The work presented in this thesis is a culmination of a collaborative venture between
Matra BAe Dynamics and The Department of Enterprise Integration at Cranfield
University. Initially the thesis examines the Engineering Doctorate philosophy, before
describing the collaborator's history and the background to the decision to formulate a
structured process to aid investment in manufacturing technology.
The findings of an extensive literature review are described accompanied by the results
of two supporting industrial studies initiated to complement the theoretical work. The
literature review and studies revealed a concern about the degree of planning conducted
prior to the adoption of manufacturing technology and how insufficient planning can
have a negative impact on the implementation of the chosen investment. Further
investigation highlighted an awarenesso f this being the problem within industry, yet it
also revealed a lack of time and resources to take corrective action.
The thesis then extends to the development of a process model constructed using the
findings from the literature review and the industrial studies. The process model
presents a structured process for investing in manufacturing technology consisting of a
series of activities designed to guide managers through the planning and implementation
stages of an investment. A third stage is proposed consisting of activities designed to
encourage planning for future investments using the results from past investments as
guides. Following a review of possible techniques for developing a process aid from
the process model, HTML was selected and, based on a series of established
requirements, a process aid was constructed.
An industrial case study was undertaken to validate the process model and prove that
the process is robust. Finally, recommendations for future work are presented and
proposals for future developments are outlined