IT developments for the manufacturing enterprise: the Internet enabled manufacturing

Manufacturing organisations are replacing linear, operations oriented processes with organisational structures designed to focus on customer requirements and respond to market demands. Globalization, traditionally established with dealer networks and subsidiary companies, is now possible through virtual enterprises. Telephone and fax connections support the needs of subsidiaries and dealers-the Internet provides a quantum leap in communication possibilities, and allows a manufacturer to reach territories without infrastructure investment, and offer whole products anywhere in the world. Key success factors are increasingly dependent on the ability to respond to unpredictable opportunities and change