World Class Manufacturing in Make-To-Order batch-production SMEs: an exploratory analysis in Northern Italy

The applicability of World Class Manufacturing (WCM) in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) is a hotly debated topic. This paper belongs to this stream of research and presents a statistical survey designed to assess which WCM practices, if any, are implemented by SMEs and their effects on operational performances. Specifically, a comprehensive questionnaire was submitted to a sample of North Italian Make-To-Order batch-production SMEs, in the furniture, precision mechanics and textile-fashion industries. To assure consistency, and to avoid subjective interpretations, practices included in the questionnaire were adequately contextualized and answers were measured with an innovative five points Likert-type scale. Outcomes, relative to the reference domain, demonstrate that SMEs can overcome quality-cost-time tradeoffs, using an integrated set of WCM practices. Results also indicate that belonging to a formal business group is a powerful enabler for a successful implementation of WCM, in SMEs