Due to intense global competition, manufacturing companies need to improve and optimize productivity, increase production and flexibility, and gain competitive advantages. Companies have begun to look for new approaches and strategies in the field of production management. This includes tools like Single Minute Exchange of Die (SMED) and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), which aim to manage machines and equipment, reduce waste and lead time, and ensure and enhance competitiveness. The main objective of this study is to explore the connection and the context of the use of industrial engineering tools, namely SMED and TPM, and to monitor and evaluate Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) in industrial companies in the Czech Republic. A comprehensive questionnaire survey of 200 companies and a detailed evaluation of the operational performance of 92 companies were carried out from the third quarter of 2019 to the third quarter of 2020. It was found out that 20.5% of companies implemented SMED, 26.5% of companies implemented TPM, and 54.0% of companies did not monitor and evaluate OEE. The research confirms the theoretical link between SMED and OEE and between OEE and TPM. The statistical significance of the use of SMED and TPM separately was not demonstrated. However, the mutual interaction of using TPM and SMED on the OEE level was proved.
Since monitoring, managing, sustaining and improving the quality are is so important to the competitiveness of the company, it is advisable to use a variety of Quality Management tools (QMTs) and techniques, in addition to comprehensive Quality Management Systems (QMSs). The main aim of this research study is to explore the connection between Quality Management System (QMS) and selected Quality Management tools (QMTs) in industrial companies in the Czech Republic. This study summarizes the results of the online questionnaire survey between April 2017 and July 2017. The final sample consisted of answers from 200 companies. It has been found that 46% of surveyed companies monitor and evaluate quality of their business processes. Furthermore, it has been found that 59% of surveyed companies are ISO 9001 certified. Larger companies tend to monitor and evaluate quality of their business processes and to have ISO 9001 certification. The relationships between the use of Quality Management tools (QMTs), monitoring and quality assessment of business processes (MQABP) and ISO 9001 certification have been found based on the Pearson's Chi-square Test of Independence, the Fisher's Exact Test of Independence and the Column Proportions Z-Test.
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