TECHNOLOGY CHANGING THE WAY AREA DOES BUSINESS

From industrial robots to computers and facsimile machines to car phones, technology is changing how we do business.

"Everything is affected by electronics and computer-based technology," said Randy Shaw, chairman of the industrial technology department at Southeast Missouri State University.

This is truly the computer age. "You need to have computers to crunch a lot of data and be able to make projections," he said.

Businesses now are focusing on teamwork. "Fax machines, microwave transmissions and satellite links make teamwork between (plant) sites possible," noted Shaw.

"The over-the-wall way of doing it is gone," said Shaw. It used to be that the various departments in a business, such as engineering, production and marketing, would operate separately. Engineers would draw up the plans and "throw it over the wall to production, and then production did its thing. They didn't necessarily communicate.

"Now everybody's involved in the process,' he said. "It's a team concept and everybody is in it together."

Shaw said that these days computer-driven technology is essential for companies to meet the demand for product flexibility, product quality and product variety.

With computerized inventory systems, industries no longer have to keep on hand huge stockpiles of raw materials or their products. Bar codes allow computers to account for every part.

"Robotics, all these high-technology things, are computer driven," said Shaw, whose department focuses on computer drafting systems, computer-assisted manufacturing and other state-of-the-art technology.

"It really comes back to the computer being able to collect, analyze, transmit, share and communicate vast amounts of information," he pointed out.

Fax machines used to be a luxury for businesses. Now they have become commonplace and virtually indispensable to many companies.

"They are a lot more prevalent now than they were two years ago," said John Mehner, vice president of Advanced Business Systems in Cape Girardeau. He estimates that more than half of Cape Girardeau businesses now have fax machines.

Large companies were the first ones to buy fax machines, but smaller businesses began getting into the market about five years ago, said Mehner.

"It used to be you had to spend $2,000 to get a good office fax machine," he said. "Now you can get them for $1,200 to $1,500."

Said Mehner, "It's not like clothing or cars where the prices go up every year. With this kind of equipment, the prices go down every year."

Fax machines have become an integral part of business. Mehner said many of the suppliers for Advanced Business Systems will only take orders via the fax machine.

He said digital technology has affected everything from telephones to dictation equipment. In the case of telephones, such technology allows for simultaneous voice and data communication.

"I think you are going to see more voice mail," said Mehner. "It's just like an answering machine at home, only it's for business."

Voice mail records messages. "It also virtually eliminates telephone tag, which can be a big thing in business," said Mehner.

Nationwide, cellular phones have become increasingly popular. The cellular phone industry is growing at the rate of 1 million additional customers every six months. Some experts say that by the end of the decade, 90 percent of all cars will have cellular phones.

Cellular phone systems have been around commercially for less than a decade. The first such service began in Chicago in 1983.

Today, there are even fax machines that attach to cellular phones and can be used in cars, said Donna Hanschen of CyberTel Cellular in Cape Girardeau.

Wayne Smith, general manager of the CyberTel office in Cape Girardeau, said: "Technology is there today to have a fax machine, lap-top computer and everything that you would need to have a mobile office."

Hanschen said cellular phones appeal to not only businessmen, but also farmers, people in the construction industry, farmers, and medical professionals.

"There are quite a number of people who are getting them for personal use, too," she said.

In Cape Girardeau, cellular phone service has only been available since last May. Both Hanschen and Smith said they expect the industry to continue to grow.

Smith said, "People buy it (cellular phones) for safety; they buy it for convenience; they buy it as a business tool.

"We don't like to think of them in terms of just a car phone. A cellular phone can follow you anywhere," said Smith, pointing out that there are portable models.

"We are truly in the information age," he observed. "Everybody thrives on information, communication."

Shaw said technological advances are vital for the nation's business success.

"These kinds of technologies really are the key to whether we will or will not be competitive," he maintained.

To be competitive in the marketplace, businesses must provide the best value in terms of product and at the lowest cost.

"Other countries do that with low labor costs," said Shaw. "We don't want to lower our standard of living. To prevent that from happening, we have got to use technology to work smarter."

Businesses today are benefiting from new technology, said Shaw. "It's just amazing what it has done for business and industry."