Don't count on machines to enhance performance.

• Position: Economic Outlook - Barbara Flynn interview - Brief Article - Interview

Barbara Flynn is co-author of the recently published book High Performance Manufacturing: Global Perspectives and a professor of operations management at Wake Forest University's Babcock Graduate School of Management. A psychology graduate of Ripon College, she earned an MBA from Marquette University and a doctorate in operations management from Indiana University. She edits Decision Line and Quality Management Journal. She joined the Wake Forest faculty in 1996.

BNC: What is high-performance manufacturing?

Flynn: It's a way of looking at a variety of practices and then filtering them to find which are most appropriate for you. Rejecting new approaches out of hand is a risky business, but no more so than adopting every new approach that comes along. Total quality management, just-in-time manufacturing and Six Sigma might be part of it, but so are high-performance human resources, technology practices and information technology. It is being best in your industry on a global basis.

Of 164 manufacturers in your book, the only North Carolina entry is Charlotte's Verbatim. Who else qualifies?

In general, furniture and textile industries aren't known for high-performance manufacturing. Maybe Volvo Trucks in Greensboro is a good example. We did some work with Siecor [now Corning Cable Systems, based in Hickory], which made optical fiber, and they were doing well. But I'm sorry to say there just aren't a lot of high performers close by.

Does that reflect the industries rather than the quality of particular North Carolina plants?

Partly. High-volume plants like textiles don't use a lot of the practices we talk about. These things are found mostly in batch manufacturing -- assembly -- not process manufacturing like textiles. Process industries are technology-dependent. You improve by getting bigger, better machines.

Do we confuse automation with high-performance manufacturing?

Yes. We struggle with that with students. They think the best way to improve a process is to get more money, automate it and get the human element out. Automation is appropriate for certain types of products, but we focus on those where automation doesn't make as much sense.

Can North Carolina's struggling manufacturers benefit from high-performance practices you describe?

Of the three segments -- textiles, tobacco, furniture -- the one with the greatest potential by far is furniture. It's not a process industry, and it's not extremely high-volume.

The others are doomed?

Not...