Computer integrated manufacturing in German industry: aspirations and achievements

Reports on a empirical investigation about the usage of computer integrated manufacturing in German hardware manufacturing. Results show a substantial variety in the current status of CIM implementations and indicate a large number of reasons that caused the firms to invest in CIM, the most prominent being a reduction in order processing time, an increase in scheduling effectiveness, and shorter delivery delays. There are strong synergistic effects between the CIM components. Although a step-by-step implementation of CIM is feasible and successful, only the integration of the individual pieces of equipment utilizes the full potential. The analysis of the data supports the hypothesis that the higher the degree of integration and automation, the better the objectives associated with CIM will be achieved.