Improvements in Spanish Factories: Towards a JIT Philosophy?

Ten factories in Spain (eight non‐Japanese‐owned plants and two Japanese transplants) were evaluated using the Kobayashi 20‐key scoring method on issues such as cleanliness, quick set‐up practices, coupled manufacturing, level production scheduling, quality assurance policies, small group activities and others. The methodology has shown its ability to compare different factories in Spain and Japan. The research indicates that factories in Spain have focused their first‐year improvement programmes on the factory floor, led by plant managers and executed by industrial engineers. Work‐in‐Process (WIP) has generally decreased, but the relationships with other departments (e.g. purchasing or quality), or with the labour force, have not changed. This leads to the conclusion that three scenarios are possible. Judges the “stagnate” and “slow change” scenarios to be more likely to happen than the “fast change” scenario, featuring extensive top management involvement to change the company culture.