CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS IN THE MACHINE-TOOL INDUSTRY

摘要

This study reports on the potential of technology to improve competitiveness in the machine-tool industry through a better match of vendors' product attributes to customers' critical success factors (CSFs). It is found that technology has a major role to play in both product and process improvement for enhanced competitiveness. Also it is found that vendors' and customers' CSFs match fairly well for machine-tool systems but not for stand-alone machines. However, even when the CSFs do match, it appears that customers mean something much more explicit by their CSF terminology than what vendors mean. The study concludes that technology has significant potential to improve vendors' competitiveness but only if they make major policy changes regarding better understanding and support of their customers' needs. [References: 21]