Structural model to assess the relationship of manufacturing practices to delivery time in supply chains

Abstract

he literature suggests that companies today evaluate the delivery time of their products/services to improve their performance in supply chains, which has great importance due to the global competition and trends in the current markets. In response, this paper analyses the effects that manufacturing practices have on the delivery time in a supply chain. A survey was conducted relating to the export activities applied in maquiladoras companies located in Ciudad Juarez (Mexico). In the form of a questionnaire that was distributed to managers, supervisors, and operators. The questions were associated with manufacturing practices dimensions: 1) just in time (JIT), 2) total productive maintenance (TPM), 3) total quality management (TQM), along with a fourth dimension of delivery time. Five hypotheses were raised to determine the causal relationships between the dimensions analysed in a structural equation model (SEM) and tested using the partial least squares (PLS) technique integrated into the WarpPLS 4.0 software. The findings revealed that JIT has a positive and strong effect on delivery time. In addition, TQM and TPM have positive effects on JIT, enabling the timely delivery of products and better customer satisfaction. Additionally, respondents considered the implementation of manufacturing practices in the processes to be appropriate.