Purpose: This study analyzes the characteristics of the Quality Management performed by SMEs in the Defense Industry in supply chains and analyzes the effect of the continuous improvement activities based on cooperation. Especially, for Military Supplies, the suitability of products is usually decided by judging their conformity to the specification, and from this structural characteristic, this study would analyze the structural relationship of systematic improvement activities with Supply Chain Quality Management(SCQM) and Business Performance(BP).
Methods: Continuous improvement activities(CI) have significance as the driver force for the promotion of Quality Management. Thus, this study analyzed the causal relationships from the perspective of the process among CI, SCQM and BP. For an analysis of the structural characteristics and causal relationships among the constituents, AMOS was used, and 297 companies in the Defense Industry were utilized as samples.
Results: It turned out that CI had significant impacts on Management Infra(MGT_Infra), Process Management(PM), Human Resources Management(HRM) and Communication(COMU) and had an indirect impact on the enterprises’ financial performance through the parameters of HRM and Communication. Meanwhile, it turned out that between CI and non-financial performance, there was a direct effect, and there was also an indirect effect through the variables of the Management Infra and Communication.
Conclusion: It turned out that CI had a positive effect on SCQM as a proactive driver and that they had significant relationships with BP(financial, Non-financial), both financial performance and non-financial performance. However, PM did not have a significant relationship of effect with BP because of the character appearing by the evaluation method of military supplies for the conformity to the specifications.