Slovenian Manufacturing Companies Research Articles

Implementation of Circular Economy Technologies: An Empirical Study of Slovak and Slovenian Manufacturing Companies

Circular Economy (CE) practices and technologies are essential for increasing sustainability performance in manufacturing. Due to the increasing number of environmental regulations and growing public awareness of environmental issues, especially in the EU, CE is increasingly seen as a valuable factor in improving competitiveness. Therefore, there is a need for a fuller understanding of the ways in which CE technologies can be implemented into the manufacturing industries. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the identification of the characteristics of manufacturing companies and their perceptions of the barriers to the adoption of CE technologies. This survey-based study of 241 manufacturing companies (comprising a sub-sample of Slovak and Slovenian companies from the more extensive European Manufacturing Survey) uses a series of statistical tests to examine the implementation of three CE technologies. The results show that there is significant relationship between the adoption of CE technologies in manufacturing companies and their size, location, R&D activities, company age and product batch size. Finally, the research reveals the surprising finding that there is no apparent link between the perception of CE barriers and the plans of companies to implement selected CE technologies.

Lean Six Sigma education in manufacturing companies: the case of transitioning markets

Purpose In the global economy, managers are constantly innovating with their use of available Lean Six Sigma (LSS) tools. Some factors, such as training and the right educational goals, have gained strong global acceptance. The purpose of this paper is to focus on contributions to organizational factors that predict organizations usage of LSS management tools to investigate expectations of project managers prior to LSS education and the extent of fulfilment of those expectations following LSS education in Slovenia, an East European country. Design/methodology/approach This research provides an empirical analysis of LSS as a learning structure and the characteristics of LSS project managers, followed by the results of an analysis of LSS usage in manufacturing companies in Slovenia following comparative surveys carried out in 2008 and 2013. Findings The top four essential characteristics for LSS organizations in 2013 include: being an innovative LSS project manager; being an effective communicator; having networking ability; and being a positive thinker. Results from 2008 to 2013 have shown differences in the stages of LSS implementation in Slovenia in these years. Differences were also seen in the level of participants’ LSS training in the studies performed. Originality/value This paper presents the first ever comparison study regarding the status of LSS education in transition countries, such as in Slovenian manufacturing companies. The study shows the expectations of participants before LSS education and their fulfilment following it. The research is original in many aspects: it includes aspects of external and internal LSS training in companies, it focusses on the manufacturing companies in the transition country of Slovenia and it provides a comparison of results in 2008 and in 2013 and an overview of the progress of LSS education. The paper will be of great value to academics, consultants, researchers, practitioners of LSS, current and future management and owners of companies in Slovenia and other similar East European transition countries. The findings will be useful in business practice for understanding the influences of education and training factors on LSS management tool usage.

The impact of technical and organisational innovation concepts on product characteristics

A B S T R A C T A R T I C L E I N F O The main objective of this paper is to determine the adoption of technologies and organisational concepts in production companies and to analyse how selected technical and organisational concepts affect products’ characteristics and their introduction onto the market. A further purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of technical and organisational concepts on the product complexity and to identify where most impulses for innovation come from, as well as their impact on the product complexity. The results are based on a sample of 89 Slovenian manufacturing companies, the data being obtained through the 2012/13 European Manufacturing Survey edition, providing information on the use and upgrading of the more used technologies and organisational concepts. We found that high usages of technical and organisational concepts have a positive impact on the product characteristics in terms of increasing the proportion of complex products. The results also showed that companies obtained more internal information about new products via sales departments whilst the customers were still the important external source of innovation.

Technical Innovation Concepts in Slovenian Manufacturing Companies

This paper deals with the concept of technical innovation in Slovenian manufacturing companies. We have conducted a survey within international project European Manufacturing Survey (EMS). We have asked manufacturing companies with at least 20 employees which technical innovation concepts they use and to what extent they use them. The paper presents also the trends in use of this technical innovation concepts and future plans of companies. The results are presented with the use of descriptive statistics and they show that the use of specific advanced technologies in Slovenian manufacturing companies is quite diverse. The research also shows that the trends in using selected technologies in Slovenian manufacturing companies is positive, although the use of specific advanced technologies is slightly missed.

An Instrument for Measuring the Degree of Lean Implementation in Manufacturing

Despite lean thinking being a broadly accepted approach, there is still some confusion within present terminology regarding ‘lean’ and its issues. This paper presents the results of a research survey carried out within 72 medium and large-sized Slovenian manufacturing companies. The sample selection criteria adopted, together with the research items investigated, ensured a generic framework for our research. Eight crucial areas were identified based on a synthesis of ‘lean’ literature for assessing and measuring the degree of lean implementation within existing manufacturing systems: value concept and customers, value stream mapping (VSM), pull/kanban and flow, waste elimination, productive maintenance, just-in-time (JIT), employee involvement and the development of excellent suppliers (lean suppliers). Variables were constructed within these areas using Likert scales, and statistical validity and reliability analyses. For example, when measuring the developments of excellent suppliers the focus should be on three variables: on time deliveries, supplier relationships, and a skilled and loyal supplier. The results show that the developed variables can be important both for understanding ‘lean’ and measuring the degree of lean implementation within existing manufacturing systems.

Project-oriented work in Slovenian manufacturing companies

Project-oriented work in Slovenian manufacturing companies

Analysis of Innovation Concepts in Slovenian Manufacturing Companies

Competitive advantages of manufacturing companies are not only generated by R&D based product innovations, but also by technical and non-technical process innovations aiming to modernise manufacturing processes. This paper presents the use of selected innovation concepts in Slovenian manufacturing companies. Later we analyse the relationship of the use of selected technical and organisational innovation concepts and companies’ performance indicators. The results show that R&D expenses and innovation concepts are not always correlated and that there is a difference in utilising innovation concepts between low, medium and high-tech industries. The data were obtained with The European Manufacturing Survey (EMS) that was conducted in 2009 within nine European countries. For the purpose of this paper the data of Slovenian manufacturing companies have been used.

Selection Criteria for Six Sigma Projects in Slovenian Manufacturing Companies

Selection Criteria for Six Sigma Projects in Slovenian Manufacturing Companies Researches reveal that successful six sigma implementation is related to proper six sigma project prioritisation and selection. This research is limited to the selection of six sigma projects in some manufacturing companies in Slovenia. The purpose of this study is to identify what criteria are considered for prioritisation and selection of six sigma projects and how six sigma projects are selected. A research sample is limited by the number of companies which have implemented six sigma so far. The results indicate that Slovenian manufacturing organisations tend to select six sigma projects based on criteria such as customer satisfaction, connection with a business strategy financial benefits, and growth of the organisation. Several tools and techniques such as quality cost analysis, brainstorming and interviews are used to identify and prioritise projects. Identification of the most commonly used criteria to select six sigma projects can help practitioners to select projects based on multiple criteria by using tools and techniques identified in this study. This topic has not been applied in the field of Slovenian manufacturing companies and thus it presents the first study in this field in Slovenia.

Linkages between manufacturing strategy, benchmarking, performance measurement and business process reengineering

An empirical analysis is presented for researching linkages between manufacturing strategy, benchmarking, performance measurement (PM) and business process reengineering (BPR). Although the importance of these linkages has been described in conceptual literature, it has not been widely demonstrated empirically. The survey research was carried out in 73 medium and large-sized Slovenian manufacturing companies within the mechanical, electro-mechanical and electronic industries. The resulting data were subjected to reliability and validity analyses. Canonical correlation analysis was used to test six hypotheses. The results confirmed the need for a strategically-driven BPR approach and the positive impact of performance measurement on BPR performance.

Development and validation of business process reengineering (BPR) variables: a survey research in Slovenian companies

Business Process Reengineering (BPR) literature is based primarily on case studies and there is a lack of rigorous wide-ranging empirical research covering all its aspects. This paper presents the results of a survey research carried out in 73 medium and large-sized Slovenian manufacturing companies. Seven crucial areas were identified based on a synthesis of BPR literature, which must be practised to achieve effective process reengineering: management commitment, education & training, team work, BPR project characteristics, employee cooperation, information technology support, and levers & results. Variables have been constructed within these areas, using Likert scales, and statistical validity and reliability analyses. These developed variables can be important both for understanding BPR and in terms of the descriptive statistics, also reported in this paper. What emerges is the crucial importance of process orientation, goal setting, and top management commitment. Furthermore, these variables can be helpful for further research aimed at investigating BPR and its linkages with other areas, such as strategy, performance measurement, etc.