Creating Quality April 2000 Small Manufacturers Increasing Use of Technology Cassy Venters, Editor University of Missouri - University Extension Funded In Cooperation With The Economic Development Administration Of The Department Of Commerce Creating Quality is a monthly newsletter for manufacturers. It contains short articles on management, personnel, team building, financing, business assessment, international markets, productivity, and regulations.
Businesses also use technology in the actual execution of their manufacturing functions.
The overwhelming majority of firms set up their own IT systems in-house. A 1999 survey of small manufacturers conducted by the National Association of Manufacturers showed that about half use the Internet to conduct business. Only about 9 percent of firms do not conduct online business. A report on all types of small businesses published by Cahners In-Stat Group on its Manufacturing.net Web site lists QuickBooks and Microsoft Office as examples of packaged applications that are most popular with small firms.