Introduction Leading edge technology refers to brand new and innovative equipment that is available to assist businesses to perform certain functions or make particular products. It maybe used and implemented at any of the 3 areas of the operations process; that is inputs (either transformed or transforming technological resources), transformation (sequencing and scheduling, task design/process layout, and monitoring, controlling & improvement) and outputs (customer service & warranties). Businesses that implement such leading edge technology, if successful, may gain a significant competitive advantage upon other businesses. This is because this technology can contribute substantially to the achievement of the following operational performance objectives: - Quality: expectations that consumers hold in regards to the degree of distinction/performance/aesthetic appeal and durability (product) of a particular good/service - Speed: reducing lead/wait times in the supply chain and operations process, making manufacturing/delivering more time efficient - Dependability: the overall reliability (free from defects) consistency in which a business produces products which meet consumer expectations - Flexibility: the responsiveness the business exercises in coping with fluctuating levels of demand - Cost: operating at the lowest possible cost price - Customization: offering personalized products which satisfy or exceed consumer expectations This report is structured based upon 3 specific leading edge pieces of technology, and a discussion on how such technology assists to achieve performance objectives with relation to the operations process. Selected examples of such leading edge technology include: • Unified communications - unity2 • Plastic Injection Molding (3D printing) - EVCO Plastics • Pagani Zonda – Carbotanium • MIVOR – Precision environmental control Such examples of leading edge technology differ in their application to the operational performance objectives and engage with different areas of the operation process. Unified Communications – unity2 Unified Communications, or UC is a recent piece of technology (initial testing began in 2010 and commercial sale in 2011), which allows large, global businesses and transnational corporations to automatically keep track updates a number of core business records such as; employee phone registers and lists (adding or terminating numbers), user phone number provisioning (assigning numbers to employees), and ensures that accurate records of such are stored in order to comply with a number of national and international organization regulations such as the FCC in USA, and ACMA in Australia. Unify2 is an example of a number of companies that offer such technology through the purchase of a specific computer program which acts as an add-on to the business based program Microsoft Lync. Unify2’s program, titled Unify Square ‘PowerProvTM’ that allows businesses to perform such tasks without manual labour, possesses a diverse array of clients including Shell, Unilever, Microsoft, AT&T, Credit Suisse and BMW group. Such TNC’s have adopted this leading edge technology for the benefits it provides- including the help in achieving a number of operational performance objectives- in particular speed and cost. Performance Objective – Speed Unity’s PowerProv offers complete automation in updating records, mailing, and telecommunications lists of a global enterprise. Traditionally, a large business would hire a complete IT team to manage such lists manually, through online form submission. If a number of the employees based within the IT team are inadequately trained, or there are too few in the team, the continuing workload can pile up to form a bottleneck where the team falls behind schedule on a consistent basis. Furthermore, human errors are often made in such detailed manual work, which can slow down the entire process and take time locating and fixing such mistakes. With a fully automated system, employees or users information is amended, added or deleted based upon their employment status, a far faster alternative. For example, if an employee is made redundant then PowerProv will detect such a change in employment status and alter the statistic based files and lists accordingly in seconds. Unity states that PowerProv recognizes 99% of such record amendments and will alert an available IT employee when such tasks must be performed manually. Overall, such technology as the PowerProv program can greatly increase time efficiency by utilizing an automated system, rather than a human manual process that is more prone to errors and miscalculations. Performance Objectiv