THE THEORY OF CONSTRAINTS AND THE SMALL FIRM: AN ALTERNATIVE STRATEGY IN THE MANUFACTURING MANAGEMENT

"The aim of this article is to study the practical application of the Theory of Constraints (TOC) and to identify some of the main strategies related to this application. It seeks to prove that this theory does not treat organizations as a collection of independent processes, but rather as an integrated system. Under this theory, the organization is viewed as a synchronized chain, in which the links between each activity form a complete system that is capable of creating synergy for the entire firm. TOC shows that every system is subject to at least one constraint that keeps it from achieving high levels of performance. A study of the use of TOC in a small manufacturing firm and the results obtained are shown here. This use made it possible to identify the constraints, and thus to improve the firm performance and productivity."