Abstract:

Technological changes are continuously creating challenges and opportunities for the development of new products. Technological capability contributes to the achievement of higher levels of economic performance for firms, since it allows incremental improvements from the use of new technologies. However, there is a need to explore the role of technological capability in strengthening the technological capabilities of manufacturing firms particularly in the Nigerian context. The use of descriptive research (quantitative) design was adopted for this study. The quantitative aspect involved middle level managers and top level of the selected firms. The study population consisted Head office employees in the selected consumer goods manufacturing firms. Therefore, the population of the study was 3,208 while the unit of analysis comprised 492 middle level staff. This study involved the use of purposive sampling and stratified sampling. The questionnaire was divided into two sections namely Section A and B.  Section A comprised respondents’ demographic profile; while Section B featured questions on the variable (Technological capabilities. Data analysis were carried out using IBM SPSS version 25 software. Multivariate regression analysis via structural and measurement models were applied to test the hypothesis. The findings also revealed that technological capabilities in the selected firms focused on the modification or improvement of products and processes, and incorporate additional and separate resources allowing independent management of technological changes. Technological capabilities can foster the performance of manufacturing companies through technological changes in information technology, materials technology and process technology production. To this end, it can be inferred that technological capability facilitates new product performance and strategic direction for sustainability and competitiveness.