IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eme/ijppmp/v57y2008i2p156-176.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Advanced manufacturing technology implementation

Author

Listed:
  • A.J. Thomas
  • R. Barton
  • E.G. John

Abstract

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide details of a survey conducted into 300 manufacturing SMEs from a range of different industrial sectors. The survey investigates, over a three‐year period, the attitudes towards and benefits obtained by SMEs through the adoption of Advanced Manufacturing Technologies (AMT). Its purpose is to analyse and disseminate these survey data to academics and industrialists. Design/methodology/approach - The paper uses a research survey of 300 manufacturing SMEs. Analysis of the findings is provided and SME characterisation tables are developed. Findings - The paper finds that characterisation, compatibility and innovativeness of SMEs towards AMT implementation were found to vary considerably with the SMEs surveyed. From the survey information, the paper develops a classification system based on the capabilities of these companies to implement Advanced Manufacturing Technologies. The paper will then characterise SME attitudes towards the development of AMT. The paper finally proposes a strategic model for the effective introduction and application of AMT in SMEs. Research limitations/implications - The survey is limited to SMEs and provides a strong body of evidence relating to AMT development with these companies. Practical implications - The paper proposes a strategic model for the effective introduction and application of AMT in SMEs. The creation of a generic AMT implementation model provides a framework for a wider number of SMEs to introduce AMT into their respective organisations, since it provides for a systematic approach for SMEs to introduce AMT in an efficient and effective manner, thus reducing implementation costs, minimises risk of project failure and improves project management efficiency. Originality/value - This paper is the first to explore in depth the AMT implementation issues within SMEs from large‐scale survey data. It not only analyses the survey data but also proposes a model for change, which aims to develop a more structured approach to AMT implementation in SMEs. Therefore, this work will make a contribution to this under‐researched area.

Suggested Citation

  • A.J. Thomas & R. Barton & E.G. John, 2008. "Advanced manufacturing technology implementation," International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 57(2), pages 156-176, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:eme:ijppmp:v:57:y:2008:i:2:p:156-176
    DOI: 10.1108/17410400810847410
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/17410400810847410/full/html?utm_source=repec&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=repec
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers

    File URL: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/17410400810847410/full/pdf?utm_source=repec&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=repec
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1108/17410400810847410?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Haug, Anders & Wickstrøm, Kent Adsbøll & Stentoft, Jan & Philipsen, Kristian, 2023. "Adoption of additive manufacturing: A survey of the role of knowledge networks and maturity in small and medium-sized Danish production firms," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 255(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eme:ijppmp:v:57:y:2008:i:2:p:156-176. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Emerald Support (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.