An Exploratory Study of Differences in Manufacturing Strategy between National and Global Production Firms

The purpose of this paper is to explore differences of the manufacturing strategy between plants that produce in a global manufacturing network and such plants that are part of local production only. Both groups of firms serve a worldwide market. As methodology, the paper uses statistical analyses, in particular difference and correlation tests, which are based on data from the fourth round of the International Manufacturing Strategy Survey (IMSS). Major findings are that the two groups of plants differ concerning their order winners, capabilities and performance. Both types of plants exist in substantial quantities within the sample. Based on these results, the paper puts forward a detailed research agenda of manufacturing strategies in international contexts.