| The process of integrating new packaging machines or new packaging lines into the plants is a complex process that involves at least three industry groups: the companies who desire the new system, called the packagers, the system integrators, and the machinery suppliers. Many factors contribute to successful integration. However, some factors may be more important than others. In addition, participants of the integration process may view factors that influence success differently. Therefore, conflicts and misunderstanding could occur and may result in failure of the integration process.; This study seeks to identify factors that influence success of the packaging machinery integration process based on the opinions of packagers, machinery suppliers, and system integrators. Factors that might influence success were gathered and grouped into three categories: activities for successful integration, factors that facilitate the integration process, and barriers of the integration process. The study also explored the driving forces of the integration processes in order to gain more insights of the motivation behind the integration projects. The final survey was developed and submitted to packagers, machinery suppliers, and system integrators. Data analysis was performed on the responses from each industry group to identify important factors based on the group's opinions. Finally, the relative importance of each factor among industry groups was compared in order to gain more insights regarding factors that influence success of the packaging machinery integration process. |
