Advanced manufacturing systems: Promise and performance

This study presents the results of an exploratory investigation on the level of importance that firms place on several business and technical objectives when they are considering AMT adoption. Mail survey data obtained from 125 manufacturing firms in the U.S. that had adopted a wide variety of AMT is used in this analysis. On average, these firms had placed the highest levels of importance on improving product quality, reducing manufacturing leadtimes, reducing per unit production costs and improving responsiveness to changing customer needs. Firms had ascribed lower levels of importance to the organizational adaptation benefits of developing an integrated organization and developing management expertise.