Advanced Manufacturing Tech And HR Essay Research

Advanced Manufacturing Tech. And HR Essay, Research Paper Introduction Effective organizations are always searching for better ways to produce goods and services. When new technological developments give some organizations a competitive advantage, their rivals try to catch up by adopting and improving on the new technologies. Ford has put many of Toyota’s technical advances to work in its own plants, and General Motors has spent over $50 billion in the last decade to modernize its production facilities to develop skills in flexible manufacturing. In this paper we take a look at how Technology can affect the HR policies and strategies put in place by the company. This we do by putting down in detail the HR policies adopted by organisations with Advanced Manufacturing

Technology in place. What is Technology? Technology is defined as the tools, instruments, machines, and technical formulas basic to the performance of the work. Research into the area of what technology is employed by the organisation has been carried out in the recent past. Woodward in 1965, Thompson in 1967, and Perrow in 1965 carried out the more prominent researches. Mass Production to Advanced Manufacturing Technology Mass production was pioneered by Henry Ford in the production of his now legendary car Ford Model-T. It allowed the production of large volumes of a standardized product at low cost and pursue a low-cost business-level strategy. To reduce costs, a mass production company must maximize the gains from economies of scale and from division of labor associated with

large-scale production. There are two ways to do this. One is by using dedicated machines and standardized work procedures. The other is by protecting the conversion process against production slowdowns or stoppages. The high technical complexity, the routine nature of production tasks, and the sequential task interdependence make the system highly inflexible. Input Stage Conversion StageOutput Stage Inputs come from SuppliersInputs are assembled into Finished products are In advance and are stockpiled subassemblies and are put stockpiled until theyin inventory for use by needed. They eventually next Workstation are shipped to customers Advanced Manufacturing Technology and Innovations in Materials Technology Materials technology is machinery, other equipment, and computers.

Innovations in materials technology are based on a new view of linkages between input, conversion and output activities. With AMT, the organization actively seeks ways to increase its ability to integrate or coordinate the flow of resources between input, conversion and output. AMT allows an organization to reduce uncertainty not by using inventory stockpiles but by developing the capacity to quickly adjust and control its procedures to eliminate the need for inventory at both input and output stage. figure The Work Flow with Advanced Manufacturing Technology Advanced Manufacturing Technology involves a lot of techniques such as: ? Computer Aided Design ? Computer Aided Materials Management ( CAMM ) ? Just In Time ( JIT )Inventory Systems ? Flexible Manufacturing Technology and

Computer-Integrated Manufacturing Advanced Manufacturing Technology makes human skills all the more important. When Advanced Manufacturing Technology is introduced into a workplace, the following are just some of the things which happen: ? Closer interdependence among activities ? Different skills requirements – usually higher average skill levels ? More immediate – and more costly – consequences of malfunction ? Output more sensitive to variations in human skills, knowledge, and attitudes, and to mental efforts rather than physical efforts. ? More dynamism, that is, continual change and development ? Higher capital investment per employee and fewer employees responsible for a particular product, part , or process HR Strategies for an organisation having Advanced