ABSTRACT
This chapter describes some of the investments planned in information technology and being introduced in the Austin Rover Group of BL and in the newly privatised Jaguar Cars Ltd., to provide the advanced management information systems (MIS) necessary to achieve competition levels of efficiency. It describes the developments in MIS for production control, covering all aspects of manufacturing operations, and for office automation, covering the commercial, administrative and planning functions of the business. The MIS professional is becoming more closely identified with the performance of the business and the successful design and implementation of relevant MIS is no longer an optional extra but the only route open to future commercial success. The chapter describes the developments under way for the closer integration of the product design functions with manufacturing engineering and process planning. The successful development of such MIS is very dependent on the design of systems which are reliable and robust in the different situations which may arise.
