The Role of Quality Benchmarking Deployment to World-Class Manufacturing

ABSTRACT

The main goal of the article is to study the role of quality benchmarking deployment for achieving world-class manufacturing status. The production structure distinguishes output from the production unit. This structure is divided into customization and new products. Customization describes the range of products and adaptation to customers’ needs. New products are added to incorporate claims in the world-class competitive advantage literature and companies need to increase the introduction of such products. A world-class competitive advantage seeks to combine a high degree of customization with a fast response to customer demands. A production line with such characteristics needs to be flexible. In addition, a simple organizational chart, in combination with new production technology, will avoid time-consuming procedures. A world-class competitive company is characterized by design flexibility and the interval of introducing new products. Indeed, a company's interval for the new products is an indication of its success. Production technology describes the sequence of activities in the workflow. Some pioneers have divided production technology aspects to automation of equipment, the sequence of operations in terms of workflow rigidity, the specificity of evaluation of operations, and continuity of the units of throughput. literature The on world-class manufacturing describes a large and growing body of techniques for manufacturing and its management as efficiently as possible. As parts of total quality management, benchmarking management and quality function deployment (QFD) have become powerful competitive tools used by many successful companies. In this article, we propose a quantitative model that links QFD with benchmarking to help the company establish competitive benchmarking. In this empirical study, we examined Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKIA). After data collection, quality requirements and service design requirements were identified; quality requirements were prioritized; and, finally, using quality benchmarking deployment (QBD), service design requirements (benchmarking elements) were prioritized. The results showed that enhancing convenience of transport facilities with outside and foreign countries, enhancing performance of the related institutions, and improving efficiency of passport and visa checks are the first three priorities of airport service. Recommendations could provide the IKIA with a valuable strategic planning tool in airport service.

KEYWORDS:

• quality benchmarking deployment
• quality improvement
• worldclass manufacturing

Notes

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