Benefits of advanced manufacturing technologies

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.