# The Role of Advanced Manufacturing Technologies in Production Process Performance: A Causal Model
## 5 Discussion, Conclusions and Industrial Implications
### Sensitivity Analysis and Industrial Implications  
Regarding the Hypothesis H1, the conclusions and industrial implications are as follows:  
* There is a 0.459 probability of having a high level of implementation from _Intermediate Systems_, because there has is a high level in _Stand-Alone Systems_, that is, the correct implementation of technology systems, such as CAD, CAPP, CNC, and MWL, which allow a great implementation of systems for AS/RS, AMHS, and AITE. * The probability of having a high implementation of _Intermediate Systems_ if there is a low implementation of _Stand-Alone Systems_ is 0.000, which indicates that the implementation process of AMT is gradual and it is not possible for a company to have an adequate implementation of the _Intermediate Systems_ if the implementation of _Stand-Alone Systems_ is at a low level, which may be due to the fact that there must be a learning and evolution system in AMT. Therefore, an incorrect or null implementation of _Stand-Alone Systems_ will end in poor material handling systems and inspection, as well as testing in an automated management way. Also, the probability of having a low implementation level in _Intermediate Systems_ if there is a high implementation of _Stand-Alone Systems_ is 0.027, which indicates that a high level of _Stand-Alone Systems_ is not associated with low implementation levels in _Intermediate Systems_, confirming the last conclusion. * Finally, if a company has a low implementation level in _Stand-Alone Systems_, then it has a risk of 0.446 to have a low level in the _Intermediate Systems_; therefore, managers must make a huge effort to implement _Stand-Alone Systems_ properly to guarantee successful investment in more expensive technologies. Similarly, analyzing the sensitivity analysis for Hypothesis H2, the following conclusions can be established:
* If _Intermediate Systems_ have a high implementation level, then there is a probability of 0.534 that _Integrated Systems_ will also have a high level, which means that the correct implementation of AS/RS, AMHS, and AITE systems will guarantee, at a certain level, the appropriate implementation of manufacturing cells, JIT, and that material management may be performed through systems, such as MRP and MRP II. * The probability of having a high implementation of _Integrated Systems_ if there is a low implementation of _Intermediate Systems_ is 0.018, which is a risk for managers and they must focus their effort to solve that problem to guarantee benefits. Also, it is almost impossible to have a low implementation on _Integrated Systems_ if there is a high implementation on _Intermediate Systems_, because the conditional probability is 0.017. This result allows to conclude again that incremental AMT is required. * Finally, a low implementation level of _Intermediate Systems_ is highly associated with low implementation on _Integrated Systems_, because the conditional probability is 0.702. In other words, as result of low implementation in AS/RS, AMHS, and AITE, then the technologies such as FMC, FMS, CIM, JIT, MRP, and MRP II systems will also have low levels and the managers must focus on guaranteeing an incremental AMT implementation. For H3, the conclusions and industrial implication confirm how incremental AMT is required due to the following:  
* If there are high implementation levels on _Stand-Alone Systems_, then there is a probability of 0.500 of obtaining _Integrated Systems_ with high levels as well, which indicates that the appropriate implementation of technologies systems, such as CAD, CAPP, CNC, and MWL will allow the correct usage of automated material handling technologies such as FMC/FMS, CIM, JIT, MRP, and MRP II. * The probability of having a high level of implementation on _Integrated Systems_ because the _Stand-Alone Systems_ have not been implemented, is 0.000; it sounds somewhat logical since if a type of isolated AMT has not been implemented before, it is impossible to integrate them into a system and there is a lack of experience in this kind of technologies.