Carlos Acosta

Case study on culture and the implementation of manufacturing strategy in Mexico

Even under the best circumstances, organizational change generates resistance. When the change results from a company in one country purchasing a plant in a different country, the complexity of change management and the resistance to change increase considerably. This case analysis examines one such change effort. Initially, the effort failed because the management of the acquiring (U.S.) firm communicated ineffectively with workers in the acquired (Mexican) plant, failed to establish a reward system that encouraged acceptance of change, and ignored cultural and subcultural differences. However, management quickly learned from its mistakes and made the adjustments necessary to turn failure into success. Implications for cross-cultural change management are discussed.

Distributed engineering teams and their organizational aspects

Abstract In the present, the trend of local engineering team work to become global and the trend of developing products in a distributed fashion are of great interest for the industry. The organizational aspects of doing distributed engineering are presented in both trends. Two aspects that are fundamental in the organization of distributed work are the cultural and the technological ones. This paper deals mainly with those aspects and presents some advising on how to overcome the challenges when organizing distributed teams for international engineering projects.

Problems, Solutions and Opportunities in Global Enterprises

Abstract This study describes important dimensions manufacturing enterprises must account for in working in global markets. Problems encountered in the technical arena as well as in the socio-cultural area are presented. The methodology used was mainly the case-study formulation complemented with strong theory base. The uncovered problems are illustrated through the casestudies in diverse manufacturing companies in North America. Finally some recommendations and solutions are derived.

The influence of culture in automotive manufacturing — a Mexican-French comparison

The objective of this article is to analyse cultural influences when French companies cooperate with Mexican companies (subsidiaries of the French, established in Mexico) in the field of automotive manufacturing. An OEM supplier and a final assembly plant were selected to perform the study. Interviews with the workers, supervisors and managers have been performed. Case studies were collected in order to analyse the problems and to illustrate technical as well as cultural solutions. The analysis showed that important differences and coincidences in the manufacturing solutions could be explained from the cultural (French and Mexican) standpoint. The conclusions integrate some recommendations for French and Mexican companies that are in actual cooperation or that are planning to globalise in the corresponding countries.

Global manufacturing in the Mexican culture perspective: a case study

The objective of this work is to analyse and provide solutions to the problems encountered during the engineering processes undertaken by global companies established in Mexico. The considerations for this study are not only centred on the engineering work but also on its relation to the culture and the people within which this process takes place. One automobile consortium with a huge assembly plant in Mexico is researched, and a case study is developed for its engineering change process. The time delays in carrying out an engineering change are analysed. Important findings are reported in the areas of software operation, design process, engineers training, teamwork, adaptation to different cultures, technology transfer and language barriers. Concurrent engineering is proposed as a means to gain the time reduction sought by the plant in Mexico. Special attention is recommended for the education of personnel and their preparation for an important organisational change.