Operations strategy in Spanish tile industry firms

Due to the progressive deceleration of economic activity since 2001, the ceramic tile sector faces new challenges in operations management. Both them capacity and the technology are available, thanks to investments in preceding years, and an advantageous position in the market has been achieved. However, to maintain that position as regards its competitors, traditional as well as emerging ones, a change of focus in operations management and its relationship with business strategy will probably have to be adopted. Resource optimisation needs more investment in process and organization than in capacity and technology. In this study we present the results; of a survey on the behaviour of the sector's firms and the priorities they have to reach the objectives, as a basis for the analysis of their capacity to rise to the new challenges with which they are confronted.