A lire sur: http://www.atelier.net/en/trends/articles/advanced-manufacturing-techniques-many-us-firms-reluctant-adopt_423684
By
Kathleen Comte September 04, 2013
Despite the clear advantages, many
companies in the United States are hesitating to make use of advanced
manufacturing techniques in their processes. High costs and a shortage
of appropriately skilled workers are among the reasons for this
reluctance.
Advanced manufacturing techniques, i.e. using
cutting-edge technologies to improve manufacturing processes and
products, are becoming increasingly appealing to the US middle market –
manufacturers and other companies with annual revenues of between $10
million and $1 billion. In fact there are an estimated 33,000
manufacturing firms in this bracket in the United States, which are
likely to improve their profitability if they adopt innovative
technologies. The report on Advanced Manufacturing Techniques contains
the results of a survey that was designed and managed by the US National
Center for the Middle Market in partnership with the National
Association of Manufacturers, conducted among 200 C-suite executives and
financial decision-makers. It also points up some of the obstacles they
will have to overcome if they want to fully exploit the potential of
various kinds of advanced technology.
Skills shortages and other drawbacks
Among the difficulties encountered in adopting advanced technology,
executives surveyed cited the need to recruit people with better
science-based qualifications, and the money and time that will have to
be invested in training the existing workforce. Indeed, the challenges
of incorporating advanced manufacturing techniques is driving 47% of
companies that have not made the move to rely on temporary recruitment
services to bridge the gap, and is forcing those who do adopt to create
or extend internal training programmes (51% of those polled). In
addition, 42% of respondents cited the need to collaborate on workforce
training with technical schools and universities or with other teaching
establishments (55%), and also to make use of the Internet (44%). Apart
from higher costs, there are many other reasons for not adopting
cutting-edge techniques, such as their basic unsuitability for the
products in question, mentioned by 51% of the executives as a reason for
holding back, while 49% said their current manufacturing processes are
fully satisfactory. However, even though 97% of those quizzed
acknowledge that they have had problems when implementing new
technology, 89% say that they are basically satisfied with the results.
Every company has its own reason
Currently 47% of US middle market manufacturers state that they are
already using techniques in at least one of the ‘advanced’ categories.
In this context automation was mentioned by 68% of respondents, computer
technologies by 62%, process technologies by 59%, and information
technologies by 57% of those polled. However, the firms surveyed do not
all use advanced techniques for the same reasons. Some 48% of those
questioned explain that they use them to increase productivity, 47% to
speed up production tasks and 38% to reduce losses. The findings reveal
that 28% of those companies that have not yet adopted advanced
manufacturing techniques are planning to do so in the next three to five
years in order to automate processes (the figure is 41% for those
already using them) while 24% will focus on stepping up their capability
in the area of computer technologies, rising to 29% among firms that
are already on the ‘advanced’ path.
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