Competing in Manufacturing with AMT

The article discusses the relevance of Advanced Manufacturing Technology (AMT) at the strategic level. Based on a research project involving 20 UK users of AMT innovation, the article concludes that the approach to AMT implementation determines the type of competitive gains to be expected. It was found that the competitive behaviour of AMT users tends to follow one of two rules: An aggressive competitive approach means that AMT is at the heart of competitive strategy, playing a specific role for cost, and differentiation objectives. A defensive approach means that AMT is limited to a local role for the provision of economic gains.