Computer-integrated manufacturing in China - A report of industrial field surveys

Computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) technology has been used in China for over ten years. Some striking achievements have been obtained, but there still exist a few difficulties or problems. This paper describes the benefits and problems experienced by a number of CIM enterprises in China based on the results of a series of industrial field surveys. The strong common commitment to CIM technology of the top management of these enterprises has been accompanied by great emphases on education and training of employees, and received financial support from the government and technological support from universities. We noted that many of the problems are the result of management development lagging behind technology advancement, outdated organizational structure being unable to adapt to the needs of technology development and market economic environment, improper and inadequate use of human resources and lack of business-led CIM strategy. Some strategies and measures are put forward to address Chinese enterprises' CIM implementation problems.