Global production networks and local suppliers: Sonora’s entrepreneurs facing automotive expansion growth

• Main Authors: Álvaro Bracamonte Sierra, Oscar F. Contreras
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidad Autonoma de Baja California 2008-07-01
• Series: Estudios Fronterizos
• Subjects: redes globales de producción; aprendizaje tecnológico; empresarios locales; industria automotriz.
• Online Access: http://ref.uabc.mx/ojs/index.php/ref/article/view/175

Within the context of the severe crisis faced by the U.S. based automotive firms, one of their strategies has been the relocation of the assembly plants in Mexico. This article analyzes the case of the automotive cluster led by Ford in Hermosillo, in the Mexican state of Sonora, showing that this type of clusters led by transnational corporations create technological spillovers and stimulate the accumulation of local capabilities. Particular attention is given to the process of creation of local small and medium enterprises linked to global production networks.