African Journal of
Business Management

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Bus. Manage.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1993-8233
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJBM
  • Start Year: 2007
  • Published Articles: 4188

Full Length Research Paper

Benefits of advanced manufacturing technologies

Jorge Luis García Alcaraz1*, Alejandro Alvarado Iniesta2 and   Manuel Celso Juárez Castelló3
1,2Departament of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Institute of Engineering and Technology, Autonomous University of Ciudad Juárez., Chihuahua, México. 3Higher Industrial Engineering School, University of La Rioja, Luis de Ulloa 20, 26004 Logroño, La Rioja, Spain.
Email: [email protected]

  •  Accepted: 06 February 2012
  •  Published: 25 April 2012

Abstract

There are important benefits related to advanced manufacturing technologies (AMT) and their competitiveness. However, enterprises might not decide to invest in AMT because the benefits are questionable, because there is evidence in literature as in plants all around the world that benefits are less than expected. The purpose of this project was to collect evidence of AMT benefits and through the literature review determine the main benefits that are reported and then a questionnaire with 35 items divided into four sections: Design, technical, marketing, and costs, was formulated and applied to production managers in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, asking for waited and really obtained benefits. A descriptive analysis and a factor analysis was applied using principal components and varimax rotation and the results indicate that the main waited benefits are related to techniques and operative aspects, marketing, waste reduction (time and material), quality and knowledge management, product design, space usage and inventory; while the really benefits obtained are related to technical and operative benefits, flexibility in process, marketing, cost and time reduction, product design and quality.

 

Key words: Advanced manufacturing technologies (AMT) benefits, factor analysis, AMT adoption, AMT implantation.