Effects of Advanced Manufacturing Technologies on Manufacturing Company Performance

Literature findings on the effects of advanced manufacturing technology (AMT) on company performance measures is currently inconclusive. There is also a lack of recent research on this issue from a contingency perspective. It is also a fact that the majority of research is conducted in developed countries. This research is based on the contingency theory perspective, and it attempts to add value to the observed literature gaps by exploring two less developed countries Slovenia and Croatia. Using survey data from 138 manufacturing companies from Croatia and Slovenia, we tested the effects of twenty technologies on different performance measures through five ordinary least squares regression analyses. Contingency factors in terms of company size, batch size, product complexity, included as control variables in analyses, proved insignificant for technologies' use and their effect on profits before tax, decrease in the scrap rate, material and staff costs On the other hand, AMT has impact on material consumption, scrap rate and profits, but not in a positive hypothesised relationship.