A unified approach towards CIM justification

Justification of Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) or Advanced Manufacturing Technologies (AMTs) lacks a proper methodology, This has been a big drawback for manufacturing managers in justifying investment in and implementation of CIM/AMTs, To overcome this dilemma, an effective multiple-attribute decision methodology with sufficient guidance is proposed, This methodology is incorporated in a Decision Support System (DSS). The DSS developed in this research has been named the Decision Support System for CIM (DSSCIM), This DSSCIM consists of the following modules: an analytic hierarchy process for the consideration of multiple attributes which are inherent in CIM/AMT investment analysis; a weighted scoring module; quantification of costs and benefits by assigning weights to intangibles and indirect attributes; cost-impact analysis to investigate the effect of investment; a matrix module to investigate synergy among technologies and an optimisation module, The DSSCIM will enable the decision maker to analyse various scenarios at different levels of input. By utilising this DSSCIM it is expected that managers will gain sufficient confidence for the justification of CIM/AMTs. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.