Identifying the need for world class manufacturing and best practice for SMEs in the UK

There has been much written in literature by both academics and industrialists alike about the importance of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) to the economic prosperity of the UK and the urgent need for these businesses to improve their competitiveness. UK small firms are still underperforming in comparison to those companies in France and Germany. In order that UK organisations achieve world class levels of competitiveness the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI's) UK Manufacturing Strategy identified an urgent need for the systematic implementation of 'best practices' such as Lean Practices and other World Class Manufacturing (WCM) methodologies. The paper uses an SME company survey to determine the level and breadth of best practice/WCM methodologies implementation. To further the analysis of the survey, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 companies for further clarification and analysis of the survey results. This paper fulfils an identified need for SMEs to achieve WCM status and implement best practice in their facilities. Moreover, by providing a sector by sector analysis it is possible to compare and contrast deficiencies in these SMEs across key sectors. Copyright © 2007 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.