The Diffusion of Flexible Manufacturing Systems in Japan, Europe and the United States

This paper is concerned with the rate of diffusion of flexible manufacturing systems, one of the most important industrial applications of information technology. Using data from about 175 firms, I analyze diffusion rates in Japan, Western Europe and the United States, a major purpose being to determine whether, as is often claimed, U.S. firms have been relatively slow to introduce this innovation, and if so, why.