Success Factors of Factory Automation : A Case Study for Small and Medium sized Companies

생산자동화의 성공요인에 관한 연구: 중소기업에 대한 사례분석

Factory automation(FA) is a part of technological innovation to make production process more efficient and it also facilitates technological innovation by accumulating the internalization ability of newly imported technology Introduction of FA, however, does not guarantee the increase of production efficiency and high product quality, moreover, the competitiveness of firm. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship between firm's behavioral characteristics during implementation process of FA and organizational performance, and to find out success factors of FA. Results of the case studies for 4 SME's show that financial stability and the fitness between corporate strategy and the purpose of FA are the necessary conditions for successful implementation of FA. But the organizational restructuring for new manufacturing system, openness of all communication channels, and common mind of employees are also needed to achieve the high degree of performance from FA, especially the benefits of qualitative or organizational level.