Development of a methodology for evaluating computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) implementation performance

Competitive pressures of global markets has stimulated significant interest in upgrading of process technologies in manufacturing sectors of the economy. In response to these pressures, manufacturing firms have made substantial investments in advanced manufacturing technologies involving the pervasive use of computers to integrate the various functions of the enterprise. Although there are varying reports of the performance of these computer integrated systems, there has not been any consistent method used for evaluating implementation performance from one project and organization to the next. In order to compare Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) implementation performance, effective procedures for evaluating individual projects are necessary. This paper presents an approach to evaluating CIM systems performance for comparison across a spectrum of projects.