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Agility Forum
610.758.4114
Industry report maps ?Next Generation? survival issues
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BETHLEHEM, Pa. (January 16, 1997) --To remain market leaders, top U.S.
manufacturers during the next 15 years must evolve into extended
enterprises, collaborating with suppliers and even competitors to offer
customized products and services.
This warning follows a 15-month study sponsored by more than 50
leading U.S. manufacturers, who joined with academic researchers and
government experts to identify forces likely to shape competition into the
next century. Rapid marketplace change, the Next Generation
Manufacturing Project concludes, will require an unprecedented shift in
how manufacturers employ and train workers, use information
technology, and design plants and equipment.
?These Next Generation Manufacturing imperatives will determine who
will thrive, and who will fail,? said Aris Melissaratos, vice president
Science, Technology and Quality for Westinghouse Electric Corp. ?Given
the pace of change, manufacturers must capitalize on driving forces in
the market or be driven out of business.?
Still unresolved, researchers acknowledge, are how companies can
earn employee loyalty while building a flexible workforce, or ensure
domestic job growth while opening global markets. Other dilemmas
needing further study include how best to justify new investment as
product lifetimes shrink, and how to safeguard trade secrets while
expanding trust-based business partnerships.
Amidst accelerating technology, people issues emerge as a central
theme in an action plan scheduled for release January 30 at a day-long
conference in Dallas. Industries represented by senior-level speakers
include Texas Instruments, Rockwell International, Northrop Grumman
Corporation, and Westinghouse Electric Corporation.
?Cultural changes will be far more difficult to implement than technological
changes, and represent the greater challenge,? conclude two of the
report authors, David Hardt and Paul Gallagher. ?Manufacturing must be
addressed as a holistic and dynamic system that integrates people,
processes and technology.?
For more information on the report or conference attendance, call (800)
646-7765.
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