International Manufacturing Research Articles

Cross-market selling channel strategies in an international luxury brand's supply chain with gray markets

When a luxury brand manufacturer sells its product in two separate markets with price discrimination, it may face gray marketers, who purchase the product in the lower-price market and resell it in the higher-price market. To mitigate the effects of the gray market, a luxury brand manufacturer may strategically select its sales channels to sell the product in both markets simultaneously, in both markets sequentially, or exclusively in the high price market. We derive the equilibria for each strategy, and demonstrate that selling strategy can mitigate the negative the impact of gray market. The results further show that gray market is active only if the customer’s valuation discount for gray products is moderate and the gap between the customer’s perceived status valuation of the two markets is relatively large. As compared to the case without the gray market, we find an interesting and counter-intuitive result, that gray market activity can mitigate the double marginalization effect and lead to a Pareto improvement for both the manufacturer and its retailer. Our research enriches the literature on gray markets by offering new insights and implications, and our results provide international luxury brand manufacturers with guidelines for efficiently managing cross-market sales channels.

New companies\u2019 DNA: the heritage of the past industrial revolutions in digital transformation

This paper debates the ongoing processes of digital transformation enhanced by the 4th industrial revolution in successful companies which have a long time business history and an international presence. The aim is analyzing how what they have experienced and learned in the 2nd and 3rd industrial revolutions represents key elements that have shaped their DNA and continue to inspire their transformation to the point that the gradual radical change concept is preferred to the concept of disruption. Such learning processes are primary values to transfer in companies’ digital transformation in order to implement it efficiently and effectively creating new opportunities at an international level. The paper leverages on an explorative research based on the empirical setting of three international Italian manufacturing companies that have experienced challenges of the 2nd, 3rd and are now facing an important digital transformation process in a worldwide landscape. A qualitative constructive multiple case research design is conducted to evaluate the conceptual model and some considerations emerged from the analysis. The paper also benefits from 30 years of experience of one of the Authors as Business Development Director of big multinational companies accompanying many enterprises during their digital transformation. This study presents an interpretative framework that provides an exploration of main heritages coming from the past industrial revolutions according to three aspects: business drivers, supply view and entrepreneurial model. The emerged evidences can be taken as lessons by international manufacturing companies in order to implement digital transformation enhancing their international competitiveness.

A Journey to be Eco-Tourism Destination: Bali Prepared to Shift into Electric-based Vehicle

Indonesia is planning to shift its astronomical number of fossil-fueled vehicles to electric-based. The implementation started from Presidential Regulation Number 55 of 2019 issuance concerning the Battery Electric Vehicle Program Acceleration for Road Transportation to stop air pollution ultimately. Whereas in Bali, Governor Wayan Koster issued governor regulations number 45 & 48 of 2019 to serve as the legal basis for Electric Vehicle (EV) infrastructure development. To stimulate the Bali island's eco-friendly atmosphere, PT Jasamarga Bali Tol, who manages Bali Mandara Toll Road (Nusa Dua - Ngurah Rai - Benoa), launched a Public Electric Vehicle Charging Station. The Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) also requested PT Pertamina (Persero) to produce electric car batteries instead of only fossil fuels. For the electric vehicle battery concept, State-owned Minister Erick Thohir has negotiated with international battery manufacturers. Private companies are also involved in promoting eco-friendly vehicles, such as Grab collaborated with Bali Main Distribution Unit (UID), Bali Province Transportation Agency, PT Pegadaian, Astra Honda Motor, and Panasonic. Then, the Japanese car manufacturer, Toyota, plans to develop the Electric Vehicle Smart Mobility project in Bali to support Nusa Dua, Bali's ecotourism ecosystem. Although EV would help reduce air pollution, The Central Government must inspect the electric vehicle power source since most power plants in Indonesia are coal-fired power stations (PLTU). To solely depend on electric vehicle usage would not have a tremendous impact.

A Journey to be Eco-Tourism Destination: Bali Prepared to Shift into Electric-based Vehicle

Indonesia is planning to shift its astronomical number of fossil-fueled vehicles to electric-based. The implementation started from Presidential Regulation Number 55 of 2019 issuance concerning the Battery Electric Vehicle Program Acceleration for Road Transportation to stop air pollution ultimately. Whereas in Bali, Governor Wayan Koster issued governor regulations number 45 & 48 of 2019 to serve as the legal basis for Electric Vehicle (EV) infrastructure development. To stimulate the Bali island's eco-friendly atmosphere, PT Jasamarga Bali Tol, who manages Bali Mandara Toll Road (Nusa Dua - Ngurah Rai - Benoa), launched a Public Electric Vehicle Charging Station. The Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) also requested PT Pertamina (Persero) to produce electric car batteries instead of only fossil fuels. For the electric vehicle battery concept, State-owned Minister Erick Thohir has negotiated with international battery manufacturers. Private companies are also involved in promoting eco-friendly vehicles, such as Grab collaborated with Bali Main Distribution Unit (UID), Bali Province Transportation Agency, PT Pegadaian, Astra Honda Motor, and Panasonic. Then, the Japanese car manufacturer, Toyota, plans to develop the Electric Vehicle Smart Mobility project in Bali to support Nusa Dua, Bali's ecotourism ecosystem. Although EV would help reduce air pollution, The Central Government must inspect the electric vehicle power source since most power plants in Indonesia are coal-fired power stations (PLTU). To solely depend on electric vehicle usage would not have a tremendous impact.

Does plant role moderate relationship between internal manufacturing network integration, external supply chain integration, operational performance in manufacturing network?

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the moderating effects of the role a plant plays in a manufacturing network on the relationships between its level of integration with other plants in the same manufacturing network (referred as “internal manufacturing network integration” in this paper), its interactions with suppliers/customers (referred as “external supply chain integration” in this paper), and its operational performance.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based on the data from the sixth version of International Manufacturing Strategy Survey (IMSS VI). Specifically, this paper uses a subset of the IMSS VI data set from the 606 plants that identified themselves as one of the plants in a manufacturing network.FindingsThe results demonstrate plant role has a moderating effect on the relationship between internal manufacturing network integration and external supply chain integration, but not on the relationship between external supply chain integration and operational performance. Our research also highlights that plant role moderates the mediating effect of external supply chain integration on the relationship between internal manufacturing network integration and operational performance. More importantly, it indicates that if a plant wants to significantly increase its operational performance, it will have to strengthen its linkages with supply chain partners, no matter which role it plays in manufacturing network.Originality/valueThis paper supplements the existing research by developing further understandings on the relationship between internal manufacturing network integration, external supply chain integration and operational performance. Specifically, it examines the influence of plant role on such relationship and reveals the essence about in what context (in terms of plant characteristics) internal manufacturing network integration influences the operational performance of a plant in a manufacturing network through external supply chain integration.

Aspirations and environmental performance feedback: a behavioral perspective for green supply chain management

PurposeThis study investigates the relationships between environmental performance feedback and green supply chain management (GSCM). It explores how environmental performance above or below aspirations affects the implementation of GSCM practices (specifically sustainable production [SP] and sustainable sourcing [SS]) through the lens of the behavioral theory of the firm (BTOF), which has received scant attention in the operations management literature.Design/methodology/approachThe study used data from the sixth round of the International Manufacturing Strategy Survey (IMSS). It employed hierarchical linear regression to test the proposed hypotheses. Moreover, the study tested an alternate model to rule out the possible role of financial performance aspirations in explaining the implementation of SP and SS.FindingsThe results indicate that organizations determine their efforts put into the two GSCM practices according to environmental performance feedback: the greater the aspiration–environmental performance discrepancy, the stronger the efforts put into implementing GSCM practices.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the GSCM literature by revealing the impact of environmental performance aspirations on the implementation of GSCM practices through the lens of the BTOF. It also extends the BTOF by applying it in the GSCM context and indicating that performance feedback is based on environmental performance instead of financial performance in this specific context.

Progress in Lens and Cameras: 2010–2020

The decade 2010–2020 saw fast-paced developments in professional lenses and cameras—moving on the fronts of both broadcast television production and digital cinematography. The long-established 2/3-in. image format made a surprisingly smooth transition from two decades of high-definition television (HDTV) to 4K ultrahigh definition (UHD)—although, behind the scenes, this posed significant challenges to both lens and image sensor developments. The 2/3-in. B4 lens–camera mount standard remained a foundation for this transition. The decade bore witness to extraordinary international standardization activities that produced the parameter values for 4K UHD and 8K UHD for production and international program exchange—closely following with allied standards on high dynamic range (HDR) and wide color gamut (WCG). The current hesitancy in the U.S. to inaugurate 4K UHD delivery services propelled camera manufacturers to introduce broadcast television cameras that are multiformat—switchable between HD and UHD and between 2K and 4K digital cinema initiative (DCI)—and also multipurpose in being able to switch between HD colorimetry and WCG, and between HDR and standard dynamic range (SDR). Optical manufacturers applied major resources into developing 2/3-in. 4K broadcast television lenses. Meanwhile, amidst this uncertainty, 8K UHD broadcasting became a major agenda in some Asian regions, and the attendant developments in lenses and cameras significantly contributed to technological advances in the parallel 4K systems. The year 2010 saw the transition from the first generation HD/2K Super 35-mm digital cinematography lenses and cameras to 4K acquisition systems. New international manufacturers arrived in both arenas, and vigorous competitive activities escalated the pace of their respective technological developments. Within this decade, the full promise of HDR and WCG became evident for moviemaking and episodic television production. Within this same time span, the extraordinary emergence of the over-the-top (OTT) tech giants into the world of content creation, and international distribution, soon witnessed an upsurge in both the quantity of high-end scripted content and high expectations in quality .

Configurational Theory in Traditional Manufacturing Industries: A New Model of High-Performing Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

The goal of this study is to provide a model of high-performing small and medium-sized companies to address the new environmental challenges in traditional manufacturing industries. Adopting a configurational logic and following an inductive approach based on four high-performing firms, this paper provides new empirical evidence on how the steps followed by these firms are adjusted to the high-performance models prescribed by the literature. In doing so, it also offers a dynamic view of the interrelationships between the strategy and the new conditions of the environment. At a practitioner level, the paper illustrates which recipes are more appropriate to prescribe recommendations for a more robust model that reinforces competitiveness in these industries. This research suggests that competitive success in traditional manufacturing industries requires movement along five complementary and interlinked strategic-development axes: the use of cooperation agreements, the combination of local and international manufacturing, the greater control of the distribution channel, the sale of customized products, and an increasing concern for sustainability.

Career development for infection and immunity research in Uganda: a decade of experience from the Makerere University - Uganda Virus Research Institute research and training programme.

Background: The Makerere University/Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) Centre of Excellence for Infection & Immunity Research and Training (MUII) is a collaborative programme supporting excellence in Infection and Immunity (I&I) research in Uganda. Set up in 2008, MUII aims to produce internationally competitive Ugandan and East African I&I research leaders, and develop human and infrastructural resources to support research and training excellence. We undertook an internal evaluation of MUII's achievements, challenges and lessons learned between 08-2008 and 12-2019, to inform programmes seeking to build Africa's health research expertise. Methods: Quantitative data were abstracted from programme annual reports. Qualitative data were obtained in 03-04/2019: a cross-sectional evaluation was undertaken among a purposefully selected representative sample of 27 trainees and two programme staff. Qualitative data was analysed according to pre-determined themes of achievements, challenges, lessons learned and recommendations for improvement. Results: By 12-2019, MUII had supported 68 fellowships at master's-level and above (50% female: 23 Masters, 27 PhD, 15 post-doctoral, three group-leaders) and over 1,000 internships. Fellows reported career advancement, mentorship by experts, and improved research skills and outputs. Fellows have published over 300 papers, secured grants worth over £20m, established over 40 international collaborations, and taken on research and academic leadership positions in the country. Key lessons were: i) Efficient administration provides a conducive environment for high quality research; ii) Institutions need supportive policies for procurement, including provisions for purchases of specific biological research reagents from international manufacturers; iii) Strong international and multi-disciplinary collaboration provides a critical mass of expertise to mentor researchers in development; and iv) Mentorship catalyses young scientists to progress from graduate trainees to productive academic researchers, relevant to society's most pressing health challenges. Conclusions: Sustainable academic productivity can be achieved through efficient operational support, global collaboration and mentorship to provide solutions to Africa's health challenges.

Grassroots Business Intelligence as an Enabler of Change Management: A Case Study at a Large Global Manufacturing Firm

Business intelligence (BI) has attracted considerable attention in recent years. Despite the hype, BI frequently suffers from broad definitions, unrealistic expectations, and the incongruities of IT needs between headquarters and local business units. We report the findings of a case study at a large international manufacturing firm headquartered in the EU. The firm wants to transform itself from a conservative firm with traditional values to a more entrepreneurial and nimble organization with its supply chains driven by Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things (IoT). The firm is going through its transformation, focusing on the BI system. Our observations suggest that firms consider BI to be the enabler of change management rather than simply technical tools that extend the traditional systems environment.

Career development for infection and immunity research in Uganda: a decade of experience from the Makerere University – Uganda Virus Research Institute research and training programme

Background: The Makerere University/Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) Centre of Excellence for Infection & Immunity Research and Training (MUII) is a collaborative programme supporting excellence in Infection and Immunity (I&I) research in Uganda. Set up in 2008, MUII aims to produce internationally competitive Ugandan and East African I&I research leaders, and develop human and infrastructural resources to support research and training excellence. We undertook an internal evaluation of MUII’s achievements, challenges and lessons learned between 08-2008 and 12-2019, to inform programmes seeking to build Africa’s health research expertise. Methods: Quantitative data were abstracted from programme annual reports. Qualitative data were obtained in 03-04/2019: a cross-sectional evaluation was undertaken among a purposefully selected representative sample of 27 trainees and two programme staff. Qualitative data was analysed according to pre-determined themes of achievements, challenges, lessons learned and recommendations for improvement. Results: By 12-2019, MUII had supported 68 fellowships at master’s-level and above (50% female: 23 Masters, 27 PhD, 15 post-doctoral, three group-leaders) and over 1,000 internships. Fellows reported career advancement, mentorship by experts, and improved research skills and outputs. Fellows have published over 300 papers, secured grants worth over £20m, established over 40 international collaborations, and taken on research and academic leadership positions in the country. Key lessons were: i) Efficient administration provides a conducive environment for high quality research; ii) Institutions need supportive policies for procurement, including provisions for purchases of specific biological research reagents from international manufacturers; iii) Strong international and multi-disciplinary collaboration provides a critical mass of expertise to mentor researchers in development; and iv) Mentorship catalyses young scientists to progress from graduate trainees to productive academic researchers, relevant to society’s most pressing health challenges. Conclusions: Sustainable academic productivity can be achieved through efficient operational support, global collaboration and mentorship to provide solutions to Africa’s health challenges.

Industry Performance Appraisal Using Improved MCDM for Next Generation of Taiwan

It is critical for manufacturing sectors to improve maximum performance to foster a competitive advantage. This article aims to analyze how the manufacturing industry can promote its performance to achieve sustainable development. We embark performance evaluation on Taiwanese manufacturing sectors which have profound implications in the global manufacturing supply chain. This study collected public information and reliable data from the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) covering 12 Taiwanese manufacturing industries. Performance evaluation indicators consist of four inputs chosen from a set of six items, whereas one output is from a set of three items. The analysis from Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is conducted including CCR (Charnes, Cooper, & Rhodes) efficiency, BCC (Banker et al.) efficiency, A&P(Andersen and Petersen) efficiency, cross-efficiency and D&G(Doyle and Green) efficiency plus the VIKOR prioritization method to evaluate the 12 manufacturing industries in Taiwan. The comprehensive analysis and comparison results of this study show the sophisticated outcomes through the analysis of DEA and VIKOR. In another objective evaluation, the efficiency of DEA proves a certain correlation between the model and the measurement of the VIKOR method. The results indicate that Taiwan’s manufacturing industry is moving towards design innovation thinking towards the high value of its own brand, whereas the industries in China and South East Asia appear different. The results can provide the best practice to allow the international manufacturing industry to enjoy a resurgence after falling output and diminishing labor force.

Career development for infection and immunity research in Uganda: a decade of experience from the Makerere University - Uganda Virus Research Institute research and training programme.

Background: The Makerere University/Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) Centre of Excellence for Infection & Immunity Research and Training (MUII) is a collaborative programme supporting excellence in Infection and Immunity (I&I) research in Uganda. Set up in 2008, MUII aims to produce internationally competitive Ugandan and East African I&I research leaders, and develop human and infrastructural resources to support research and training excellence. We undertook an internal evaluation of MUII's achievements, challenges and lessons learned between August 2008 and December 2019, to inform programmes seeking to build Africa's health research expertise. Methods: Quantitative data were abstracted from programme annual reports. Qualitative data were obtained in March and April 2019: a cross-sectional evaluation was undertaken among a purposefully selected representative sample of 27 trainees and two programme staff. Qualitative data was analysed according to pre-determined themes of achievements, challenges, lessons learned and recommendations for improvement. Results: By December 2019, MUII had supported 68 fellowships at master's-level and above (50% female: 23 Masters, 27 PhD, 15 post-doctoral, three group-leader fellows) and over 1,000 internships. Fellows reported career advancement, mentorship by experts, and improved research skills and outputs. Fellows have published over 300 papers, secured grants worth over £20m, established over 40 international collaborations, and taken on research and academic leadership positions in the country. Key lessons for success include the following: efficient administration provides an enabling environment; institutions need supportive policies for procurement, including provisions for purchases of specific biological research reagents from international manufacturers; strong international, multi-disciplinary collaboration provides a critical mass of expertise to mentor researchers in development; and mentorship catalyses young scientists to progress from graduate trainees to productive academic researchers, relevant to society's most pressing health challenges. Conclusions: Sustainable academic productivity can be achieved through efficient operational support, global collaboration and mentorship to provide solutions to Africa's health challenges.

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA): List of Essential Medicines for Cats and Dogs.

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA): List of Essential Medicines for Cats and Dogs.

Using plant leaders' perspectives to overcome barriers to inter-plant exchange

PurposeThis paper sets out to identify barriers to intra-network exchange within international manufacturing networks (IMNs) from the micro-level perspective of key actors at the plant level, namely, plant leaders.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through interviews with 12 plant leaders from nine different firms operating in at least three geographically dispersed manufacturing facilities.FindingsSix partially interrelated barriers to intra-network exchange were identified. First, there are a lack of resources, network strategies, plant overlap and individual-level ties between plant leaders. Furthermore, this study shows that the pronounced local focus of plant leaders, fierce inter-plant competition and falsely designed incentives constitute barriers to inter-plant exchange. The results underline the need for network management to consider the individual-level perspective when designing rules and policies for IMNs.Research limitations/implicationsThe generalisability of the results is limited by the sample, which consists of plant leaders from firms headquartered in German-speaking areas.Practical implicationsThe findings indicate that network managers should consider the interests and concerns of plant leaders when trying to facilitate network thinking. In addition to delayering the overall IMN into distinct subnetworks of peer plants, network managers should set clear and openly communicated objectives in a mission for each subnetwork that also points to inter-plant exchange and provides the resources for such activities. Practitioners should also apply shared objectives for plant leaders and promote individual-level ties between them to benefit from intra-network exchange.Originality/valueBy analysing the perceptions of plant leaders, this study sheds light on the individual level of global operations, which has been neglected in research on IMNs to date.

Implementation of the Latest Scientific Knowledge/Technologies and Activities for International Harmonisation of the Japanese Pharmacopoeia

The Japanese Pharmacopoeia (JP) is an official document that defines the specifications, criteria, and standard test methods necessary to properly ensure the quality of medicines in Japan. To ensure the efficacy and safety of pharmaceutical products, it is essential to establish standards that ensure their quality. For this purpose, the JP aims to include all drugs that are important from the viewpoint of healthcare and medical treatment, and description of each monograph of medicine is maintained and improved so that those standards can be generally practiced. In addition, to play a key role as the official document in the field of pharmaceutical product quality, JP contents are enhanced by proactively introducing the latest scientific knowledge and technologies. As the international manufacturing of pharmaceutical products and their raw materials that are distributed in Japan is increasing, the JP has recently begun to promote the international harmonisation of pharmaceutical excipients and general tests through the Pharmacopoeial Discussion Group (PDG) and to swiftly implement the harmonised items in the JP. In addition, the JP will implement internationally harmonised concepts and specifications for pharmaceutical products, e.g., the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH), to define the latest concepts of quality control for pharmaceutical products in the official document. We introduce the implementation of the latest scientific knowledge, technologies, and activities for international harmonisation of the JP.

Status, Problems and Solutions Research of Innovative Ecosystem for Advanced Manufacturing Industry in Dongguan City

Being known as the “world factory”, Dongguan city is in a high speed development period. The city not only upgrading its manufacturing industry, meanwhile, it is building the international advanced manufacturing center, which is the implementation of the "Made in Dongguan 2025". So, with relying on a greater bay area of Guangdong-HongKong-Macao strategic platform of the country, deeply develop from a "manufacturing city" to a world-class advanced manufacturing center with innovative ecosystem in manufacturing.

‘Unsung heroes of urban transportation’: architecture as environmental design in Emilio Ambasz’s Taxi Project

Curated by architect and industrial designer Emilio Ambasz, The Museum of Modern Art’s 1976 exhibition ‘The Taxi Project: Realistic Solutions for Today’ involved the development and display of five taxi prototypes from local and international automobile manufacturers. ‘The Taxi Project’ appears as a curious final act to Ambasz’s time as Curator of Design at the Museum. The taxis attracted significant criticism for both utilitarian and aesthetic aspects of their design, while the location of the vehicles within the gallery space of the Museum put them quite literally beyond reach for the general public. When the prototypes failed to appear on the streets of New York after the exhibition, ‘The Taxi Project’ would be remembered as an ambitious, if somewhat naïve, automobile show. By circling back on Ambasz’s written and exhibition-based outputs from the late 1960s, this article posits an alternative view of ‘The Taxi Project’ and, with it, Ambasz’s approach to environmental design. It situates ‘The Taxi Project’ within Ambasz’s almost decade-long project to reconfigure architectural production in relation to the urban environment after modernism. While the taxi was an important and effective lens through which to examine such problems, ‘The Taxi Project’ was never really about the cab.

Modelling and analysis for processing energy consumption of mechanism and data integrated machine tool

Reducing the energy consumption of machine tool processing has been a consistent concern and research issue in the international manufacturing industry. To achieve energy conservation and emissions reduction in machine tools, an energy consumption model of the machining process must first be established. However, considering the differences in machining equipment, complex energy flow conditions and time-varying load forces, accurate energy consumption of machining process can be difficult to obtain. Against this backdrop, our research proposes a modelling method for processing energy consumption with an integration mechanism and data, that considers the advantages of mechanism analysis modelling and data modelling. Among them, the mechanism analytical model for characterising energy consumption is determined by the dynamic mechanism of the multi-energy source of the machine tool. The data model is built using a support vector machine (SVM) algorithm based on the deviation between the actual results and the theoretical model. Then, a case study is performed to verify the feasibility and practicability of the proposed method. The results demonstrate accurate prediction and quantitative analysis of energy consumption.

Manufacturing network integration and culture: an institution-based view

PurposeIn pursuit of increased competitiveness, global manufacturers often seek tighter integration among the plants in their production networks. However, this is a challenging task because plants are dispersed across multiple institutional environments. Although the literature provides abundant evidence of how formal institutional environments affect the integration among plants, little is known about the role of the informal institutional environment – such as culture. In this study, the authors investigate the relationship between different dimensions of culture and manufacturing network integration.Design/methodology/approachThe authors combine survey data from the most recent International Manufacturing Strategy Survey with secondary data that capture cultural dimensions. They then analyze the responses from 581 assembly plants in 21 countries obtained from the survey using a multilevel regression model.FindingsThe study results show that plants located in masculine and long-term-oriented national cultures are associated with lower levels of integration with other plants. The results for the other four Hofstede dimensions of national culture were not statistically significant. At the level of organizational culture, the authors found that a collaborative plant environment positively relates to higher levels of network integration. They did not find statistically significant evidence for the relationship between cultural or geographical distance and network integration.Practical implicationsThis research provides managers with practical insights into the types and combinations of cultural environments that affect the integration of plants in a global network. This knowledge is useful for informing effective integration strategies and tactics.OriginalityThe authors provide new, empirical evidence of the relation between the informal institutional environments of a plant and its integration in a manufacturing network. Drawing on an institution-based view, they contribute to the literature on manufacturing networks by discussing and testing empirically the role of national and organizational culture in network integration.