Quality issues in lean production implementation: A case study of a French automotive supplier

Among the major changes related to the emergence of lean production that the European automotive component sector has undergone over the last 5 years, new approaches to quality management is one of the most significant. However, there is very little literature, in terms of case studies or examples, that focuses on the daily struggle in companies of transforming these strategies into working practice. The research reported in this paper illustrates, by means of a case study, how a French automotive supplier has confronted the challenge and adopted quality management-related concepts of lean production in its operation. Lean quality management is analysed in six domains: top management support-leadership policy, customer relationships, product design process, process flow management, continuous improvement and market outcomes. It is concluded that if quality is managed in an integrated way where management support and customer relationships condition the operations context, quality management can become a resource enabling suppliers to create distinctive competitive advantage and thus achieve positive market outcomes.