Enhancing Competitiveness Through Effective Adoption and Utilisation of Advanced Manufacturing Technology: Implications and Lessons Learned

In an increasingly technology-based competitive global business environment, the operational and competitive strategic potentials of advanced manufacturing technologies (AMT) and related systems cannot be overlooked. This article presents the results of an investigation of AMT implementation practices at 82 discrete-parts durable goods manufacturing plants in the USA. Several propositions that were derived from the AMT literature are tested. The results of this investigation indicate that plants that are desirous of adopting integrated technologies should be prepared to exert considerable effort on the activities in the pre-planning and justification stages of the implementation process. These and other findings that will be particularly useful to firms in the pre-planning stages of technology adoption are outlined and discussed. Research implications of this study are also presented and discussed