A double case study applying action research methodology was conducted in two
pharmaceutical preparation manufacturers in the Netherlands to improve their
manufacturing systems by implementing time-based manufacturing (TBM) practices.
Following the diagnosis phase, the situation of each Company was analysed and
suitable improvement interventions were selected for implementation in the Case
Companies. At the end of the action research project, semi-structured interviews were
taken in each Company a year later, and the achieved results of the improvement
programmes were collected and analysed. This research extends the existing theory of
time-based competition and demonstrates that TBM practices apply also in the
pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing industry. Furthermore, this study shows how
to improve TBM practices and reduce the throughput time by providing the route for
improvement and implementation. Although the first Case Company did not improve
the core TBM practices and manufacturing performance, its infrastructure improved
through the implementation of an ERP system and further enhancement of its quality
management system, illustrating that the design of the infrastructure is a key factor to
become a time-based competitor. The second Case Company succeeded to improve the
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TBM practices and throughput processes resulting in the reduction of the order cycle
time and increase of the delivery dependability. Based on the data of the two Case
Companies, this study demonstrated the relationship between these two manufacturing
performance parameters, which indicates that manufacturers may strive for both
delivery speed and delivery reliability using the same improvement plan. Adopting
TBM is a long journey of many years and needs a continuous improvement
infrastructure.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BRADFORD/oai:bradscholars.brad.ac.uk:10454/4465 |
| Date | January 2010 |
| Creators | Vondracek, Paul T.J.W. |
| Contributors | Brown, S. |
| Publisher | University of Bradford, School of Management |
| Source Sets | Bradford Scholars |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis, doctoral, DBA |
| Rights | <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/3.0/88x31.png" /></a><br />The University of Bradford theses are licenced under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/">Creative Commons Licence</a>. |
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