Supplier involvement, customer focus, supply chain technology and manufacturing performance: Findings from a pilot study

Increased complexity in the global supply chain has necessitated the need for manufacturing companies operating in Malaysia to place more emphasis on the delivery of cost efficient, responsive, flexible and high quality products. Consequently, quality management practices need to be linked with all the supply chain nodes in order to achieve operational efficiency. Establishing stable relationship with suppliers will assure quality commitment on the part of the suppliers. On the other hand, relationship with customers enables the manufacturing companies to keep track of the customer requirements. In addition, information technology facilitates the close coordination between suppliers and customers in the supply chain. Thus this study examines the relationship between the supplier involvement, customer focus, and supply chain technology in enhancing manufacturing performance. Findings indicate that involvement with suppliers, and customer focus contributed to improved manufacturing performance. However, supply chain technology is not significantly related to manufacturing performance