Assuring Input Quality Under TQM Practices: A Comparative Analysis of Four Major Indian Passenger Car Companies‪.‬

Introduction Indian automobile industry has in recent years, flourished and displayed extra ordinary growth capabilities. This has become possible mainly because of improvement in living standards of Indian middle class and increase in their disposable income. When India, under the impact of 2nd phase of liberalization, globalization and privatization, is posed for the growth rate of 9.4% (Economic Times, 18th March, 2008), it is pertinent to sustain its higher growth in manufacturing sector, more specifically in the areas with optimally equal level of capital and labour eg industries like automobile, pharma, food processing, as these contribute significantly higher level of employment in its resultant of GDP. In its initial efforts, seed capital, relatively cheap labour and technology contribute to the creation of such industries. However, it is the enduring Quality Management, both for product and the processes, that profoundly contributes to the sustenance of this industry over the longer period. The strategic approach to facilitate ISO certification, among other things, is to develop Total Quality Management in the organization in every area of operations. The concept of quality exists in the Indian industry but restricted to manufacturing operations that too only in control aspects, thereby excluding planning and improvement of quality across all departments.