A comparative study of quality management practices between Vietnamese and Japanese manufacturing plants

Abstract

This study aims to investigate impact of quality management practices on operational capabilities in Vietnamese and Japanese manufacturers, and then, compare the impact between two countries. Statistical techniques are applied to analyse data collected from 25 Vietnamese and 22 Japanese manufacturing plants through an international joint research called high performance manufacturing (HPM) – round 4 in 2014–2015. Analytical results indicate positive impact from supplier involvement in quality improvement and process control but negative impact from feedback and continuous improvement and learning on operational capabilities. The impacts of supplier involvement in quality improvement and feedback practices are significantly different between Japanese and Vietnamese manufacturing companies. The results provide empirical evidence on the implementation quality management practices in different countries, and offer some insights into performance improvement in both developed and developing countries.