Agility for Sustainability in Zimbabwe: A Case Study for Manufacturing Companies in Bulawayo

Abstract

Agility in manufacturing is critical for competitiveness. It is an ability to quickly change in a flexible way to meet market demand. This requirement has come as a result of the globalization phenomenon that has affected all companies in one way or the other. This study was aimed at establishing the level of agility that exists in Zimbabwean manufacturing companies. A case study of companies in Bulawayo with a focus on manufacturing diversity was conducted. Audits were carried out on a spectrum that covers textiles, beverages, pharmaceuticals, foundry, rubber manufacturing, including household and industrial chemicals. This enabled establishing the challenges that manufacturing companies face with a view of developing an appropriate model for agility and success. The current manufacturing practices were analyzed for selected companies while their ability to respond to market demand fluctuation was assessed and an appropriate model developed. The model incorporates characteristics of the local operating environment. The main challenges the manufacturing companies face in the global marketplace played a critical role in the development of the model. The manufacturing industry in Zimbabwe is stuck on mass production and traditional manufacturing practices. The world has changed and this change needs to be recognized as a vehicle for competitive success. Global competition has moved a step higher while companies in Zimbabwe have remained stagnant in their practices, technology, and agility. Many manufacturing companies elsewhere are employing agile manufacturing principles that drive them towards world class manufacturing status and sustainability in an ever-changing environment. Thus, the proposal for an agile manufacturing model for Zimbabwe is outlined.

Cite this work

No public copy is stored for this record, so only the metadata is cited.

Stored only when both papers are in the corpus — 14 citations exist upstream.

Papers that cite the same references — the relational fallback while embeddings are still backfilling.