Operations Management Practices and Systems Design in Kenya's Elevator Industry

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore advances in elevator technology in Kenya and examine their impact on quality, safety and performance. The study explored the elevator system design and operation in order to reduce the probability of unwelcome events on building structural failures. Significantly, the study examined the future trends of building technology in harnessing smart and efficient elevator systems that not only adverts risk but provides energy saving consumption mechanism to deal with the ever-growing demand for power. Further, the study addressed quality management practices and performance of elevators in Kenya building architecture industry and their input in these new global technological advancements in elevator design. A descriptive research design was used targeting a population of 18 major players in the market. Primary data was then collected by means of structured questionnaires. The variables involved included Customer Relationship Management, Employee Empowerment and Involvement, Creativity and Innovation, Supply Chain Management, Capacity Planning and Business Process Improvement for the independent variables and Organizational Performance as the dependent variable. Data collected was analyzed with the aid of Statistical software and presented in the form of tables, pie charts and graphs. Descriptive statistics such as mean scores, standard deviation, regression and correlation were used to analyze data.