From Independence to Integration: The Corporate Evolution of the Ford Motor Company of Canada, 1904–2004

Anastakis, Dimitry

doi:10.2307/25096866

Cited by 9 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Although this paper has focused on Canada's seminal automotive trade policy tool: 1965's Auto Pact, the reality is that the growth of the country's automotive industry has been a consequence of active trade policy dating back to the earliest days of the 20th century (Anastakis, 2004(Anastakis, , 2005Colling, 2004;Mordue, 2014).…”

Section: Canadian Competitive Advantages: Myth or Reality?mentioning

confidence: 99%

The commoditisation of automotive assembly: Canada as a cautionary tale

Mordue

Sweeney

2017

IJATM

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For generations, automotive manufacturing has made an outsized contribution to the Canadian economy. The industry's growth was supported by active industrial policy, including an evolving combination of incentives: low-cost, high-quality labour, access to the largest market in the world, and investment inducements; and deterrents: market access and trade-related levers and threats. In recent years, many of the advantages Canada made for itself have eroded. The rise of new competitors, shifting philosophies surrounding trade, cost pressures, and a new paradigm with respect to investment incentives have challenged policy-makers. Several attributes previously considered the preserve of advanced countries like Canada are now evident in lesser developed jurisdictions, a phenomenon that this paper terms the commoditisation of automotive assembly. It is the result of standardised production processes and the automotive industry's ability to recruit top tier talent, particularly in less developed countries. This phenomenon is evident in the convergence of quality results and capital intensity across geographic boundaries and economic strata, expanding production in lesser developed countries, the emergence of luxury vehicle production in those countries, and stagnation of final assembly production in developed countries.

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Section: Canadian Competitive Advantages: Myth or Reality?mentioning

confidence: 99%

The commoditisation of automotive assembly: Canada as a cautionary tale

Mordue

Sweeney

2017

IJATM

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“…Unlike most traditional clusters, as established by Porter's "diamond" approach, the emergence of the Canadian automotive cluster at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries was a direct consequence of Canada's proximity to the United States, particularly the emergence of United States' own automotive large and growing industrial cluster in the Detroit area during this period (Anastakis 2004). The impact of US proximity was apparent in many economic sectors, not just automotive, and not solely manufacturing.…”

Section: The Problem Of Scale: Proximity To the United States Early C...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In return for granting the use of Ford patents and drawings, and the right to sell Fords to other British nations (save for the UK), the stockholders of the Ford Motor Company received 51% of Ford-Canada. With the success of the Model-T, also built in Canada, by the 1920s Ford of Canada was the largest industrial enterprise in the British Empire (Anastakis 2004;Wilkins and Hill 1964).…”

Section: The Problem Of Scale: Proximity To the United States Early C...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sometimes, Ford-Canada's output varied form Detroit's: Windsor did not produce a two-door Model T in some years, while the Canadian company produced four-door Model T's before they were built in the US. Other unique Canadian-made additions, such as stronger headlights or heavy upholstery, emerged as a response to more difficult driving conditions and colder winters, and in the 1920s and 1930s the Canadian firm continued to offer vehicles which departed from US-produced models (Anastakis 2004).…”

Section: The Benefits Of Branch Plants: Technology Transfer and Acces...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ford of Canada, for instance, held exclusive rights under its 1904 agreement with the Detroit firm to market Fords in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India and other imperial destinations, and the Canadians quickly took advantage of the overseas arrangement (Anastakis 2004). In August, 1906, just two years after the company's founding, the first Canadian-built Fords (Model K's), were shipped to Australia.…”

Section: The Benefits Of Branch Plants: Technology Transfer and Acces...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Industries and Global Competition

2017

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Changes in the dynamics of economic activities since the last decades of the 20th century have yielded major changes in the composition of industries and in the division of labor and production across different regions of the world. Despite these shifts in the global economy, some industries have remained competitive even without relocating their operations overseas.Industries and Global Competition examines how and why the specificities of certain industries and firms determined their choice of location and competitiveness. This volume identifies the major drivers of this process and explains why some firms and industries moved to other parts of the world while others did not. Relocation was not the sole determinant of the success or failure of firms and industries. Indeed, some were able to reinvent themselves at their original location and build new competitive advantages. The path that each industry or firm took varied. This book argues that the specific characteristics of each industry defined the conditions of competitiveness and provides a wide range of cases as illustrations.Aimed at scholars, researchers and academics in the fields of business history, international business and related disciplines, Industries and Global Competition examines the unique questions: How and why did the specificities of certain industries and firms determine their choice of location and competitiveness?

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Ford's Investment in Colonial Malaya, 1926–1957

Yacob¹

2009

Bus. Hist. Rev.

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The corporate history of Ford in Malaya from 1926 to 1957 reveals Ford Canada's global strategy to tap new British colonial markets. A combination of factors motivated Ford Canada to set up a subsidiary in Malaya, whose subsequent domestic sales and marketing success depended on maintaining mutually beneficial relations with the local merchant firms and Chinese entrepreneurs. After it was directed by the parent company to restructure its operations, Ford Canada imposed tight control on its own local operations to ensure that it could meet evolving consumer demands in Malaya and across the wider region. However, the company was careful to maintain its ties with these marketing and networking channels.

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From Independence to Integration: The Corporate Evolution of the Ford Motor Company of Canada, 1904–2004

Cited by 9 publications

References 13 publications

The commoditisation of automotive assembly: Canada as a cautionary tale

The commoditisation of automotive assembly: Canada as a cautionary tale

Industries and Global Competition

Ford's Investment in Colonial Malaya, 1926–1957

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