Transport Equipment Sector Research Articles

The World Economy: Economic downturn in Asia

Recent economic developments in Asia have proved significantly worse than anticipated. Year-on-year GDP growth in China slowed to 6.8 per cent in the final quarter of 2008, the slowest rate of growth since 1991 and well below the government's target rate of growth of 8 per cent that is required to maintain a stable employment rate. It is difficult to establish the source of the Chinese slowdown with the available data. Fixed capital investment continued to expand rapidly, and the trade surplus in value terms rose to record high levels in the final quarter of the year. This suggests that consumption was weak, although retail sales figures indicate strong growth in the final quarter of the year. We have assumed that the slowdown observed in the fourth quarter was driven primarily by domestic demand. The collapse in global trade this year will have a significant impact on Chinese exports, given that nearly 50 per cent of Chinese goods exports are in the machinery and transport equipment sector. We expect GDP growth to average about 5½ per cent this year, with growth reverting above 8 per cent per annum only in 2012.

Using Electronic Procurement to Facilitate Supply Chain Integration: An Exploratory Study of US‐based Firms

With ever‐increasing competitive pressures, growing numbers of firms use electronic procurement (e‐procurement) in an attempt to reduce costs and increase profitability. Academicians and practitioners alike agree that one of the most important benefits of e‐procurement is its ability to facilitate integration within the firm and across the supply chain. However, there is much to be discovered about the prevalence of actual implementation of e‐procurement. The purpose of this study is to empirically examine the extent to which firms operating in diverse industries use nine different e‐procurement tools that differ in their ability to facilitate supply chain integration. The survey data were provided by a sample of 142 members of the Institute for Supply Management (ISM). Factor analysis revealed that the group of nine e‐procurement tools could be categorized into two types: basic, single‐process tools and integrative tools. A t‐test of the mean differences between each type of e‐procurement tool revealed that firms used basic, single‐process tools to a greater extent than they used integrative forms of e‐procurement. To further explore firms’ use of e‐procurement, we attempted to ascertain whether the industry in which a firm operates impacts use. Logistic regression revealed that firm sector has an effect on the use of integrative eprocurement tools, with firms operating in the petroleum and the transportation equipment sectors being less likely to use them than their manufacturing counterparts. These findings are important, as previous research indicates that effective supply chain integration is associated with improvements in production planning, inventory management, distribution, and overall supply chain performance.

Vertical Specialisation in Europe: Evidence from the Import Content of Exports

We use input-output tables to estimate the import content (IC) of exports for several European countries, interpreting this as a measure of internationalisation. Between 1995 and 2000 the IC grew everywhere but in France; the transport equipment sector emerged as the most internationalised one. The change we detect for a set of EMU countries is remarkable when compared with previous estimates over the 20-year period between 1970 and 1990. Italy and Germany showed very different patterns, although both started from a very low level of IC. Italy experienced the weakest growth and Germany the most sizeable rise. We argue that Italian firms might have felt less pressured to transform their organisation due to the delayed effects of the 1992 and 1995 Lira crises.

Networks, weak signals and technological innovations among SMEs in the land-based transportation equipment sector

On apprend plus par la conversation des Doctes, que par la lecture de leurs livres Les épistres de Seneque Translation by François de Malherbe, Paris, Anthoine de Sommaville, 1639, p. 21 Small and medium-sized enterprises, because of their limited resources, use a variety of sources and are linked to different networks to obtain the information they need to develop their strategy and then to gradually organize their environment. Among other things, networks keep them up-to-date with changes in the economy and allow them to take advantage of opportunities to innovate, thus remaining ahead of their competitors. The networks – personal or business – with which these firms interact the most are usually geographically or sociologically close by, embedded in the environment, and are known as strong tie networks. They generally supply signals in a familiar language, based on habit as well a good reciprocal knowledge, which are easy to understand. In addition to this, however, the most dynamic firms also have contacts with weak tie networks, which are further removed from the usual behaviours of entrepreneurs and provide weak signals that, while difficult to grasp and decode, nevertheless offer new, pre-competitive information that can support major innovations. Very little empirical research has been done so far to test the probability of this theory. This paper reports on the results of a survey involving 147 SMEs, all in the land-based transportation equipment sector. It confirms the importance of weak tie networks as opposed to other types of networks, recognizing their complementary contribution to technological innovation. The organization's absorptive capacity is also found to be a significant intermediary factor in taking advantage of weak tie networks.

North American economic integration and industrial pollution in the Great Lakes region

This paper provides an assessment of the impact of increased economic integration within North America on industrial pollution intensities within the Great Lake states of the United States. It utilizes a three-country, applied general equilibrium model of the North American economy, data from the World Bank's Industrial Pollution Projection System, and employment data from the US Bureau of Economic Analysis to simulate the industrial pollution impacts of North American trade liberalization within the Great Lakes region. The results reflect the liberalization of tariff and non-tariff barriers, their trade and production impacts, state-level shares in the production changes, and the resulting industrial effluent changes. Two trade liberalization experiments show that, in many cases, the Great Lake states account for a substantial portion of the total emission changes caused by North American economic integration. Of particular concern to the Great Lake states are the emissions of the base metals, transportation equipment, and petroleum sectors.

Structural Changes in International Industrial Linkages and Export Competitiveness in the Asia‑Pacific Region

I. Introduction After the second half of the 1980s, developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region have achieved remarkable economic growth, by adopting export-led strategies, with inflows of huge amounts of foreign direct investment (FDI), mainly from Japan. This has made the degree of economic interdependence in this region much deeper, and has changed the industrial structure of each country--and the whole region--especially in the manufacturing sector. One of the concrete phenomena arising has been the globalization of demand, inducing production and procurement of raw materials or intermediate inputs for production, especially in the electric/electronics sector. This article shows this globalization process in a quantitative form, based on an international input-output analysis, with the use of the Asian international input-output tables for 1985 and 1995. The electric/electronics sector and the transportation equipment sector are used here as illustrative examples. From the analysis, two results emerge. First, the electric/electronics sector in Asian countries heavily depends on the demand of the developed countries, especially the United States, and second, the transportation equipment sector depends on Japan for intermediate inputs, since the local supporting industries for the transportation equipment sector have not been sufficiently nurtured. The globalization of demand and procurement patterns for production indicates the importance of export competitiveness among countries. In this regard, the Asian countries have been competitive with each other in the same sector, rather than complementary in terms of production, even after the recent economic crisis. Indeed, the players sometimes compete in the same field, irrespective of their comparative advantage. This will be shown by indicators such as the Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) and Trade Specialization Coefficient (TSC), and will suggest that setting up a reasonable international division of labour is indispensable for sustainable growth in the Asia-Pacific region. II. Data and Methodology In this article, the main methodological approach is an international input-output (I/O) analysis, based on Asian international input-output (Asian I/O) tables compiled by the Institute of Developing Economies (IDE). The framework of the Asian Input-Output table is introduced first. (1) The whole picture of the Asian International Input-Output Table 1995 is given in Figure 1. Looking at Figure 1 according to the columns, each cell in the table shows input compositions of the industries of respective countries. [A.sup.II], for example, shows the input compositions of Indonesian industries vis-a-vis domestically produced goods and services. [A.sup.MI], on the other hand, shows input compositions of Indonesian industries for the imported goods and services from Malaysia. The cells [A.sup.PI], [A.sup.SI], [A.sup.TI], [A.sup.CI], [A.sup.NI], [A.sup.KI], [A.sup.JI], and [A.sup.UI] allow the same interpretation for the imports from other countries. The transaction values thus tabulated are all given at producers' prices of the countries of origin. International freight and insurance paid by Indonesian industries for these imported transactions are all recorded in the row vector B[A.sup.I]. H[A.sup.I] and W[A.sup.I] are input compositions of Indonesian industries vis-a-vis imported goods and services from Hong Kong and those from the rest of the world, and they are given in cost, insurance, and freight (CIF) value. Import duties and import sales taxes levied on all Indonesian imports are recorded in the row vector D[A.sup.I]. The value-added items of Indonesian industries are shown in [V.sup.I]. The bottom of the column gives [X.sup.I], the gross inputs of Indonesian industries. Turning to the eleventh column from the left side of the table, it shows the compositions of goods and services that have gone to final demand sectors of Indonesia. …

NAFTA and Industrial Pollution: Some General Equilibrium Results

In recent years, a surge of interest in the linkages between trade and the environment has occurred in the contexts of both regional and mul tilateral trade agreements. In this paper, we utilize a three-country, applied equilibrium (AGE) model of the North American economy and data from the World Banks Industrial Pollution Projection System (IPPS) to simulate the industrial pollution impacts of trade liberalization under NAFTA. We find that the most serious environmental consequences of NAFTA occur in the base metals sector. In terms of magnitude, the greatest impacts are in the United States and Canada. The Mexican petroleum sector is also a significant source of industrial pollution, particularly in the case of air pollution. For specific pollutants in specific countries, the transportation equipment sector is also an important source of industrial pollution. This is the case for both volatile organic compounds and toxins released into the air in Canada and the United States. Finally, the chemical sector is a significant source of industrial toxin pollution in the United States and Mexico, but not in Canada.

Industrial Pollution Linkages in North America: A Linear Analysis

In recent years, a surge of interest in the linkages between trade and the environment has occurred in the contexts of both regional and multilateral trade agreements. In this paper, we utilize a three-country, social accounting matrix (SAM) of the North American economy and data from the World Bank's Industrial Pollution Projection System (IPPS) to conduct a linear multiplier analysis of industrial pollution linkages in North America. We provide estimates of both direct and indirect inter-country effects for a detailed set of industrial pollutants. The strongest linkages occur in the petroleum, chemicals, paper, base metals, and transportation equipment sectors.

Measuring Housekeeping in Manufacturing Industries

This study involves the development and reliability evaluations of a checklist for measuring the state of housekeeping in industry. The instrument was tested in fifty-nine companies in the transportation equipment and machinery manufacturing sector in Quebec, Canada, each employing between twenty and sixty workers. The checklist walk-through procedure usually required under thirty minutes. For test–retest reliability, a total of 121 comparisons were made based on visits made to the companies by one observer over the course of a year. Results for visits made closer together in time were more reproducible (Intra-class correlation, ICC=0.73) than for those further apart in time (ICC=0.55). The study also used alternate observers to test inter-observer reliability. Inter-observer reliability was high (ICC=0.88). Ease of use, time and effectiveness makes the checklist an attractive tool for company health and safety personnel.

Measuring Housekeeping in Manufacturing Industries

Abstract This study involves the development and reliability evaluations of a checklist for measuring the state of housekeeping in industry. The instrument was tested in fifty-nine companies in the transportation equipment and machinery manufacturing sector in Quebec, Canada, each employing between twenty and sixty workers. The checklist walk-through procedure usually required under thirty minutes. For test–retest reliability, a total of 121 comparisons were made based on visits made to the companies by one observer over the course of a year. Results for visits made closer together in time were more reproducible (Intra-class correlation, ICC=0.73) than for those further apart in time (ICC=0.55). The study also used alternate observers to test inter-observer reliability. Inter-observer reliability was high (ICC=0.88). Ease of use, time and effectiveness makes the checklist an attractive tool for company health and safety personnel.

Labour Turnover and Women's Work: Evidence from Brazil

Despite the recent upsurge of interest in and research about Latin American labour movements, it is clear that considerable gaps exist in the empirical base. Indeed, Roxborough (1981) went so far as to state that 'At this stage, we are a long way from being able adequately to describe Latin American labour movements, let alone explain them' (ibid., p. 93, emphasis added). One specific gap already identified concerns patterns of job tenure and especially the question of labour turnover. Surprisingly, perhaps, evidence about this is still rather fragmentary for both Brazil and Argentina (ibid., p. 92), which are two of the more industrialized countries, each having a substantial working class. Pioneering research work by Humphrey (1977, 1982) has provided some detailed results for the Brazilian automobile industry, indicating high annual turnover rates during the 1970s (and specifically for the years 1977 and 1978), with evidence for similarly high rates in the Argentine industry being presented by Nun (1979). However, it cannot be assumed that the automobile industry is representative of all manufacturing, even though the transport equipment sector is one of the largest employers. As a minimum requirement, job tenure patterns in different branches of industry and other sectors of economic activity need to be examined.