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Infrastructure and flexible manufacturing technology: Theory development
Author(s) -
Maffei Mary Jo,
Meredith Jack
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
journal of operations management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.649
H-Index - 191
eISSN - 1873-1317
pISSN - 0272-6963
DOI - 10.1016/0272-6963(95)00034-8
Subject(s) - productivity , business , advanced manufacturing , quality (philosophy) , conceptual model , production (economics) , computer science , process management , operations management , marketing , engineering , economics , database , macroeconomics , philosophy , epistemology
Many firms have installed flexible manufacturing technologies but have not achieved the expected benefits. While considerable research has been conducted on the difficulty of implementing advanced forms of technology, this study investigated the operational infrastructure required to benefit from the routine use of such technology. Six in‐depth case studies were conducted to ascertain the performance impact of three areas of the operational infrastructure: the operator's role, the production planning systems and the integration of technology with the organization. Performance was evaluated in terms of quality, marketing, responsiveness, cost/productivity, inventory and on‐time delivery. Based on the insights from the case studies, eleven propositions and three conceptual models identifying the impact of specific infrastructure elements on the benefits attained from the use of flexible manufacturing technology were developed.