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This study seeks to examine the impact of quality control techniques on operational efficiency in manufacturing organisations, specifically identifying the most successful practices that foster long-term success. The research employs a twofold approach: it first analyses current literature on the incorporation of quality principles in diverse manufacturing companies, identifying shortcomings.  Secondly, employing quantitative methodologies through surveys directed at South African manufacturing experts. This study utilised a purposive sample method to choose participants from the available population.  Purposive sampling is a nonprobability sampling technique that involves gathering data from designated target groups or individuals according to a defined criterion. The results indicate that employee training, ongoing improvement, and internal audits are the paramount quality control techniques, substantially promoting a culture of quality and advancing operational development. Employee engagement, proactive strategies, and remedial actions are seen as essential components for maintaining enduring operational performance. The incorporation of supplier quality management and control charts improves decision-making and guarantees product uniformity. The research highlights that organisations can enhance competitiveness, operational efficiency, and customer happiness through the implementation of good quality control practices. These methods result in enhanced production, decreased operational expenses, and increased market sustainability. Organisations must prioritise staff training, ongoing enhancement, and supplier quality control to maintain a competitive edge. This study enhances the existing information by emphasising the essential quality control techniques that affect operational efficiency in manufacturing entities. It offers significant insights into the execution of quality control techniques and their influence on business performance, presenting pragmatic recommendations for managers aiming to enhance operational efficiency.

The sustainability of South African automotive component suppliers faces increasing pressure due to global supply chain disruptions and heightened buyer demands. Within this competitive environment, traditional differentiators such as price and product quality are largely prescribed by buyers, leaving suppliers with limited strategic levers. Relationship quality has therefore emerged as a crucial factor in building trust and securing long-term customer retention. The central research question is: What is the correlation between trust and relationship quality in buyer-supplier exchanges within the automotive supply chain? This article reports on a quantitative study that examined the relationship between supplier–buyer relationship quality and the development of trust. A directional linear relationship between these constructs was tested to determine the extent to which relational factors contribute to sustainable partnerships. The findings indicate a strong and significant correlation, suggesting that supplier actions during sourcing interactions can meaningfully influence levels of trust. Trust, in turn, enhances perceived customer value and contributes to customer retention in an industry where competitive advantages are narrow. The study underscores the need for South African automotive component suppliers to prioritise strategies that strengthen relationship quality with their buyers. By fostering trust through relational practices, suppliers may achieve more resilient business outcomes and sustain their market position within a challenging global supply chain environment.

The performance of productivity has garnered significant interest among economists, with a prevalent discussion affirming the crucial role of productivity enhancement in fostering and sustaining growth. This necessitates businesses to recognise manufacturing excellence in their operations.  Manufacturing excellence is a non-prescriptive paradigm for organisational management aimed at enhancing competitiveness.  The processes established for consistent delivery must yield products with minimal variance and no flaws.  This study investigates the impact of manufacturing excellence strategy on workforce productivity in South African automobile parts manufacturing firms.  The study employed a quantitative methodology to investigate production and associated experiences within an automobile parts manufacturing organisation that implemented a manufacturing excellence strategy for enhancing productivity.  The Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) model, employing the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), was utilised for data analysis.  The corporation functions within the eThekwini Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal region of South Africa.  The study was conducted by gathering pre- and post-quarterly data on absenteeism, spoilage, and labour productivity.  The findings demonstrate that manufacturing excellence affects labour productivity.  Nonetheless, neither absenteeism nor spoilage correlates with worker productivity following the introduction of manufacturing excellence.  This study reveals the strengths and shortcomings of manufacturing excellence and its impact on workforce productivity in automobile parts manufacturing firms in South Africa. 

Companies in the South African apparel industry are being driven to improve their operational efficiency by implementing Lean Manufacturing Principles (LMPs) as a result of the severe competition that they face both locally and internationally. To evaluate the effectiveness of LMP implementation in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating within the apparel sector in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), this research employed a quantitative methodology. The degree of LMP adoption and its influence on operational performance, quality management, and competitiveness are brought to light through a comparison analysis between a small-sized company (Company A) and a medium-sized company (Company B). The was gathered using a structured survey distributed to employees across different functional levels in both companies. The findings suggest that there are significant differences in the implementation of LMP between the two companies, with Company B reaching a higher degree of adoption and generating more substantial benefits in both efficiency and quality. When it came to smaller businesses, difficulties such as insufficient managerial assistance, limited resources, and knowledge gaps were more noticeable. This study enhances the understanding of LMP application in SMEs and offers recommendations for fostering lean adoption, minimizing waste, and encouraging sustainable practices and continuous improvement within South Africa's apparel industry.

This study seeks to create a model for the management of the steel production supply chain in South Africa amid the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), tackling persistent interruptions and delays within the supply chain despite current models. A mixed methodology was utilised in the model's development. The qualitative component entailed a Delphi research corroborated by literature to ascertain pertinent hypotheses, whereas the quantitative component validated the model through structural equation modelling (SEM) utilising SmartPLS software. The research delineated a seven-construct framework comprising cooperation, integration, communication, supply chain structure, Fourth Industrial Revolution technology, organisational culture, and trust. The amalgamation of these designs proved enough for improving the efficacy of the steel production supply chain. The research revealed that the use of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies and the cultivation of a conducive organisational culture are essential for effective supply chain management in the steel manufacturing industry. The research presents a detailed model that facilitates the planning and organisation of steel industry supply networks in South Africa. This approach underscores the necessity of a cooperative organisational culture, client contentment, and the incorporation of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies. Steel industry stakeholders are urged to implement adaptable supply chain frameworks (lean, agile, leagile) based on project goals. This study enhances theoretical frameworks by highlighting essential features that have not been previously incorporated into supply chain management models for the steel sector, including the integration of Fourth Industrial Revolution technology and organisational culture. It provides actionable insights for stakeholders in steel manufacture, enhancing supply chain performance via the proposed paradigm. The research methodology improves comprehension of supply chain management within the framework of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

This study examines the collaboration between Lean Six Sigma principles and order fulfilment procedures, which are essential for facilitating international trade. The objective is to ascertain the extent to which sustainable and effective lean processes improve customer satisfaction and accelerate global product delivery. The study employs a dual methodology: initially, doing a comprehensive analysis of the current body of literature on the integration of Lean Six Sigma in order fulfilment inside various manufacturing companies, with the aim of finding any deficiencies or areas that require further investigation. Furthermore, we utilise a quantitative approach by administering surveys to professionals in the South African manufacturing industry. Deductive reasoning examines responses using random sampling to ensure unbiased selection. The findings emphasise that using Lean Six Sigma practices in the South African manufacturing sector can address customer concerns regarding the quality of orders and the timeliness of deliveries. This can provide a competitive advantage in the global market. The study validates that the inclusion of Lean Six Sigma measurements alleviates bottlenecks by focusing on improvements in operations, procedures, and communication. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of Lean Six Sigma methodologies in improving order fulfilment for enterprises engaged in international trade. It promotes these concepts to optimise processes, assuring timely deliveries and increased customer satisfaction. This study addresses several deficiencies in the current research on the incorporation of Lean Six Sigma in the manufacturing order fulfilment process. These gaps encompass the challenges of incorporating emerging technology, integrating collaborative supply chains, and incorporating sustainable practices. The distinctive methodology of integrating a comprehensive analysis of existing literature with empirical evidence enhances the novelty of the research outcomes. Manufacturing companies that aim to achieve global market excellence get practical advantages.

Supply chain management is the process of integrating critical business procedures throughout the supply chain to generate value for stakeholders and customers. Total Quality Management is a system that emphasises quality and focuses on ensuring customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction is a very important instrument for operational performance and business continuity. Therefore, this study aims to determine and analyse the effect of supply chain management (SCM) and total quality management (TQM) on operational performance (OP) mediated by competitive advantage (CA). Sample collection was carried out by distributing questionnaires, using purposive sampling technique, which is one of the non-probability sampling categories. The data analysis method uses structural equation model-partial least square (SEM-PLS). The results stated that the strategy of implementing supply chain management and total quality management together can increase competitive advantage. Increased competitive advantage can improve operational performance. The suggested policy implications are that the company can continue to maintain good relations with partners, produce products according to customer desires, competitive prices and timely products.

In general, this research aims to analyze and determine the effect of the application of lean manufacturing which is focused on eliminating waste and the influence of the physical work environment on labor productivity. This research used primary data through the distribution of questionnaires conducted to employees of Company X with a total of 230 respondents from sections in departments directly related to research variables. Data analysis methods using the Structural Equation Model (SEM) measured by the Partial Least Square (PLS) model, and data processing using SmartPLS 4.0 Software. Based on the results of calculations, data analysis shows that the application of principles related to lean manufacturing, which in this research is focused on the process of eliminating waste has a positive effect on the productivity of the workforce. The creation of a physical work environment that meets standards also positively affects the productivity of the workforce.

Due to rising global competition and major changes in consumer demands, preferences, and tastes, many businesses today use the Japanese management technique known as Kaizen to adjust their production processes to meet these expectations. The sole goal of this study was to improve the overall productivity of medium-scale industries by integrating the kaizen philosophy into the production process. Most learning exercises carried out as part of kaizen initiatives were designed to improve social outcomes regarding employees’ problem-solving skills and attitudes. In particular, Kaizen coordinators are concerned with employees’ understanding of continuous improvement and their communication and problem-solving abilities. The pilot project was carried out in the production lines where vanilla extracts were being produced. The Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle technique was used in this study to improve productivity in the production process. The pitch diagram was used as a supportive tool. The two prominent techniques that mainly contributed to the increase in productivity were the PDCA cycle and the pitch diagram. Kaizen implementation led to a 37% increase in the company's total productivity. To increase productivity even further, water tapping and measurement were merged. As a result, it took just 2 minutes instead of 5 to fill a bottle with 20 liters of water. This study concludes that the Kaizen philosophy and elimination of non-value-adding tasks from the production process improve output.

This study aims to review values congruence in supply chain management. Values congruence, commonly described by researchers as the sameness of object, idea, and people, are challenging to identify, measure and prove because values are inherent intangibles in people and only seen in one’s behaviour. As an exploratory study, this paper concentrated on the supply chain management process critical path identified as specifications, sourcing, evaluation, adjudication, contract management, and administration. The study also aims to investigate the extent of values congruence at every supply chain management critical path stage.  The data were coded, organized, and analyzed by applying the principles of the content analysis method. The main findings in this study revealed that Value congruence increased performance and projected profits, the environment, and society on the one hand. On the other hand, values incongruence contributed to poor organizational performance, malpractices, corruption, bankruptcy, and liquidations.

This study aims to investigate the implementation of supply chain agility in mediating the relationship between absorptive capacity and competitive advantage. The object of this study was some cafes and modern restaurants that have over 500 Instagram followers, while the subjects of this study were individuals that manage the cafes and restaurants. The data of three variables of this study were collected using a valid and reliable questionnaire. The data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) which is a statistical analysis technique that incorporates factor analysis and simultaneous equations. The analysis was performed using AMOS 22.0. The results indicated that absorptive capacity has a positive and significant effect on supply chain agility, while supply chain agility has a positive and significant effect on competitive advantage, absorptive capacity has a positive and significant effect on competitive advantage, and supply chain agility has a positive and significant effect in mediating the relationship between absorptive capacity and competitive advantage.

From the mid-1980s, Morocco confirmed its choice to liberalize trade so that international trade could become a lever for development. However, despite these ambitions, the persistence of the trade deficit has led us to reflect on the challenges of exports and the factors that can trigger the emergence of new competition. At this level, logistics has become one of the key factors to circumvent the obstacles that affect the supply of Moroccan exports. This paper aims to study and assess the impact of the determinants of logistics performance on export performance in the Moroccan context. It follows that the general concepts will be defined, and a review of the literature on the importance of the determinants of logistics performance in exporting companies will be presented, as well as the theoretical and practical research work that has studied the impact of determinants of logistics performance on export performance. The data were collected from the logistics directors and managers of 90 Moroccan exporting companies and later were analyzed by using the structural equation modelling technique to test the hypotheses and validate the research model. The results of our empirical study showed that the three determinants of logistics performance (collaboration, information sharing and logistics strategy) positively affect the export performance of Moroccan firms, also, we have distinguished that the three determinants play a very important role in improving the company's activities and strengthening the relationship between suppliers and customers, and finally, we found that all hypotheses of our study are validated. Our study has shown that there are certain determinants of logistics performance (collaboration, information sharing and logistics strategy) that contribute to the improvement of export performance in companies. In addition, we will verify our conceptual model in other countries which would allow us to identify universal trends and we have distinguished that there are other determinants and other important variables that will be integrated in our future research model.

The objective of this study was to determine and analyze the impact of TQM, Transformational Leadership (TL), and Executive Ability (EA) on improving sustainable competitive advantage (SCA) in MSMEs in Banten Province based on local leading potential. The method of distributing questionnaires is used in this study to collect primary data. This study's population consisted of all owners and managers of MSMEs in Banten Province. In contrast, the sample in this study is formed of the owners and managers of MSMEs of Local Leading Potential in Banten Province. Purposive sampling was being used in the study, as well as Warp PLS V. 7.0 and SPSS Version 25 test equipment. The findings of this study were as follows: (1) TQM had a significant positive effect on TL and SCA, but not on EA. (2) TL has a statistically significant positive effect on SCA and EA. (3) EA has a statistically significant positive effect on SCA. (4) TL mediates the effect of TQM on SCA and TQM on EA, and (5) EA does not mediate the effect of TQM on SCA. VAF (Variance Accounted For) has been used to calculate mediation effects.

The purpose of the study was to determine the moderating effect of environmental uncertainties on the relationship between lean supply chain strategy and the performance of manufacturing firms in Kenya. The study utilized a descriptive research design. The target population was 829 supply chain managers or directors from manufacturing firms around the country. A sample of 270 supply chain or procurement managers was selected using stratified random sampling. Results indicated that lean supply chain strategy explained 60.7% of the total variations in the performance of manufacturing firms. In addition, lean supply chain strategy had a positive and significant effect on the performance of manufacturing firms. With the introduction of moderating variables (environmental uncertainties); lean supply chain strategy explained 33% of the total variations in the performance of manufacturing firms. This denoted those environmental uncertainties had a negative moderating effect on the relationship between lean supply chain strategy and performance of manufacturing firms in Kenya. The study concluded that lean supply chain strategy had a positive and statistically significant effect on the performance of manufacturing firms in Kenya.

The delivery system for Base Transceiver System (BTS) to strengthen the telecommunication network throughout Indonesia maritime country is needed to speed up the process due to uneven distribution of sufficient telecommunications infrastructure. PT. Gunadhya Rajawali Logistik (GRL) is a third-party logistics company that focuses on transportation and warehouse management and delivery for telecommunication equipment tools. Unfortunately, in delivering BTS installation part throughout Indonesia, PT. GRL received several warning letters and had to pay a penalty from one of customers, for being late in reporting the delivery proof. This study aims to analyze the root causes of late submission of Soft Copy of Proof of Delivery (SCPOD) to avoid penalty given by the customer and determine suitable solutions to improve the process. The approach used in this study is lean six sigma with the help of Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control (DMAIC) roadmap. According to the interview with the employees related, the root causes of late submission of SCPOD are irresponsible drivers, indiscipline drivers in carrying out deliveries, and lack of data management in the transportation system. To be able to solve this problem, several proposed solutions can be applied. The proposed solutions to overcome the root causes that should be applied by the company are to hire a document control, retraining the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for drivers, utilize transportation management system application, and apply incentive systems for drivers. In the future, it is recommended for PT. GRL to have a minimum standard in recruiting the drivers for example only recruit who possess a minimum of high school education to ease the completion of administrative tasks.  

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of strategic supplier relationship on the performance of the devolved system of government in Kenya, the study adopted a cross-sectional survey design using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The target population for this study was all employees working in finance and procurement departments in 10 counties namely; Garissa, Kisii, Nyamira, Narok, Marsabit, Murang’ a Bomet, Nairobi, Kiambu and Homa Bay. We study used stratified random sampling to pick 186 respondents from finance and procurement department. Data was collected by using questionnaires Descriptive and inferential statistics were used aided by Statistical Packages for Social Sciences version 24 to compute percentages of respondents’ answers.  Hypothesis testing was carried using multiple regression analysis and standard F tests. We found out that a positive and significant relationship between strategic supplier relationship and performance of devolved systems of government. We recommend that devolved systems of government should conduct jointly product development with suppliers and involve suppliers directly or indirectly in their strategic plans. Suppliers’ involvement would support the company’s development innovation and capabilities thus increasing the benefits perceived by the company’s customers. Finally, we recommend that management should implement strategic supplier relationships practice within the frameworks of public procurement acts and regulations.

A strong supply chain management in healthcare institutions improves the healthcare service quality at the micro level and contributes to the national economy at the macro level. The healthcare service includes various producers, suppliers and their activities within the supply chain. Thereby, the performance of these organizations as well as their intra-chain activities affects the healthcare service. On the other hand, to provide a qualified and efficient healthcare service, it is necessary but difficult to manage this versatile chain effectively. The current study aims to provide an overview of supply chain management of Turkish health sector in terms of theoretical and practical aspects. Firstly, the study examines healthcare supply chain management and its components. The following sections discuss drug and medical device manufacturers, wholesale distributors and retailers in the Turkish health sector supply chain. Finally, the problems encountered in the health sector supply chain applications and their possible solutions are discussed. Therefore by providing a better understanding of the supply chain management applications in the healthcare sector, it is intended to provide guidance to both managers and researchers for their future work.

This research objective is to determine the effect of the Supply Chain Integration dimensions on the operational performance of the of Kenya’s public health sector level five hospitals. The results are based on close-ended questionnaires from one hundred and sixty-four respondents working in the level five health facilities supply chain selected using simple random sampling. The data collected was subjected to completeness checks, before it was cleaned, coded, and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) for the generation of both descriptive and inferential statistics. The results show that Supplier integration (?1, = 0.276; p value=0.000), customer integration (?2, = 0.119; p value=0.016) and internal integration (?3, = 0.232; p value=0.000) have a significant effect on operational performance. The R2was 0.429, indicating that 42.9% of the variation in operational performance is explicated by the variation of Supply chain integration dimensions.  This implies that all three supply chain integration dimensions significantly influence operational performance. The study concludes that the government needs to internally integrate and embrace forward and backward integration with the customers and suppliers to leap the full benefits of an integrated health sector to accomplish the universal health care goals.

Supply Chain Management (SCM) includes management of materials, products, services, information and financial flows which network of consisting suppliers, manufacturers, logistics service companies, and clients. The individual elements of this chain with coordination and integration of each element to perform themselves ensure successful of SCM. Information technology has a very important role in activities for coordination and integration of supply chain. Acceleration of sharing information, simplification and increasing of reliability provide effective use of time in logistics companies, cost savings like effective management ways. In this prepared study which taking into account the positive impact on supply chain of information technologies, it was investigated on the effectiveness of sharing information of supply chain by examining infrastructure of the information technology, ranging from the production of raw materials to the end user in SCM. The results of the analyses by using the structural equation model indicate that the use of information technology in supply chain management enhances the relationship between buyer-supplier; the enhancement of such relationship improves the quality, safety, and flexibility of products and reduces the cost of products; as a result, it increases firm performance.

This paper attemts to ilustrate how the managers and the staff of a 5 star hotel in Kosovo define quality. Furthermore, it explores the number of critical success factors related to TQM culture and how they are applied in the hotel operations. Different theories related to the quality in the field of service provision, more particular in hospitality or hotel sector and the introduction of the TQM culture in the same sector. A conceptual framework based on existing theories and literature is developed which is than confirms through the research findings and analysis. The findings suggest that most features associated with TQM, like critical success factors assessed throughout the research (leadership, customer focus, and training, communication, teams and staff empowerment) can produce an advantage for the 5 star hotel operations that will affect the quality of service. Furthermore, it confirms that some of the TQM aspects are applied and can be applied in 5 star hotel operations in Kosovo. The issue is whether these aspects are understood as TQM principles and whether their added value is embraced in the day-to-day running of the hotel. The outcomes imply that, indeed, the TQM culture is present in the The Hotel, a 5 star hotel in Kosovo. Some of the critical success factors are directly linked to TQM and some less and it also provides suggestions for improvement where needed, especially related to specific tools that are integral parts of the TQM culture.