IDENTIFICATION OF WORLD CLASS MANUFACTURING FACTORS: A SYNTHESIS OF LITERATURE

This paper provides a synthesis of world class manufacturing literature by identifying eight critical factors of world class status in a manufacturing environment. These factors can be used individually or collectively to assess a profile or organization‐wide world class manufacturing implementation practices. Researchers can use the critical factors to build theories and models that relate these factors to world class status and an organization's relative position to others in the same environment. Decision makers can isolate the critical factors that are necessary for world class implementation.