Discuss about Total Quality Management……………

 

1 Introduction

The upcoming of many similar businesses are making organizations that have been there for a very long time want to find that competitive advantage that they can use against their competitors. Most organizations are trying out many business solutions that they believe can give them that competitive edge that will set them apart from their competitors. Of all the innovative ways that businesses have thought about Total Quality Management (TQM) seems to have appealed to organizations today. This case is not different as organizations of all types are sorting out the TQM option even the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) employ this tactic that is used to ensure product quality through improvement.

 

Before we take a look at the TQM in SME context we shall look at the definitions of both terms and see how they work together. TQM according to (Hakes, 1991:3) ‘‘is the philosophy of management that strives to make the best use of all available resources and opportunities by constant improvement’’. While SME in the UK, sections 382 and 465 of the Companies Act 2006 according to this is:-‘‘ a small company is one that has a turnover of not more than 6.5 million pounds, a balance sheet total of not more than 3.26 million pounds and not more than 50 employees. A medium-sized company has a turnover of not more than 25.9 million pounds, a balance sheet total of not more than 12.9 million pounds and not more than 250 employees’’ (University of Strathclyde Library, 2012).

2. The Express Engineering.

Express Engineering ‘‘is an international supplier and manufacture of Precision Machined Components. It also combines the precision components with other manufactured and commercial components to provide Integrated Kits of parts or complete Mechanical Assemblies. They are also suppliers to the Oil & Gas, Aerospace, Defense and Power Generation industries with excellent precision engineering solutions’’ (Welcome, pr.1 and 2)

2.1. Products, Services and customers

The Express engineering is a manufacture of precision machined components and also a supplier of engineering solutions to Oil & Gas, Aerospace, Defence and Power Generation industries

2.2. Order Qualifiers and Order Winners.

2.2.1Order qualifiers

High integrity and quality products

Expertise in all machinery disciplines

Latest technology

Delivery on schedule

2.2.2. Order Winners

Maintain a sufficient distribution channel

In house storage facilities

Constant communication with the customer

 

3. The Operation Processes.

3.1. Designing and drawing

Input	Transforming processes	Output
The customers needs and specifications	Consultation and discussions	The final design for the equipment for manufacturing
Firms engineer ideas  and suggestions	Experienced team, Practical Approach, Cross Market Knowledge
Pro Engineer/CATIA, Delcam Power mill, APS Solid works, AutoCAD, Vericut	Designing

 

3.2. The manufacturing process

Input	Transforming process	Output
Metal and steel	Wire erosion, grinding, assembly, tigging and sawing	Actuation components , down tools , expandable products,
Mechanical assemblies		Engine components, radar hardware, missile components

 

3.3. Distribution process

Input	Transforming process	Output
Distributors, vans , transporters ,	Transporting , storage,	Customers receive their products
Fuel , loading staff, trucks,	Communication between seller and distributor	Warehouse stocking

 

4. TQM Literature Review

The concept of TQM may not be new in the UK business context however it is a practice that is widely used by the large industries only. SMEs that are seen as a major economic booster in the UK economy still use traditional methods that do not give them that competitive edge and customer satisfaction as they are supposed to give. TQM is one of the essential practices that are to be used by organizations in order to give them a competitive edge yet there has been a debate as to whether the SMEs are aware of this fact as the success and failure in the UK economy lies with them (Parkin and Parkin, 1996:6)

 

The large industries have always thought that TQM if utilized in their organizations will always give them that competitive edge what they did not know is that for TQM to properly work then they need to ensure that TQM not only lies with their organizations but also all other stakeholders that they work with in many cases the SMEs who are the major distributors of raw materials to them. However for these TQM strategies to work for the SMEs they will have to be modified, adapted and revised to fit SME needs and characteristics (Yusof and Aspinwall, 2000:31).

The convincing of the SMEs that TQM is important may not be an easy task since some of them already have assumptions that are deeply rooted in their minds and are not easy to convince otherwise. Some of these assumptions are: – they find it difficult to distinguish between different quality programs like TQM, ISO, and EFQM, some SMEs are not sure about the advantages they will get from these concepts, they also believe that the existing culture and system of operations suits them well, there is little evidence that organizations that have used these programs successfully and that these processes need a lot of work in order to be implemented and they are not well versed with the technical know-how (Kumar and Antony, 2008:1154).

 

The SMEs do not refute the fact that TQM practices  are very important for their businesses especially quality since the quality standards  of their products is the only weapon they have against some of their competitors who are big firms. They believe through TQM they might promote growth in their organizations, make work more satisfactory, be able to deliver the customers demands and improve the company’s performance (Yusof and Aspinwall, 2000:638). A further study by (Jones, Thomas and Page, 4) shows that many will improve if only they add quality tools and techniques in their work places.

 

The implementation of TQM practices like six sigma, may be seen as a difficult venture also goes a  long way to show the SMEs that time has changed when the SMEs did not implement the practices. Today the TQM as earlier stated for large organizations depend on their suppliers also who are the SMEs, these large organizations expect the SMEs to provide them with high quality goods and services and these has left the SMEs with no choice but to go the quality way (Kumar , Antony  and Madu, 2005: 861).

 

Now that SMEs are under pressure to perform and change their traditional ways of operation to the new ways with the inclusion of TQM practices then they should be aware of the risks and benefits that come with it. The most important factor that the SMEs should remember before starting to embark on TQM is that it is a management system that should take in to consideration not just the management commitment but the whole organization commitment and participation in order to make it successful (Hellsten and Klefsjo, 2000:240). It is something that the whole organization should embrace and work on achieving; while the risks that come with it should also be monitored and measures to prevent the organization from suffering prevented.

 

All in all the SMEs belong in the business world which is changing by the minute because of factors like technology and they should ensure that they are not left behind in this changing environment. TQM not only emphasizes on quality but also maintaining this quality by continuously checking the processes. The SMEs should know the needs of customers’ requirements, the markets and the social changes determine how the products are to be (Antony, Kumar and Labib, 2000: 482) so they need to adopt a mechanism that will help them change with the changing times with the TQM practices.

 

The TQM strategies which the SMEs are being required to adopt and implement in their businesses will not just be beneficial to their customers in terms of the quality of the product but also to the organization itself. For a quality system to be adopted the company should ensure that the staff will respect the operational procedures these will instill discipline in the organization and ensure that all tasks are performed correctly. This performance of work correctly will reduce the wastage that comes with redoing work that has been poorly executed hence most of the raw material will be put to good use. If there is no redoing of work them most of the clients’ orders will not only be up to clients standards but also be delivered on time to the customers’ delight. This will lead to the company being efficient and improve its overall results which will improve their profit margins due to reduced wastage and operating costs. TQM is a very profitable venture that most SMEs need to adopt if they expect to beat their competition and retain their customers.

 

The future for TQM in the SME world is very bright and challenging. As we all know these days’ organizations are not only nationally but are also internationally oriented and businesses are now operating globally. TQM is not a new method that has been discovered today but is a method of operation that has been there for a long time what changes is the modes that it is implemented with. The management will have to implement TQM inline with the technological changes in the global word to ensure that they still offer value and quality to the customers. Other factors will have to be added so that the TQM policies work well, not only will they look at the quality of the product and service but the quality factor will be looked at in the totality of the organization that is quality in communication and relation with the clients, quality in supply chains and quality in the organization operation.

 

TQM will remain with us for a very long time and soon be adopted by almost all organizations what will set each apart will be how they take the TQM knowledge, the technological change and innovations and all the need for the competitive edge in terms of quality to the next level.

 

5. The Three TQM Concepts

For TQM to be successful in an organization we believe that there three important concepts that should be considered and these are:-

5.1. The Management commitment

For the TQM to be implemented fully the management should be in support of it. This way they will avail all the support in making decisions based on the policy and also ensure that it is implemented to the letter. They will also provide guidelines for the implementation and give the way forward for the process which will be very helpful in guiding the staff on what to do. This however may not be an easy task since some of the management may take is as a way of reducing their powers hence they might jeopardize the process

 

5.2. The organizational support.

The whole organization especially the employees should fully accept this kind of change in the organization. There should be very minimal resistance and they should accept the changes that come with such implementation like the introduction of equipment to improve quality and it should not be viewed as a way of taking their jobs. They should be eager to learn more about quality through training and follow up all instructions on how to produce quality goods and services diligently. The transitional process however should be ready for resistance and it may take time to be implemented

5.3. Acquiring of resources.

The management should ensure that all resources that are very valuable to the organization in terms getting the right quality are acquired. These will be in terms of equipment, skilled workers, and high quality raw material that will help produce the right good and service as per customer’s wishes.  As much as acquiring these resources will be beneficial it might be expensive to get hence taking a lot of time to acquire them

 

6. Implementation of the concepts in Express Engineering

6.1. The Management commitment

The management of Express Engineering is very professional and skilled in their area of expertise and they are fully aware that quality is what they aim to achieve. They are very committed in their leadership and ensure that the whole organization is solidly behind them.

6.2. The organization support.

In Express Engineering the employees are ensured to be very skilled in the knowledge of organization operations. They are also led by the organization’s mission of providing high quality the first time and giving the customers value for their money. They are also up to date with the requirements of clients and the changes in technology. They are also dedicated to continuous improvement in both processes and manufacturing technology.

6.3. Acquiring resources.

In Express Engineering they ensure that they use raw materials of very high quality which are exotic in nature and employ the use of the latest available component manufacture technology, including machine tooling, to ensure they maintain the highest technical offering. They know that without these they will not be able to produce the quality equipment they have been producing for their clients. They utilize the knowledge and expertise has been gained over more than 30 years covering all machining disciplines including CNC Turning, CNC Milling, Axis Milling, Wire Erosion and Spark Erosion, Weld Cladding and Mechanical Assembly (Welcome pr.3)

 

7. Conclusion

We are able to see that TQM is very valuable to organizations and Express Engineering are well aware of this fact and that’s why it is among the few SME companies that have adopted it. TQM has much to offer to SMEs if only they forget about their worries and adopt it; even though there are risks the benefits are so many that their implementation is widely encouraged. Being the main economic drivers for the UK economy it is only fair if they protect themselves from extinction by adopting any methods that are to be used to give them that advantage both nationally and globally

References

Antony Jiju, Kumar Maneesh and Christian N. Madu, (2005) “Six sigma in small and medium-sized UK manufacturing enterprises: Some empirical observations”, International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, Vol. 22 Issue: 8, pp.860 – 874.

 

Antony Jiju , Kumar Maneesh  and Labib A. (2008)  Gearing Six Sigma into UK manufacturing SMEs: results from a pilot study. Journal of the Operational Research Society 59, 482 –493

Bamber C.J, Sharp J.M, Hides M.T, (1999) “Factors affecting successful implementation of total productive maintenance: A UK manufacturing case study perspective”, Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering, Vol. 5 Issue: 3, pp.162 – 181

Express Engineering www.express-engineering.co.uk

 

Hakes Chris (1991) Total Quality Management: The Key to Business Improvement Chapman & Hall

 

Kumar Maneesh, Antony Jiju, (2008) “Comparing the quality management practices in UK SMEs“, Industrial Management & Data Systems, Vol. 108 Issue: 9, pp.1153 – 1166

 

Parkin M. A, Parkin R, (1996) “The impact of TQM in UK SMEs”, Industrial Management & Data Systems, Vol. 96 Issue: 4, pp.6 – 10

Rhys Rowland-Jones, Paul T. Thomas and Kelly Page-Thomas Quality Management’ Tools & Techniques: Profiling SME Use & Customer Expectations. The International Journal for Quality and Standards.

 

Yusof  Sha’ri Mohd  , Aspinwall Elaine , (2000) “A conceptual framework for TQM implementation for SMEs”, The TQM Magazine, Vol. 12 Issue: 1, pp.31 – 37

 

Yusof  Sha’ri Mohd  , Aspinwall Elaine, (2000) “TQM implementation issues: review and case study“, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol. 20 Issue: 6, pp.634 – 655

 

Ulrika Hellsten, Bengt Klefsjö, (2000) “TQM as a management system consisting of values, techniques and tools”, The TQM Magazine, Vol. 12 Issue: 4, pp.238 – 244

 

University of Strathclyde Library 2012 http://www.lib.strath.ac.uk/busweb/guides/smedefine.htm

 

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