The Critical Role of TQM, JIT, and TPM in the Revisiting World Class Manufacturing and Manufacturing Excellence

Abstract

Based on a comprehensive survey of existing manufacturing literature, the importance of the integrated production system in achieving manufacturing excellence is elaborated. In doing so, world-class manufacturing and manufacturing excellence are revisited. Four models of WCM and three concepts of ME are reviewed. Each element, which is considered to constitute WCM, is also discussed in detail. The impact of TQM, JIT, and TPM, individually and concurrently on company performance is exhaustively reviewed. Previous models of the integrated models are also compared. The existence of synergy in the application of TQM and JIT leading to additional performance improvement is also demonstrated. But the incorporation of TPM in the integrated production system has never been empirically investigated. Subsequent papers based on this study will present empirical evidence for the effectiveness of the integrated model.