Manufacturing Maturity Level Diagnosis for Operational Excellence

Manufacturing organizations usually operate and improve their processes continuously; however, they lack a long-term vision of their capabilities and how to achieve operational excellence. This paper presents the case of an organization with different business units that needed to benchmark their manufacturing purposes and diagnose their maturity level. This research article designed a manufacturing maturity method for operational excellence. The operational dimensions evaluated were: (i) people competencies, (ii) process control, (iii) reliability and excellence, (iv) continuous improvement, (v) leadership and culture, and (vi) their integration. Three concepts were evaluated in each dimension of the method: (i) the development level of the process, (ii) process systematization, and (iii) the tools used in each dimension. These concepts were evaluated considering the organization’s three levels of application and benefits: output, outcome, and impact. A team of experts utilized the Manufacturing Maturity Level Diagnosis to benchmark the organization. The results were satisfactory since they provided a high-level analysis diagnosis, and the comparison was straightforward. Also, the next steps for the organization were direct since they were dictated by the tool to reach the next level of maturity.