ACHIEVING MANUFACTURING FLEXIBILITY: THE ROLE OF PEOPLE, TECHNOLOGY, INNOVATION AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

Hairulliza Mohamad Judi () and Roger Beach ()
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Hairulliza Mohamad Judi: Industrial Computing Department, Faculty of Information Sciences and Technology, National University of Malaysia, Bangi, 43600 UKM, Malaysia
Roger Beach: School of Management, University of Bradford, Emm Lane BD9 4JL Bradford, United Kingdom

International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management (IJITM), 2010, vol. 07, issue 02, 161-181

Abstract: This study examines the contribution of a pair of opposite factors: technology versus people, and innovation vs. continuous improvement to obtain manufacturing flexibility. These factors are opposing as they play different roles in TQM and BPR. An exploratory multiple case study was conducted that involves three Malaysian manufacturing companies from electronic and electric sector. The results show that flexibility could not be achieved through technology solely, but by combining technology with people, the required outcome is attainable. By applying innovation and continuous improvement simultaneously, it will yield better flexibility than if only one of them was used. The contribution of these factors in the selected manufacturing setting could guide practitioners to obtain flexibility and verify the research model that could be tested further in a survey.

Keywords: Manufacturing flexibility; technology; innovation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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DOI: 10.1142/S0219877010001891

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