A Continuous Improvement Model for Strengthening Quality and Operational Performance in Manufacturing Firms Engaged in Foreign Trade and Customs Operations

Abstract

Purpose – This paper develops an integrative continuous improvement (CI) model that links quality management and operational excellence practices with the customs-compliance and trade-facilitation requirements faced by manufacturing firms engaged in foreign trade. The aim is to explain how CI can jointly strengthen internal operational performance and cross-border trade performance, an interface that the operations and international-trade literatures have largely treated separately. Design/methodology/approach – Following a conceptual, theory-building approach, the study synthesises peer-reviewed evidence from operations management, quality management and international-trade research. Constructs and relationships identified across these streams are integrated into a single framework, from which a set of testable research propositions is derived. Findings – The proposed model positions CI as an engine – grounded in the Plan-Do-Check-Act logic and operationalised through Lean, Six Sigma and total quality management practices – that converts organisational enablers and trade-and-customs integration into quality, operational and trade performance, and ultimately into competitiveness. The synthesis indicates that leadership, employee involvement, process standardisation and fact-based decision making are recurrent enablers, and that customs compliance and Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) practices act as a distinctive, trade-specific dimension of improvement rather than a purely regulatory obligation. Originality/value – The paper contributes a boundary-spanning model that treats customs and trade-facilitation capabilities as an integral part of a manufacturing firm’s CI system. It offers researchers a structured agenda and provides managers with a diagnostic logic for aligning shop-floor improvement with border-related performance.