Global reorganisation in a high-technology industry: the aircraft industry

In the aircraft industry, firms are obliged to deal not only with high technological barriers, but also with growing financial, market and organisational barriers. In order to reduce these barriers, a complex network of relationships has been developed in the last 40 years. This network involves both the major global players – firms belonging to the world oligopoly – and smaller firms capable of offering specialised technology and/or a potential broadening of the market. This network gives rise to a worldwide production organisation. This paper highlights the key elements that influence the industry and the fact that the aircraft industry is undergoing a global reorganisation featuring an integration process where a global network of different alliances, born around aircraft projects, is showing a tendency to broaden its boundaries. The enlargement seems to favour a more active role for local supply systems of small and medium firms from more industrialised countries, which appear to have the potential to reshape the structure of the international collaboration network.