Effectiveness of the quality control story problem-solving method for productivity improvement in the automotive industry in South Africa

Background: Lower-tier firms are less competitive than tier-one firms in many areas of the South African automotive industry. One of the reasons for low operational competitiveness and productivity can be attributed to the knowledge and problem-solving skills of employees. There are many training programmes for lower-tier firms to improve their productivity. The quality control (QC) story problem-solving methodology, together with the combination of classroom and onsite training is effective in improving productivity. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of Kaizen practices and training on productivity improvement. The study investigated the relationships between the QC story problem-solving, the consultants’ capability, and productivity improvement. Setting: The study was conducted with 20 lower-tier firms in the automotive sector in South Africa, which received basic Kaizen training from trained consultants between 2022 and 2023. Method: The study was quantitative and a survey questionnaire was used to collect the firm’s data before and after the training interventions. Assessments were conducted on consultants focussing on training capability and practical implementation capability. Results: The results of the study showed that the QC story problem-solving method is efficacious in improving productivity within automotive firms at all tier levels. The capability of the consultant showed a correlation with the improvement of the firm’s productivity. Conclusion: The QC story problem-solving method is a successful approach to improving productivity in automotive firms. The improvement ratio, however, showed short-term impact, which was measured at the end of the Kaizen intervention. It is necessary to examine the long-term impact of such interventions to understand sustainability. Contribution: The effectiveness of the QC story problem-solving methodology in conjunction with classroom and on-site training to increase productivity is demonstrated by this empirical investigation.