http://hdl.handle.net/10500/2925 Thu, 23 May 2013 10:13:02 GMT 2013-05-23T10:13:02Z http://hdl.handle.net/10500/5669 THE EFFECT OF TIME VARIATIONS IN ASSEMBLY LINE BALANCING: LESSONS LEARNED IN THE CLOTHING INDUSTRY IN SOUTH AFRICA Ramdass, K.; Kruger, D. South African clothing sector has undergone large-‐scale restructuring over the past 15 years. The global economy is pressurizing organisations to improve productivity of their business processes. Competition is forcing organisations to focus their energy on “core competencies.” Like many industries, the clothing industry is witnessing changes in technology, diversification of labour, managerial implications while competing on the global market. The South African clothing and textile industries have the potential to create jobs, but this potential has been steadily diminishing over the last decade. In this context, the clothing industry is regarded as a powerful engine for economic and employment growth. Nevertheless, the performance of the clothing industry, whether in terms of efficiency, working conditions or degree of social protection, is unstable. This paper aims to highlight some of the problems experienced by manufacturers’ through a semi-‐structured questionnaire and provide suggestions for improvement of the clothing industry through the application of line balancing as a means of productivity improvement. The research methodology employed in this paper is qualitative and exploratory in nature making use of applicable literature and appropriate case studies Wed, 06 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10500/5669 2010-10-06T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10500/5667 Establishing a Quality Culture in Higher Education: A South African Perspective Kruger, David; Ramdass, Kem The merger of Higher Education Institutions (HEI’s) has created monolithic organisations of inefficiency and ineffectiveness in administrative and academic processes. It was the result of mismatched and outdated processes inherited from merged institutions. The student or customer is deprived of a quality service by the unwieldy processes. The end users of the product from the HEI’s are uncertain of the quality of the finished product that would be employable. Employers measure qualified students to certain quality standards. In the past-two decades industry realized to remain competitive, continuous improvement became imperative for success. HEI’s is not excluded from competitive pressures. The debate currently raging is whether total quality management (TQM) principles could be applied in HEI’s. The methodology of TQM has been utilized in industry over an extended period of time with impressive results. A major obstacle in applying TQM in HEI’s is the argument that there are environmental differences between industry and HEI’s. The aim of the article is to find common ground between industry and HEI’s. The above could be achieved by tailoring the major features and potentialities of basic TQM principles and guidelines to fit HEI’s. Sun, 31 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10500/5667 2011-07-31T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10500/5666 An Analysis into the Impact of Globalization on the Clothing Industry in Conjunction with the Clothing Industry in South Africa Ramdass, Kem; Kruger, David The clothing industry in South Africa is seen as a conventional industry with characteristics such as: labour intensive with low levels of qualification; low salaries; low potential for investment in research and development and innovation; flexible labour legislation and powerful labour unions. However, it continues to be an important sector in terms of the South African labour market with regards to job creation. The strong impact of globalisation and delocalization in the organization of work is pressurizing the industry in terms of its competitiveness. Global competitiveness in terms of quality, price and supply chain management are reducing the viability of the industry. Few organisations are able to keep their positions in the marketplace without changes in the organisation of work and workers. Organisations that respond to the challenges have positioned themselves for economic stability. Organisations have found different methodologies in dealing with the reality of the situation. Two distinctive paths can be identified: outsourcing production with dismissal of workers and relocation of facilities; and skilling the workforce through continual improvement. The aim of the paper is to highlight the predicament faced by the clothing industry and what could be done to change the levels of productivity in the industry. This paper presents results through qualitative research analysis from the case study conducted in Kwa-Zulu Natal on several clothing organisations in comparison to international experiences. Sun, 31 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10500/5666 2011-07-31T00:00:00Z