dc.description.abstract | The main objective of this study was to determine factors that influence the
implementation of world class manufacturing techniques in edible oil industry in
Kenya. To achieve this, specific objectives were to establish the current status of world
class manufacturing techniques, to determine the critical factors that underlie the drive
towards WCM techniques implementation and to determine the challenges towards
WCM techniques implementation at the edible oil companies in Kenya. The
respondents were made up of production managers from the several manufacturing
companies in the edible oil industry in Kenya. The study adopted a cross-sectional
design which was appropriate because conclusions used objective measures and made
generalizations possible based on the information provided at the time of inquiry. The
data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and factor analysis. The analysis was
carried out using Statistical Product and Services Solutions (SPSS) software. The study
identified that most edible oil firms were not involved in exporting and the ones
involved in exporting needed to have new techniques to have a competitive edge in the
market. Using World Class Manufacturing techniques would enable them to
effectively compete with the best in the world. Factors considered to evidence WCM
techniques application were exceeding customer expectations and cutting operational
cost. Factor analysis had its correlation matrix not having a positive definite and ended
up reducing 40 variables explaining factors driving WCM implementation into 4
factors. The 4 factors explained 93.605% (cumulative percentage) of total variation.
The critical factors considered to drive WCM implementation in organizations were;
effective product design, statutory compliance, linkage with employees, product
quality, developing leadership skills, reducing waste in the process and improving
safety of employees.The major challenge was partial implementation of WCM
techniques and lack of follow up activities which could be overcome by having total
employee involvement in planning, implementation and monitoring systems to ensure
ownership and firms organizing training sessions for all levels of employees on WCM
implementation plan. | en_US |