Quality Improvement in the Modular Housing Industry

Continuous improvement is a reflection of the culture of a company whose goal is to respond to the needs of its customers. It may not only result in better customer satisfaction, but in increased productivity, profitability and employee satisfaction. This paper presents a study of how a continuous improvementbased quality management system might be implemented in the modular housing industry. Fundamental quality concepts such as mission statement, measurement, continuous improvement, employee empowerment, training, rewards and leadership are identified and described in the context of the industry. Best practices for each quality concept are identified based on a benchmarking study of industry leaders. The results indicated that the most valued elements of a quality system are management involvement, a company-wide quality culture emphasizing a team approach to problem solving, and an employee reward system linked to company strategy.