Where do we go from here? [world class manufacturing]

World class status is achievable and should therefore not be considered an unreasonable goal at this time. World class is however moving a moving target and cannot be obtained or maintained through luck and good fortune. The Internet has given birth to the global market place and is within this arena that manufacturing companies must now compete for their customers. Strategy is the key to success in the global economy and initially defining the strategy is perhaps the hardest step to take. A policy deployment matrix is one simple tool widely used to deliver strategic tools. In summary, there are seven sequential steps to this approach, namely: (1) organizational vision establishment, (2) strategic planning, (3) annual objective development, (4) annual objective deployment, (5) annual objective implementation, (6) monthly review, and (7) annual review. Once world class performance has been achieved, the company should strive for new venues of improvement. The market place is continually changing and businesses must be flexible.