The Impact of CAM Technologies on Productivity and Efficiency in Costa Rican

Manufacturing

Costa Rica is leader in production process sophistication in Latin America according to the
World Economic Forum, since it showcases a consolidated smart manufacturing industry that
operates with a high level of complexity, broad diversity of products and great dynamism. (CINDE,
s.f.) Yet, it is important to consider the speed at which technology advances because is getting faster
and businesses need to be aware of the technology that is available to them, and how it might influence
their production, sales, costs, and marketing. However, many companies in the country still uses
traditional methods of production that involve drawing designs by hand, creating several prototypes
and using humans to manually produce goods or operate machinery which are less efficient, more
expensive and more time consuming than new methods as CAM. (Computer-Aided Manufacturing)

From the general point of view, CAM refers to the effective use of computer technology in
the planning, management, and control of the operations of a manufacturing plant through either
direct or indirect computer interface with the plants’ production resources. (Xue, 2018) So, why Costa
Rican manufacturing should implement CAM? Costa Rican manufacturing companies can
significantly enhance operational efficiency, competitiveness, and sustainability by transitioning
from manual production to CAM, by implementing CAM technologies such as robotics, automation,
and process optimization software. As a result of reducing their reliance on human labor, they
improved efficiency, productivity, and optimized production processes.

In addition, this shift to CAM also enhances competitiveness by enabling faster production
cycles, higher quality output, and increased flexibility in meeting customer demands. Overall, the
adoption of CAM empowers Costa Rican manufacturing companies to achieve operational
excellence, stay ahead in the competitive market, and foster sustainable practices. For example, CAM
dental technology has already come to Costa Rica. This technology consists of an advanced software
that allows dentists to design their restorations by computer, on the other hand, it also reduces the
error that may be caused by a human manufacturing, while also reducing the cost of fabrication itself,
because of the accuracy and efficiency of the 3D software. (Colina Dental, 2021)

However, it is important to consider that technology used in CAM is expensive to implement

and support. This is complicated by the fact that technology is not constant, so new hardware devices
and software programs constantly come on the market and engineers and businesspeople must try to
keep up with these changes for compatibility reasons. Furthermore, it costs money to train staff
members to use the technology. Also, it should be noted the technology failure and, that computers
used in CAM may break down; so, any time this happens, there is a risk for the slowing or cessation
of production. (Thibodeaux, n.d.). For those reasons, Costa Rican manufacturing companies must
consider both the good and the bad of implementing CAM technologies.

In conclusion, Costa Rica's manufacturing industry has emerged and while some companies
in Costa Rica still rely on traditional production methods that involve manual labor and outdated
processes, Costa Rican manufacturing companies can overcome the challenges of implementing
CAM, which facilitates faster production cycles, higher quality output, and greater flexibility in
meeting customer demands, by conducting thorough planning, providing comprehensive employee
training, collaborating with technology providers, and continuously monitoring and optimizing the
CAM systems in order to achieve operational efficiency, competitiveness, and sustainability.

References
- CINDE. (s.f.). Manufacturing Sector. https://www.cinde.org/en/sectors/smart-
manufacturing/manufacturing
- Colina Dental. (2021). CAD/CAM Dental Technology Comes To Costa Rica.
https://www.colinadental.com/dental-news/cad-cam-dental-technology-comes-costa-rica/
- Jianbin Xue. (2018). Integration of CAD/CAPP/CAM. De Gruyter.
- Thibodeaux, W. (n.d.) The disadvantages of computer aided manufacturing. Leaf Group Media.
https://www.ehow.co.uk/info_12258880_advantages-modular-plc-over-fixed-plc.html