Best practice and performance within Northeast manufacturing

As global competition intensifies, achieving 'best practice' and 'world cla ss' performance is not just a desirable goal, it is a necessity for surviva l. This paper presents a diagnostic benchmarking tool developed to measure the attributes of world class manufacturing practices and performance in an y company. It has been used in a sample of businesses of different sizes an d industrial sectors in the Northeast of England. Some of the Key findings are presented along with observations on the tool's utility.