Carla Estorilio and Richard K. Posso
Use of failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) is a requirement of ISO/TS 16949. However, research has shown that there are inconsistencies in the way the technique is applied in…
Abstract
Purpose
Use of failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) is a requirement of ISO/TS 16949. However, research has shown that there are inconsistencies in the way the technique is applied in automotive suppliers. The aim of this study is to identify these irregularities and to propose a strategy to minimize them.
Design/methodology/approach
Questionnaires were applied in seven of the main suppliers to a European automotive company, and ten FMEAs from each company were analyzed.
Findings
The study identifies irregularities in the development of process FMEAs and highlights seven factors that contribute to these inconsistencies. Based on these data, a strategy including a partially preconfigured FMEA form is suggested. When tested with three of the suppliers, the strategy was found to result in a significant improvement.
Originality/value
The study describes an application strategy for automotive companies to correct problems associated with the use of FMEAs. The strategy includes a partly parameterized spreadsheet for a cold stamping process that allows companies to implement their process FMEA in a collaborative supply chain environment.
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Keywords
Paloma Escamilla-Fajardo, Vanessa Ratten and Juan Núñez-Pomar
Sports clubs are one of the most important elements in the sports systems of today’s societies. In the field of sport, a sports club aims, among other things, to make the sport…
Abstract
Sports clubs are one of the most important elements in the sports systems of today’s societies. In the field of sport, a sports club aims, among other things, to make the sport more affordable and accessible to all, showing the organizational characteristics of companies, but with a much broader social mission. The aim of this chapter is to characterise sports clubs as potentially favorable environments for sports entrepreneurship, making questions about their nature and purposes. Aspects such as the hybridization of organizations, the progressive professionalisation of their members, the use of the entrepreneurial spirit as an instrument to facilitate the achievement of the organisation’s objectives or the need to seek alternative sources of funding to traditional public aid are discussed in the context of increasingly hostile and competitive environments, where social organizations must seek out resources in a similar way to companies.
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The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of large inflow of foreign workers on the Singapore manufacturing productivity using a panel data at the disaggregated industry…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of large inflow of foreign workers on the Singapore manufacturing productivity using a panel data at the disaggregated industry level from 1998 to 2008. The results indicate that foreign workers do make productive contribution to manufacturing productivity, but it is much lower as compared to local workers. However, the author observe the declining capital-labour ratio with the increase in the flow of foreign workers. This is expected to have direct impact on the competitiveness of the manufacturing in the export market. Since new technologies are embodied in new capital investment, the declining capital-labour ratio indicates that workers might be producing output with less technology-intensive capital. Conversely, local workers are more productive with high capital investment, indicating that local workers are more skilled and hence there is more complementarity between capital investments and local human capital.
Design/methodology/approach
The author implement a panel estimation of disaggregated industry level data of Singapore manufacturing from 1998 to 2008. The author use GMM estimation to control for any endogeneity issues in the estimation.
Findings
The results indicate that foreign workers do make productive contribution to manufacturing productivity; but it is much lower as compared to local workers. However; the author observe the declining capital-labour ratio with the increase in the flow of foreign workers.
Research limitations/implications
The data for foreign workers at the disaggregated level is not publically available and this is given for this research purpose. The data for foreign workers is limited as it does not have by educational levels.
Practical implications
This is the first paper to study impact of foreign workers on manufacturing sector at a disaggregated panel data. There are important policy implications for managing foreign workers and achieving sustainable growth for the Singapore economy.
Social implications
The welfare and social impacts of foreign workers on the Singapore economy is discussed. There is also the issue of policy calibration to balance the flow of foreign workers in the Singapore economy.
Originality/value
This is the first paper to study impact of foreign workers on manufacturing sector at a disaggregated panel data.
Details
Keywords
Ben Marriott, Jose Arturo Garza‐Reyes, Horacio Soriano‐Meier and Jiju Antony
Several authors have proposed different approaches to help practitioners deal with the complexity of prioritising improvement projects and initiatives. However, these approaches…
Abstract
Purpose
Several authors have proposed different approaches to help practitioners deal with the complexity of prioritising improvement projects and initiatives. However, these approaches have been developed as “generic” methods which do not consider the specific needs, objectives and capabilities of different industries and organisations. The purpose of this paper is to present an integrated methodology that prioritises improvement projects or initiatives based on two key performance objectives, cost and quality, specifically important for low volume‐high integrity product manufacturers.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper reviews some of the most commonly used prioritisation methods and the theory and logic behind the proposed prioritisation methodology. Then, the prioritisation methodology is empirically tested, through a case study, in a world class manufacturing organisation.
Findings
The results obtained from the case study indicate that the integrated methodology proposed in this paper is an effective alternative for low volume‐high integrity products manufacturers to identify, select and justify improvement priorities.
Practical implications
Selection and prioritisation of projects and initiatives are key elements for the successful implementation of improvements. The integrated methodology presented in this paper intends to aid organisations in dealing with the complexity that is normally handled over the selection and prioritisation of feasible improvement projects.
Originality/value
This paper presents a novel methodology that integrates two commonly used approaches in industry, Process Activity Mapping (PAM) and Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA), to prioritise improvements. This methodology can help, in particular, organisations embarked in the manufacture of low volume‐high integrity products to take better decisions and align the focus of improvement efforts with their overall performance and strategic objectives.