IMBES Model Leverages Sustainability in Manufacturing Industry-An Integrated Theoretical Approach

Abstract

Success in manufacturing industry largely depends upon fulfilling the expectations of the customers. The present day customers are more aware of environmental impacts on lives and very much interested in adapting the changes in the business environment for survival. Therefore, the industry has the prime responsibility to produce quality environmental-friendly products to achieve success in business. Sustainability is a challenging strategy in leveraging manufacturing presence in fierce competitions. The core of sustainability is very much based on environmental adaptability. The purpose of this paper is to develop an integrated manufacturing business excellence system for attaining sustainability in the manufacturing industry. In this regard, the authors identified ten important intervening critical success factors (CSFs) by reviewing various literatures, getting opinions of academicians and industry experts, under the proposed Integrated Manufacturing Business Excellence System (IMBES) model. The proposed IMBES model is a comprehensive one blended with the global manufacturing management concepts namely ISO 9000: 2008 QMS, ISO 14001: 2000 EMS, OHSMS 18001: 2007, knowledge management, total quality management, total productivity management, Six-Sigma, lean manufacturing, agile manufacturing and sustainable manufacturing. The above mentioned concepts are universally practiced individually and not as a comprehensive one in manufacturing industries. Hence the authors felt the proposed model may give a fillip to customer satisfaction and support positive impact on environment and can easily be adopted internationally without any complexity due to its adaptability to any global manufacturing environment.