Implementation of Agile Manufacturing for Thai’s SMEs

Abstract

This paper purposes to explore the readiness of SMEs which can adopt agile manufacturing in Thailand. It needs to improve strategies for being agile based on the Agile manufacturing. The research method includes two main parts, documentary research, was used to understand agility in theories, and the survey which includes online questionnaire and semi-structured interview, was used to carry out the results in SMEs to implement agile manufacturing regarding three propositions, including identifying agility drivers, agility providers and to improve strategies for being agile respectively. Then, this dissertation aims to discuss and criticise the similarity and the gap between theories or case studies, which are mostly exemplified by the big companies’ cases, and the results obtained by the survey, which provided in the area of SMEs. The key results for the proposition one show that external pressures, such as customer expectations and time-based competitions were driving SMEs to necessarily adopt agility, whilst less a focus for internal pressures was determined. The summary for the proposition two is SMEs tend to have innovation, high-educated people and flat structure as competitive agility providers, based on the framework, whilst technology utilisation was less important due to top management’s point of view and financial resources limitation.Finally, the third proposition was examined and found that SMEs might develop possible strategies for adopting agile manufacturing, based on the findings, that leadership and employees’ attitude of changes acceptance should be firstly brought by motivation. Then, several recommendations will be stated respectively.