A decade ago, manufacturing companies had visions of paperless offices, automated plants, and virtual enterprises. But the euphoria quickly evaporated when these visions failed to materialize. Now, from in-depth interviews in a worldwide survey of seventy manufacturing firms, a research team from the prestigious consulting group McKinsey & Company concludes that, far from being a failure, information technology (IT) can be a vital strategic weapon in the manufacturing sector, just as it has proved to be in service industries. In "Do IT Smart," experts Rolf-Dieter Kempis and Jurgen Ringbeck along with the McKinsey team identify four cultures of IT users -- stars, big spenders, cautious spenders, and laggards -- based on how efficiently and effectively the users manage IT. The stars stand out because their strong command of IT means they are better able to manage core processes such as R&D, sales and service, and order processing, which in turn produces tangible payoffs in profitability, growth, and market share. From their study of star performers, the authors formulate seven rules for developing a superior IT organization. First,