Performance measurement for world-class manufacturing: a model for the Italian automotive industry

The continuous increase of competitiveness pushes each company to review its production processes in order to minimise as much as possible the costs and maximising customer service. The keywords are 'zero waste' and 'zero loss'. There are a lot of different methods and techniques which are necessary to adopt to achieve these above objectives. Therefore, it is necessary to research the best way to implement optimisation principles. One of the best-known optimisation method is the world-class manufacturing (WCM). The implementation of WCM is a promising and a current topic. But, at the same time, it is a debated topic. The present study is a 'pilot' study that aims to investigate the applicability of WCM in an Italian small and medium enterprise that operates in the automotive sector. Therefore, the purpose of the research is twofold: Firstly, to provide a 'model' for determining the factors affecting the WCM based on core competencies of organisations. Secondly, to propose a 'performance measures system' in order to establish the relationship among critical factors. Hence, the research paper presents a blend of theoretical framework and practical applications. The final output is an appropriate performance measures to help managers in decision-making.