Strategic quality management and competitiveness in power supply: a census study for generators suppliers in Kenya

Abstract

Electricity is the main source of power in Kenya and majority of the users are inconvenienced when the main grids supply fails. This leaves the users with an option of relying on the back-up from the standby power generators installed by the suppliers on their behalf. To meet customers’ needs generators suppliers are required to adopt five key operations strategies namely quality, flexibility, speed, location and cost in order to survive in the market. The study sought to evaluate the Strategic Quality Management (SQM) practices and competitiveness in power supply by generators suppliers in Kenya. To achieve this objective, the study used a census survey. The population of the study consisted of generators suppliers in Nairobi, Kenya. The study focused on 16 generators suppliers in Kenya. This population was considered appropriate because of their uniqueness in the adoption of SQM practices. Primary data was collected by use of a semi-structured questionnaire. Primary data was collected from business development managers or their equivalents in each of 16 generators suppliers in Kenya. Descriptive statistics was used to establish the frequency of implementation of SQM practices and the challenges faced during implementation. A regression model was used to establish the relationship between SQM practices and competitive advantage adopted by authorized generators suppliers in Kenya. The findings revealed that the most popular SMQ practices that were used by generator suppliers in Kenya were as follows: customer focus, leadership and continuous improvement. The study found a positive relationship between SQM practices and competitiveness of generator suppliers in Kenya. The study also faced significant time and funding constraints, which limited the scope of the study. This limited the scope of this study since the local generator re-sellers were not considered and, therefore the findings obtained in this study may not be accurate in making generalizations of all the generator suppliers in Kenya. The study recommends that generator suppliers should adopt contemporary SQM practices to meet local and international standards. This will provide a platform for generator suppliers in Kenya to build on their innovation and diversification of their products and services to achieve consistent power supply and minimize power black outs.