Third generationmaquiladoras?The Delphi‐General Motors case

The Evolution of Maquiladora Best Practices: 1965–2008

“…The behavioral evolution of these firms can be explained in terms of generational development. Carrillo and Hualde (1997) developed the concept of three generations of maquiladoras to categorize firms based on the levels in which the labor force, technology, and organization are used. The term generation is understood as an ideal type of firm with a certain socio-technical level and with a tendency to predominate during a specific period of time in the leading segment of firms.…”

“…Besides the dynamic growth characterizing maquiladoras, another distinctive feature has been technological, organizational, and labor changes since the mid-1980s (Palomares and Mertens, 1985). These change processes are selective, however, with major differences among establishments, and frequently even within a given plant (Carrillo and Hualde, 1997;Gereffi, 1991;Wilson, 1992). Recent findings demonstrate that every plant, and even every business unit (within a plant or a conglomerate of plants), experiences different patterns of learning and of strengthening technological, organizational, and labor capacities (Contreras, 2000;Dutrenit et al 2006;Lara et al, 2005).…”

“…The typologies include old and new maquiladoras (Gereffi, 1991); traditional, postfordism, and manufacturer (Wilson, 1992); and first, second, and third generation (Carrillo and Hualde, 1997). The central debate was, and continues to be, to what extent has JPS been adopted throughout the maquiladora industry, and is that adoption systemic or partial?…”

Work and Citizenship in Mexico in the Era of Globalization

“…There then began a gradual, but sustained, decline of employment within the sector, which at its lowest point lost 300,000 jobs. Irrespective of the debate as to whether the maquila constitutes a separate model of industrialization (Carrillo and Hualde 1998;Carrillo and Lara 2004;Bendesky et al, 2003), what does stand out is the extremely high utilization of the new forms of management and work organization. In general terms, we find these same type of changes carried out at the establishment level: just-in-time systems; job rotation (multi-skills, polyvalence); statistical control process; quality control circles; reduction in worker supervision; participation of workers in decision-making; and formalization of procedures).…”

8. The Global Economy: Organization, Governance, and Development

“…Third-generation maquiladoras are oriented to research, design, and development, and rely on highly skilled labor such as specialized engineers and technicians. In each of these industries, the maquiladoras have matured from assembly sites based on cheap labor to manufacturing centers whose competitiveness derives from a combination of high productivity, good quality, and wages far below those prevailing north of the border (Shaiken and Herzenberg 1987;Carrillo and Hualde 1998;Bair and Gereffi 2001;Cañas and Coronado 2002).…”