**3. Smart manufacturing and strategic technology management**

Smart manufacturing is nothing new; terminologies like advanced and flexible manufacturing have also been used in the past which focus on utilising modern technologies to improve manufacturing. Smart manufacturing entails availability of data of the entire manufacturing process so that manufacturing organisations can *strategise* the processes to match the market. In this respect smart manufacturing 'influences' and 'aids' technology management decisions. Smart manufacturing provides data and empowers everyone in the organisation including top management, which should help management in developing appropriate technology strategies to maintain a sustainable competitive advantage. It would not be wrong to say that smart manufacturing is in fact a technology management trend.

Ettlie [28] conducted a study of various successful firms in the USA and found that synchronous innovation of both technology and administration made for the best-performing firms. 'If business strategy can be thought of as defining the preferred field of contest and the tactics used in confronting a competitor, a technology strategy defines how these tactics can be created and employed' [29]. Clark et al. [30] use the phrase 'technology management' to refer to 'organizational issues and processes involved in developing and implementing a strategic approach to technology'. *As such in the context of smart manufacturing, only utilisation of advanced technology is one of the aspects of performance of firms; how to employ and administer these technologies (TS/TM) will remain the major driver of performance enhancement.*

According to Dell ([31], smart manufacturing provides immense opportunities for organisations including predictive maintenance, quality control, automated process management and supply chain visibility. To be able to avail these opportunities, organisations will need a robust technology strategy in order to determine what tactics need to be employed to ensure compliance of these.

Andrew Waycott [32] suggests that smart manufacturing is about collecting and crunching data to make more informed decisions. With greater visibility of the real workings, your shift supervisors and operators can make better, more informed decisions, all day long. Thus, smart manufacturing can help in strategic management of technology.

Chand and Davis in a paper written for Rockwell Automation [33] suggest that smart manufacturing is not merely technology rather an integration of information, technology and human ingenuity. This integration could be achieved by application of technology management strategies at the strategic level in the organisation to ensure it aligns with the business strategy and provides a competitive advantage.
