Heft36 1 - SFB 580 - Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena

AUTOMOTIVE REFERENCES LITERATUR COMPANIES GO EAST -
GERMANY AND AUSTRIA
problem”, “problem of competition”, and
“cooperation problem” is disrupted. Insofar
the developments in the automotive sector can
be operated as counterevidence, the market
for independent contract manufacturing – as
it existed during the last century - nearly
collapses. A specific segment of the automotive
industry may survive by changing its role and
becoming a 1 st tier supplier, giving up the
contract manufacturing by being taken over by
or purchasing an OEM. With regard to the
new capitalist states in Central and Eastern
Europe, it can be identified that they have
the capability to meet all requirements of
the automotive industry. Yet concurrently
they might loose their status as “verlängerte
Werkbank” or as a cheap manufacturing base
and may subsequently have to develop an
equal production and development place of
location.
A second concluding remark refers to the
VOC-debate. Even if the two cases are small
aspects, a narrow picture and just a small
part of the automotive industry, they may
be appropriate to question the similarities of
coordinated market economies. The German
case illustrates how a traditional and regional
(rooted) company can tend and adhere to
well known and long established routines
and institutions. As assumed before, the
cooperation-partners of that company stick
to these familiar routines as well.
In the light of these diagnoses, the
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company’s investment in Poland
produces the impression of a flight
forward. The traditional routines and
reliabilities of the management seem to be
broken, even if the institutional surrounding
did not change markedly. At first sight, the
second case might not be a typical Austrian case
– primarily because it should be titled Austro-
Canadian correctly – but the specificities that
can be identified with regard to industrial
relations and inter-firm relations are nearly in
line with the idea of the “coordinated market
economy”. Heretically, their “interpretation”
and performance of industrial relations might
be seen as betrayal of labour. From a pragmatic
perspective, the case shows an example of how
to save employment and continue to keep
industrial production in a so called high-cost
country.
The link between the case studies and the
chosen theoretical background shows a
balancing act with some weakness, but may
frame the question and presentation of the case
studies in an appropriate way.
The differences regarding investments in
Central and Eastern Europe are hard to judge.
In addition to a certain degree of coincidence,
the proximity of the Austrian company to
Central and Eastern Europe might be an
easy explanation. To benefit from attractive
cost structures as far as supplier-goods are
concerned, the company does not have to
invest abroad but rather can purchase in
the neighbourhood. Moreover, it might be
in a closer relation to get information what
earnings and benefits are realisable effectively.
The mixture of competitive labour force, skilled
workers and engineers, public collective goods
and less unionized labour force is still very
attractive for industrial production.