| The advantages of advanced manufacturing technologies (AMTs) such as computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), flexible manufacturing systems (FMS), etc., have been widely proclaimed as part of the factory of the future. These advantages include greater flexibility, greater control of the manufacturing process and the ability to combine economies of scale and scope. Unfortunately, the reality is that for every company which successfully realizes the benefits of AMTs, there are two or three which are not as successful. This dissertation examines the patterns in which companies implement these technologies, and what separates successful firms from unsuccessful ones.;Data is gathered from a mail survey of 507 manufacturing firms in the metalworking industries (standard industrial classification codes 33-37), with a total of 210 responses representing a 41.4 percent response rate. Analysis of this data indicates that companies can be classified into distinct groups based on their investments in three types of AMTs: design-based, manufacturing-based and administrative-based. Three of the groups invest relatively equally in these three types of AMTs (Traditionalists have low investments, while Generalists have moderate and High Investors have high investments in each of these three AMT types). The fourth group (Designers) are unique in that they invest heavily in design-based AMTs, without comparable investments in manufacturing or administrative AMTs.;Further analysis of these companies and their investments in AMTs reveals two key characteristics which separate firms with high performance from firms with low performance. First, companies which combine infrastructural improvement programs (such as worker empowerment, training, quality leadership, an interfunctional design process, and the use of small teams) with investments in AMTs generally outperform companies which do not. Therefore, the evidence supports the proposition that first must make investments in infrastructure in order to tap the full potential of AMTs. Second, manufacturing strategies which place a greater emphasis on flexibility and delivery as competitive priorities provide the best fit with heavy investments in AMTs. The implications of these findings for managers are clear and the interest in this research shown by practitioners is heartening. |
