The impact of knowledge properties on international manufacturing transfer performance

Journal article, 2019

This paper examines how knowledge properties of a transferred manufacturing activity between units in an international manufacturing network impact performance during the transfer phase and the phase after steady state is reached. Survey data from 178 companies, we use hierarchical regression to test the relationships. We find knowledge properties as a group significantly affect both performance measures when controlling for the effects of sender unit experience, sender unit size and receiver unit experience. Thus, the activities transferred impact the success of the transfer. Sender unit experience and receiver unit experience have relatively strongest performance effects after steady state is reached. Testing the performance effects of single knowledge property dimensions, we identify independency to have the strongest relative performance effect, validates and advances previous research. This as it is one of the first survey studies to link activity independency and manufacturing transfer performance. We also identify several strands of further research.