The impact of total quality management on productivity a framework implementation at an enterprise producing panel furniture

This study basically aims at exploring the impact of Total Quality Management (TQM) based on a framework implementation at a company producing panel furniture. Within the context of framework implementation study, first an inventory of land, building, human resources, machine and equipment of Kocadaglar A.S. is made. By finding out that the management and personnel is not trained in the field of TQM, a training programme in this field is initiated; and completed within a period of ten months; and finally, implementation of TQM began. As a result of the comparative study of March-December 2005 and a ten-months period of March-December 2006, it was found out that the amount of panel material (m²) produced increased by 57,89 %; amount of production (m²/man hour) rose by 54,54 %; white-collar labour (man) grew by 56,25 %; blue-collar labour (man) went up by 2,27 %; total amount of faulty products (m²) decreased by %59,25; total percentage of faults with respect to the total amount of production was reduced by 75 %; man-made faults (m²) were diminished by 61,45 %; man-made faults in comparison with the amount of production was lessened by 75,97 %; material faults (m²) were reduced by % 34,13; material faults with respect to the total amount of production was decreased by 60 %; mechanical faults (m²) were diminished by % 72,46; and mechanical faults with respect to the total amount of production decreased by 87,5 %. The comparison of data before and after the implementation indicated that the impact of TQM on productivity was positive. Key words: Kocadaglar A.S., Panel Furniture, Productivity, Quality Assurance System, Total Quality Management.