INNOVATION AND GLOBALIZATION OF MANUFACTURING-2000

The global economic structure is creating immense transformations in t he way companies and nations organize production, trade goods, invest capital and develop new products and processes. Tomorrow's manufacture r needs a smaller workforce with higher-order multidisciplinary critic al skills in management, labor, process and products to respond rapidl y to opportunities and constraints. In this environment innovation is the engine for new products and technologies and globalization provide s a new outlet paradigm for that innovation. Innovation and globalizat ion are key strategic issues dealt with by most contemporary manufactu rers. This paper will present these concepts and the interdependence b etween them as well as provide examples from industries in the United States and Japan. Significance: Product and process innovation for a c ompany or industry is not a random event. The seeds of innovation are sown in discovery either directly or in a collaborative fashion. This work describes several paradigms of innovation and challenges companie s to evaluate how innovation fits with their long-range business strat egic plans.