A LONGITUDINAL-STUDY OF PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF ADVANCED MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGIES

The findings of a survey of planning and implementation of advanced ma nufacturing technologies in Australia are presented. The survey was in itially conducted in 1989 and repeated in 1993. The results of the two surveys are compared to identify improvements made over the period. T he analysis shows greater involvement of senior management in technolo gy strategy development and AMT planning, an increase in investments i n technology softwares, a higher use of the multi-disciplinary approac h to planning and implementation, and a reduction in the time taken to plan and implement selected AMT. However, the analysis highlights a n umber of issues which require immediate management action. These inclu de aiming for more strategic benefits from the AMT and a more rigorous financial evaluation of the AMT proposal.