The application of computers and information technologies progressed with remarkable pace has paved the way for technological innovation toward the efficient integration of various functions in a manufacturing system. Actually it is observed that the greater part of manufacturing companies already initiated significant efforts to integrate information systems and attained the level of integration to some extent. The purpose of this paper is to clarify the strategic direction that manufacturing firms are pursuing through integrating information systems. Using the extensive data gathered from Japanese manufacturers, it is attempted to find the differences in competitive priorities and action programmes between the companies with high and low-level system integration. Our empirical data reveals that the manufacturers with highly integrated system are focusing their competitive capabilities on the rapid design change and new product introduction, and accordingly they place a greater emphasis on the action programmes related to design, process and quality improvement. As a conclusion, highly integrated firms tend to pursue new product development strategy more intensively, thereby they want to be a preemptor in the new market through exploiting technological advantages of integrated manufacturing system.