Advanced Manufacturing Technology Investment Patterns Available to Purchase

This study presents a longitudinal analysis of patterns of investment in advanced manufacturing technologies (AMT) and financial performance. Investments in AMT from fifty manufacturing plants in the metalworking industries are examined. Data was collected via mail surveys administered to fifty manufacturing plants at three separate data collection times: 1994, 1996, and 1998. This study seeks to fill a void in the area of technology management, which is comprised primarily of cross‐sectional studies that do not address the dynamic nature of investments in technology. The results suggest differences in the evolutionary profile of several technologies, including e‐mail, bar coding, robotics, and computer aided design. Further tests indicate that there is a positive relationship between many of these technologies and plant financial performance. Finally, the longitudinal data suggest that there is approximately a two‐year time lag between investment in technology and performance improvements.