An operational perspective of the relationships between the headquarters and the maquiladoras

This paper explored the role of concurrent engineering (CE) and design for manufacturability and assembly (DFM/DFA) within the context of headquarters–maquiladora relationships. The objective of this paper was to determine which operational model was prevalent and describe the operational relationships between a headquarters and their maquiladoras. The maquiladora industry is a manufacturing model that utilises the Mexican workforce and foreign investment and technology on the border region between the USA and Mexico. This paper conducted an empirical investigation by distributing a survey instrument among maquiladora plants in El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico. The reliability and validity tests, item correlation matrix, descriptive statistics, factor analysis, and structural equation modelling for design and manufacturing data were conducted. Appropriate conclusions and an assessment based on the results and 11 field interviews conducted with maquiladora managers were provided. The analyses indicated in...

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