Strategic value from a model to evaluate the maturity level of quality management in manufacturing environments

This paper presents a model to evaluate the level of maturity of the quality management in manufacturing based on unlike criteria to define the different levels to be achieving according to its stage of implementation. The model is focussed on four principles, quality management system, quality management of suppliers, quality management of product and quality management on customers. These principles are developed on practices and techniques, getting a particular grade of detail, focussed on manufacturing environments. The maturity is expressed according to standard ISO/IEC TR 15504, and considered the following levels: optimized, integrated, controlled, known, initial and absent. Each level comprises a set of objectives that once achieved, an important component of the process is stabilized. Upon reaching each level are based the principles of the model set a different target in the process, resulting in an increase in the maturity of the organization. In order to verify the adequacy of the model, it has been evaluated in several industrial facilities, in particular in eleven manufacturing sites of multinational, organizations. These plants are located in Germany (3), Switzerland, United Kingdom, Hungary, Asia (3), North and South America serving the market by geographical proximity. The products manufactured are intended for household and industrial. The data has been collected by means of two assessments, one and two years after the implementation of the model respectively. Data collection at each site has been performed using questionnaires and interviews "in situ" because the research e is part of the case study. Thus, in general, the results obtained from the application and assessments, of this model in eleven manufacturing sites, allows validation of its efficiency and efficacy. All sites have realized improvements between the first and second assessment following the application of model tools. It is observed for example that at the beginning, the principle of quality management on customers improved at each site, but this evolution is lower when compared with other principles since, its starting point was higher. This has been seen in the production sites, for example, the improvements appreciated in the two sites from Asia, between the first and second assessment, are higher than in the other sites, where the same model has been implemented and its starting level was lower. Moreover, in a first approximation, the results do not seem to establishing a relationship between the locations of the facility with the principle evaluated. The introduction of this model, as a strategic option, promotes positive results on an ongoing basis, justifying its application; it can help organizations with modernization and adaptation to market variables. These positive results occur regardless of the degree of maturity since the mechanisms put in place are based on the same principles.