Technology roadmapping for the next generation manufacturing enterprise

Purpose – For high technology companies, the successful acquisition and management of technology to enable the development and manufacture of innovative products is a key factor in their competitiveness. Seeks to present an integrated technology road‐mapping methodology that enables management to define its technology requirements, taking account of financial and other issues, to assess proposed technology projects against these requirements and to create a balanced technology project portfolio.Design/methodology/approach – The methodology consists of six steps or phases; the first three steps produce a set of technology requirements based on a company's business drivers, products and competitive position; the last three steps enable the creation and assessment of a portfolio of research and development projects.Findings – Applications of the methodology in industry have demonstrated that the integrated nature of the process, from a derivation of technology requirements to investment decision making, impr...