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Benchmarking Maquiladora operations relative to those in the USA

Sameer Prasad (Department of Management, College of Business and Economics, University of Wisconsin at Whitewater, Whitewater, Wisconsin, USA)
Jasmine Tata (Department of Management, School of Business Administration, Loyola University, Chicago, Illinois, USA)
Ron Thorn (Department of CIS/QM, School of Business Administration, The University of Texas‐Pan American, Texas, USA)

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management

ISSN: 0265-671X

Article publication date: 1 December 1996

506

Abstract

Examines the total quality management (TQM) programmes of Maquiladora operations located on the Mexican border and benchmarks their quality practices vis‐à‐vis those in the USA. Six domains of TQM programmes (information and analysis, strategic quality planning, human resource development and management, management of process quality, customer focus and satisfaction, and quality and operational results) were investigated; these domains were based on the Baldrige Award criteria. The results identify areas of improvement for both Maquiladora and US operations. Maquiladora operations need to improve customer focus and satisfaction, and employee training, whereas US operations need to improve quality and operational results, information and analysis, management of process quality, human resource development and strategic quality planning. Overall, the results suggest that US companies relocating their operations to the Maquiladora zone can obtain a competitive advantage in terms of both lower costs and implementation of TQM programmes.

Keywords

Citation

Prasad, S., Tata, J. and Thorn, R. (1996), "Benchmarking Maquiladora operations relative to those in the USA", International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, Vol. 13 No. 9, pp. 8-18. https://doi.org/10.1108/02656719610150588

Publisher

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MCB UP Ltd

Copyright © 1996, MCB UP Limited

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