Title: Productivity enhancement in caravan manufacturing: an organisational resource centric approach

Authors: Ngwenya Andries Rakobela; Michael Kweneojo O. Ayomoh; Thinandahva Thomas Munyai; Kgashane Stephen Nyakala

Addresses: Department of Operations Management, Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa ' Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Pretoria, South Africa ' Department of Operations Management, Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa ' Department of Operations Management, Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa

Abstract: This paper has identified organisational factors and resources that contribute to low productivity and poor quality in caravan manufacturing. Eight productivity-enhancing factors directly linked to caravan manufacturing process were identified and a framework to enhance productivity of caravan manufacturing was proposed. The dataset utilised in this research was obtained from a qualitative data gathering process premised on system observation. The supplier input process output customer (SIPOC) and value stream mapping (VSM) were both utilised to assess the current 'as-is' productivity level of the case-study system. The same tools were deployed for identification of waste generating processes in the system, conduct of analysis for reduction of work in progress inventory and lead times associated with non-value adding activities. The analysis conducted herein was carried out through content and comparative analysis methods using MS Excel 2013 software while the causes and effect matrix was used for data measurement on a prescribed rating scale.

Keywords: caravan manufacturing; organisational resources; productivity; quality enhancement.

DOI: 10.1504/IJISE.2022.127422

International Journal of Industrial and Systems Engineering, 2022 Vol.42 No.4, pp.409 - 426

Accepted: 06 Jan 2021
Published online: 05 Dec 2022 *

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