Improvements to the Production Management System of Wood-processing in Small and Medium Enterprises in Southeast Europe

Abstract

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) make up over 99% of all industrial enterprises in southeast Europe. A similar percentage of SMEs can be found within southeast Europe’s wood-processing and furniture manufacturing companies. This research aimed to investigate the current situation in the production management systems of SMEs in wood-processing companies in select Southeast European countries and to suggest possible improvements according to the results. A total of 30 small and medium companies from different countries in the region were surveyed to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of their production management systems. This research aimed to propose a model to create better systems within SMEs in the wood-processing branch and, therefore, achieve better production and business results. In addition, a total of 10 experts who work with management systems in wood-processing from the examined countries were surveyed with the same purpose. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) analysis of experts’ opinions showed that the managers in small and medium enterprises for wood-processing and furniture manufacturing should pay the most attention to the conditions of the market, promotion, marketing, range of products, and product quality.