Quality Management Practices in Automotive Industry in Thailand

Quality management is used to strengthen the business operation. The quality management assists business for product differentiation, fulfillment of customers requirement, reduction of costs by preventing waste in process, and continuous improvements in organizations. Firms implement the concept of quality management apply many different approaches from those ideas as initiation. The application of quality management can be used in various parts of organizations. This research was to study the characteristics of quality management and their practices in automotive industry in Thailand. The study focus in quality management practices as following: Quality management policy, Quality management methodology, Top management involvement, Quality activity, Quality tool and techniques, Human oriented quality management, Team working, Data collection and analysis, Process management, and Cost control and product management. The data were generated through distribution of questionnaire postal survey among randomly selected factories operating throughout of Thailand. The questioners were answered by two hundreds of automotive industry. The results showed that Thai automotive industry apply quality management mostly in area of Quality process, Data collection and analysis, Top management involvement, respectively. Moreover fair level of practice were found that in Quality management policy, Quality management methodology, Team working, Cost control and product management, Quality activity, Human oriented quality management and Quality tool and techniques. The result showed the different level of utilization from each aspects of quality management practice. Key-Words: Quality Management Practice, Automotive Industry, Thai Industry, Quality Tool, Top Management