The State of Quality in Manufacturing Supply Chains: an Exploratory Study

Supply chain management (SCM) and total quality management (TQM) are two of the important tools that manufacturing companies use to achieve competitive advantage. Some of the important capabilities that these companies seek to acquire through the use of these tools to be able to compete effectively include quality, efficiency, and innovation (Daghfous, 2004). Quality is an important factor in the value-adding process involved in the production and delivery of products along the supply chain. The production of defect-free components and parts that meet the requirements of customers along the supply chain is critical for the quality of the final products. Sustaining quality efforts throughout the chain also has significant implications for reducing costs (Forker, Mendez, & Hershauer, 1997). In addition, by making quality management (QM) an integral element of the supply chain, companies can avoid being simply reactive to the requirements of their supply chain customers and can strive to meet their demands more proactively (Love, Irani, &Edwards, 2003).