Organizing for manufacturing innovation. The case of Flexible Manufacturing Systems

At the present time, an ever-growing number of new computer-aided
technologies are becoming available, which are supposed to provide adopters with the opportunity to respond adequately to present competition and market pressures. However, many companies seem to have difficulties with organizing the implementation of new technology effectively. This is not surprising, considering the innovative nature of this process. Although there is a host of literature on innovation, organization and (the benefits of) new technology, the literature in which these areas are linked together is scarce. Publications addressing the manufacturing innovation process are even fewer and provide little insight into its true nature. Consequently, little is known about the effective organization of such processes. In the present article an organization model of manufacturing innovation is described, and its practicability assessed using the results of seven case studies of the implementation of flexible manufacturing systems in British, Belgian and Dutch mechanical engineering companies.