Wengart Aircraft Case Study

Wengart Aircraft

Problems
Macro
There is a lack of understanding of TQM and how to implement it. Management did not fully commit to TQM; management looked at the TQM as a production issue and focused its leadership to solve the problem with its Vice President (VP) of production. It also failed to recognize that TQM is an organization wide effort and must be enforced, encouraged and supported from Top management in word, deed and philosophy at every opportunity. Training, is knowledge and management focusing on profits and not the implementation of TQM.
There is lack of trust from unionized workers. The workers suspected this was profit motivated and perpetrated by top management to benefit top management with credit and profits. The workers held their own meeting and decided that increases in quality and efficiency meant cut backs in the labor force and loss of jobs. They decided on their own the way to fix the quality problems was to slow down the work and ensure their where no defects to the products before it left the factory. Their reasoning is by slowing production quality will increase and no one will lose their job. Inversely, if they increase quality and efficiency, jobs will be lost and this normally is blue collar jobs that get cut.
Micro
There is a deterioration of profits and lack of quality. Top management is focusing on profits and not TQM. There is wasted time and lack of team work between the different sections.
• Causes
Some of the causes are that management was overly concerned with increasing profits and production quantities. They lost focus on quality and how it is a fundamental attribute that creates profit and demand for quality products. Another is failure of the top management levels to understand principles of TQM and how to implement the principles. The last is, failure to