feedback loop, proposed management decision policies have been studied that could lead to sustainable quality improvement programs for a heavy engineering manufacturing environment. From these simulation studies several management policies have been proposed. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2013 / Graduate School of Technology Management / Unrestricted

The world is changing rapidly for the engineering community. Sustainability in every sense has become the watchword¿in terms of product manufacture and performance, and responding to global market and environmental pressures. A well thought-out manufacturing strategy can help organisations make choices that support its overall business objectives, respond to new opportunities and challenges as they arise. However, manufacturing strategy configuration and deployment in SMME¿s is a neglected field in manufacturing strategy literatures. More importantly, the application of lean manufacturing, Six Sigma and CIM strategies are said to be more applicable to batch production environments and large manufacturing organisations but not to SMMEs that operates a job shop type operating characteristics and with limited resource availability. With recognition that most of these methodologies were originally conceptualised and implemented in large manufacturing environments with batch and flow type manufacturing architecture, the need to develop solutions specific to SMME¿s with job shop type operating characteristics (tooling reclamation industry in particular) is imperative. The fundamental essence of this research is the development of an integrated manufacturing strategy which is based on Lean-Six Sigma-MRP-CADCAM methodologies at the case company. The framework for deploying this strategy is based on inputs from a business environment analysis, a lean strategic planning module (based on production planning and manufacturing/product cost structure analysis) and a lean resource planning interface that is predicated on value stream analysis and simulation models. The material and information flows of the case company manufacturing systems were studied. The approach taken emphasis the well know value engineering concepts of multiple-stage manufacturing system accumulating costs/time between individual stages as well as by transfer/material handling and work-in-process. The study shows that maximisation of capacity and resource utilisation, queue less work flow and flexible labour policies that support the case company¿s manufacturing system offer potential for reform which can substantially enhance customer service, product quality and overall improvement in investment returns. / NTR Ltd and KTP programme

Many organisations use incentive systems as a management control tool to steer the organisation towards defined goals by generating common incentives for the employees. Previous studies have shown that the design of an incentive system affect what results it may generate. Therefore, this study aims to, within the context of manufacturing industry, investigate a configuration of design choices’ impact on the effect of an incentive system. A literature study has been conducted to map what effect the research shows different design choices and how these impacts the employees and the organisation. This case study of Toyota Material Handling Manufacturing Sweden AB investigates how their incentive system is designed and what effects this generates from their organisational specific context. Motivation, participation, cooperation, culture and performance were factors evaluated in the study. Data was mainly gathered through qualitative interviews conducted with employees to gain an understanding of the use and design of the incentive system together with how it fit within the organisational context. The empirical data was then analysed and related to previous studies on the subject. The conclusion and discussion base on the effects of an incentive system and how these effects are affected by the design of the incentive system itself, together with how these effects may be reduced when alternative management control tools hold a stronger presence with the employees. Even when the incentive system is designed by what previous studies has shown to generate the desired effect, the organisational specific context may affect the result. Further, it is discussed that the highest results are achieved when the incentive system is designed to work within a specific context, as it then strives towards the same vision as other management control tools.