INFORMATION-SYSTEMS FOR PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT IN THE FOOD-PROCESSING INDUSTRY - PROBLEMS AND NEEDS IDENTIFIED BY EMPIRICAL-RESEARCH

Production management in process industries is different from discrete manufacturing industries. In literature production management characteristics of process industries are hardly described. As a consequence the applications of (standard) information systems are foredoomed to failure. This paper is an experience report of an empirical research project. It describes selected results of an exploratory study in 20 organizations in the process industry in The Netherlands. Because of the large variety in process industries the study is limited to a specific (but important) type, i.e. the food processing industry. This paper describes on the one hand major characteristics of production management and on the other hand main problems and needs with respect to information systems. The goal of our research is a framework of information systems applications in the food processing industry. In this paper we will present preliminary topics of this framework. The framework will ultimately serve as a basis for the development and selection of information systems in the food processing industry. We believe that the results of our research are both of interest for practitioners, consulting experts and researchers on production management in process industries.