Deploying AMT to Acquire Manufacturing Flexibility or Efficiency: Lessons from the Field

• In Event: STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT: Manufacturing and Supply Chains

Abstract

Advanced Manufacturing Technologies (AMT) have been viewed by researchers largely from the viewpoint of enhancing manufacturing flexibility. Yet, we find that practitioners in the field frequently adopt AMT to gain not just flexibility, but also efficiency. Based on field observations we find that, whereas AMT can be adopted to pursue both flexibility and efficiency, each of these pursuits requires AMT to be deployed differently. We identify two modes of deployment – flexible systems (AMTFS) and efficient systems (AMTES) – each with somewhat different characteristics.

Authors

• Rajeev Sawhney, Western Illinois University

• Narendar Sumukadas, University of Hartford