Publications
Publications
- January 1995 (Revised June 1995)
- HBS Case Collection
Cybertech Project (A), The
Abstract
Describes the development and exploitation of a radical new computer-integrated technology in the largely manual meat-processing industry. The technology has been developed by the meat industry's research organization over a period of 15 years and is now ready for commercial exploitation. Unfortunately, it is not clear how the industry can use the technology because its scale demands larger firms than currently exist and its operation requires expertise that the industry does not have. The commercializing firm is also under pressure to break the system into smaller modules, losing some of the benefits of computer integration, but gaining a dissemination path. There is another model for improvement in the industry, relying on incremental improvement, rather than radical technology change, and many have said that the project is doomed, because it might not provide the best path to improvement in the industry.
Keywords
Production; Animal-Based Agribusiness; Information Technology; Product Marketing; Manufacturing Industry; Information Technology Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry
Citation
Upton, David M. "Cybertech Project (A), The." Harvard Business School Case 695-030, January 1995. (Revised June 1995.)