Advanced manufacturing technology use: Exploring the effect of the nationality variable

Abstract

A few studies (Jaikumar 1986) have left an impression among researchers that Japanese manufacturers use more advanced manufacturing technologies (AMTs) then their US counterparts. Presuming this were to be true, we hypothesized that nationality of the firm is an important factor in AMT use. To test the effect of the nationality variable on AMT use we compared the use of 18 AMTs in the US and Japan in an exploratory study using data from 160 US firms and 125 Japanese firms.There is clear evidence that the nationality of the firm is a factor in AMT use; that is AMT use is significantly different in the two countries. One explanation for the differences in AMT use may lie in the respective strategic orientations of the manufacturers in the two countries. A major finding in this study is that, while US manufacturers use more scheduling and control technologies, their Japanese counterparts use more factory floor technologies. Several hypothesis are offered as propositions for future research.