As the IJV grows: Lessons and progress at Davidson-Marley BV

Abstract

The international joint venture of Davidson-Marley BV is located in Born, The Netherlands. It is in its second year of full-time operation with approximately 200 employees. The two parents of this IJV are Davidson-Textron of the US and Marley Automotive of the UK. The two parents came together to form this joint venture for several reasons. The reasons and the characteristics of each parent are detailed in earlier articles. Characteristics of the IJV itself, Davidson-Marley BV, are also described in an earlier article in this journal (December 1992). At the time of writing the last article (Spring 1992), Davidson-Marley was erecting its plant and installing its equipment. Preparations were being made to run prototypes for its main customer, the Ford Motor plant in Genk, Belgium that produces the Mondeo. Staffing procedures had been put in place with the majority of hiring yet to be done. Full-time production and just-in-time deliveries to Ford were to begin 4 January 1993. Although the impression was left that the IJV was ‘all but done’ and the rest of what needed to be done was just perfunctory, this article attempts to describe the reality of it all. In so doing, there are several insights that might be of interest for followers of international joint ventures. There are also several suggestions, particularly regarding human resource management issues, for professionals involved in setting up international joint ventures.