Impact of Total Quality Management and Lean Manufacturing on Sustainability Performance: An SEM-ANN Approach in Saudi Food Manufacturing

The food industry at the global and local levels is increasingly exposed to severe challenges and disruptions because of rising consumer demands, and rigorous and strict local and international regulations related to food safety and environmental concerns, all of which necessitate the adoption of proven and recognized management philosophies and sustainable practices to run the manufacturing process. Although the food manufacturing industry has adopted total quality management, lean manufacturing practices, and other management philosophies, more efforts are still needed to enhance sustainable performance. The purpose of this study is to explore the integrated impact of TQM and lean manufacturing on the sustainability performance of the food manufacturing industry in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, it investigates the causal relationship between TQM and sustainability performance as well as the direct relationship between TQM and lean manufacturing. The survey questionnaire is used as the primary instrument for collecting data from food manufacturing organizations. Based on the literature review, a theoretical framework is built to hypothesize relationships between the constructs. A structural equation modeling and artificial neural network (SEM-ANN) combined approach is used to analyze the results. The findings of the present study show that TQM and lean manufacturing have a positive impact on sustainability performance. The study also identifies the list of valid constructs for total quality management and lean manufacturing, with a high impact of sustainability performance dimensions.