外文翻译当你的合同制造商变成你的竞争对手 节选.docx

外文翻译当你的合同制造商变成你的竞争对手 节选.docx

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外文翻译当你的合同制造商变成你的竞争对手节选

2000单词，1.1万英文字符，3675汉字

出处：

ArruñdaB,VázquezXH.Whenyourcontractmanufacturerbecomesyourcompetitor.[J].HarvardBusinessReview,2006,84（9）:

135-145

毕业论文（设计）外文翻译

原文：

WhenYourContractManufacturerBecomesYourCompetitor

ArruñdaB , VázquezXH 

Outsourcingtheentiremanufacturingofaproductallowsoriginalequipmentmanufacturers（OEMs）toreducelaborcosts,freeupcapital,andimproveworkerproductivity.OEMscanthenconcentrateonthethingsthatmostenhanceaproduct’svalue–R&D,design,andmarketing,forinstance.Facilitatingthesegainsarethecontractmanufacturer’s（CM）specialstrengths,whichmayincludelocationinalow-wageland,economiesofscale,manufacturingprowess,andexposuretotheengineeringanddevelopmentprocessesofproductsithandlesforotherOEMs.（SuchexposureputstheCMinapositiontoproposeimprovementstodifferentclients’products.）

AsIBMandothercompanieshavelearned,however,contractmanufacturingisatwo-edgedsword.Foronething,aCMisprivytoanOEM’sintellectualproperty（IP）,whichitcanleaktootherclientsorarrogate.Foranother,anambitious,upstartCMcanclaimforitselftheveryadvantagesitprovidesanOEM.HavingmanufacturedanOEM’sproductinitsentirety,theCMmaydecidetobuilditsownbrandandforgeitsownrelationshipswithretailersanddistributors–includingthoseoftheOEM.Whenthesethingshappen,theOEMmayfinditselffacingnotonlymoredangerousincumbentsbutalsoacompetitorofanewkind:

theonce-underestimatedCM.Addinginsulttoinjury,iftheOEMhadnotgivenitsbusinesstothetraitorouscontractmanufacturer,theCM’srevenuesandknowledgemighthaveremainedsufficientlymeagertopreventitfromenteringitspatron’smarket.

Althoughlaunchingabrandwouldnotbeatrivialundertakingforanycontractmanufacturer,abrandidentityrootedintheCM’sproductionprowesswouldhaveimmediatecredibility.Moreover,aCMworkingforseveralOEMshasexperiencemakingawiderrangeofproductsthandomostofitsclients,permittingittoconcentrateonproducingthemostprofitableones.AnditscoststructuredoesnotnecessarilybeartheburdenofinvestmentsinR&D.

Inshort,OEMs’humbleattemptstorealizeoperationalimprovementsandcostsavingscanplungethemintoastrategicallytreacherousrealminwhichpartnersquicklyoutgrowoneanother,spymoreattractiveopportunitieselsewhere,and,inthemostflagrantcases,bitethehandthathasbeennourishingthem.Putsimply,OEMsthatretaincontractmanufacturersmayunleashforcestheyfindhardtocontrol.Itwouldbenoexaggerationtosaythattheplayerssoonfindthemselvesimmersedinamelodramarepletewithpromiscuity（CMspursuingliaisonswithavarietyofOEMs）,infidelity（retailersanddistributorsshiftingtheirbusinesstoanOEM’sCM）,andbetrayal（CMstransmittinganOEM’sintellectualpropertytotheOEM’srivalsorkeepingitforthemselves）.

OEMscannotevadethisdilemmabyterminatingtheiroutsourcingarrangements:

Modularization,codificationofmanufacturingprocesses,anddiminishedtransactioncostsmakecontractmanufacturingirresistibletolesswellcapitalizedOEMs.ButOEMscanmanagetheirrelationshipswithCMssothattheOEMsdon’tbecomeweakortheCMstoostrong.Doingsorequiresafewthings:

modestyaboutrevealingone’ssecrets;cautionaboutwhomoneconsortswith;andajudiciousdegreeofintimacy,loyalty,andgenerositytowardone’spartnersandcustomers.OEMscanalsoeludeCMs’backbitingtendenciesbyusingtheirsurplusintellectualpropertytoentermarketsbeyondthosefortheircoreproducts.Ironically,CMs’barrier-breakingabilities,otherwiseusedtoinvadeOEMs’markets,canofferOEMsaccesstonewmarkets–andsometimesawayoutofthedilemma.HeightenedCompetition

Fewindustrialcompaniesstillconsidermanufacturinganessentialpartoftheirbusinesses.Traditionalbrandowners–whatweknowtodayasOEMs–prefertofocusnowonproductresearch,design,andsales,leavingproductiontothenewspecialists:

contractmanufacturers.

Contractmanufacturinginvolvesoutsourcinganentiremanufacturingprocesstothepointwhere,inmanyinstances,noneofanOEM’semployeeswillhavephysicallytouchedtheproductthey’remarketingandselling.Thepracticebeganin1981,withthemanufactureofthefirstIBMPCs,butadecadepassedbeforeitreachedsucheverydayproductsastoys,clothing,footwear,beer,andpharmaceuticals.Today,evenafewcornersoftheautomobileindustryhaveembracedit:

Finland’sValmetAutomotiveassemblesthePorscheBoxster,andAustria’sMagnaSteyrassemblescarsforMercedes,BMW,andSaab.

Thediffusionofcontractmanufacturinghasheightenedcompetitioninsomeindustriesinfourways.

Thecreationofnewcompanies.Contractmanufacturingfacilitatesthecreationofnewfirmsanddivisions.Businessesthatoutsourcedon’thavetoraise,invest,andriskthecapitalnecessarytodeveloptheirownproductionfacilities.Thus,theycanbypassthetraditionaldeterrentstoenteringnewmarkets.Indeed,anyfirm–evenonesellinglowvolumes–candecreaseitsunitcostssimplybyretainingtheCMwiththebiggestscale.That’showDellandGatewayhavebeenabletoventurebeyondtheirPCrootsandenterthedomesticelectronicsmarketsforplasmaandLCD，televisions,DVDplayers,andmorethan50othernewproducts.

Thecreationofnewbrands.Contractmanufacturers’evolvingsituationencouragesthemtodeveloptheirownbrands.Ithappensasfollows:

AsCMsreachefficientscale,theircostlevelsconverge.Atthesametime,theproductstheymakebegintocommoditize.Inresponse,CMswillattempttoregainasustainablecompetitiveadvantagebyundertakingthevalue-addingactivitiesthattheirpatronshadhandledthemselves,suchasR&Dandmarketing.Inavariantoftheinnovator’sdilemma,OEMscedeparticularfunctionstotheirCMsand,bydoingso,giveCMsroomtodevelopthecapabilitiestheymaylaterusetothreatentheOEMs.Bythatpoint,theCMswillhavebecomeOEMsthemselves.LenovoandChinabasedcontractmanufacturersHaier（householdappliances）andTCL（televisions）havebecomethreeoftheworld’sleadingcompaniesintheirindustriesinjustthisway.

IfCMsfindtheycan’tgetfromcustomersalltheknowledgetheyneedtosellandbrandanewproduct,theycanpurchaseentiredivisionsofOEMs.

Taiwan-basedBenQdidjustthat,buyingSiemens’smobilephonebusinessin2005.Bydoingso,BenQacquirednotonlySiemens’sIPbutalsodecadesworthofSiemens’smanagerialexperience,itshighlydevelopedtalentpool,itswidelyknownbrand,anditsglobaloperationsplatform.Oncetheyhave

achievedmanufacturingmastery,CMscanbegininnovating,somethingtheyhavebeendoingforsometime:

ThesurgingvolumeofChinesepatentapplicationsfiledundertheEuropeanpatenttreaty–26in1990and961in2000–offersatleastindirectproofofthis.CMscanalsobuyR&Dknowledge

fromOEMs.In2004,ShanghaiAutomotiveIndustryCorporation（SAIC）,whichhaddonesomemanufacturingforVolkswagenandGM,acquiredfrombankruptMGRoverthedrawingsneededtobuildtheRover25,Rover45,andRover75.SAICplanstosellitsownlineofcarsinChina,Europe,andNorthAmerica.

Movementupofthevaluechain.Themostpowerfulretailersanddistributorscanengagethelargest,mostefficientCMstoproduce（undertheretailers’ordistributors’ownnameplates）itemsequalinqualitytothoseofthefinestOEMs.TheseproductsshareshelfspacewiththeOEMs’productsbutaskhalftheprice.ContractmanufacturerSolectrondevelopeditsmanufacturingexpertiseinthecourseofworkingforIBM,Hewlett-Packard,andMitsubishi.Later,distributorIngramMicroaskedSolectrontocustombuildPCs,servers,andothercomputerequipmentunderitsownandretailers’brands.Retailers,too,suchasBestBuy,Carrefour,Sears,andWal-Mart,aresellingelectronicproductsundertheirownbrands,therebydilutingOEMs’marketingclout.Contractmanufacturersthathaveestablishedtheirownbrandssufferaswell,becausetheirproductshavedifficultyimprovingontheretailers’quality,innovativeness,andpricing.However,ifanenterprisingCMthreatenedtostopmakingitemsforaretailer,itwouldonlydriveitsclientintothearmsofanotherCM–onethatcouldtranslatetheadditionalbusinessintoimprovedorevensuperioreconomiesofscale.

Leakageofintellectualproperty.ContractmanufacturingputsOEMs’proprietaryintangibleassetsintoplay.ACMcanexploitforthebenefitofitsownbrandstheknowledgeitacquiresinthecourseofworkingforagivenOEM;ortheCMcantransfer（legitimatelyornot）thisknowledgetootherclientOEMs.SuchleakagemayoccureveniftheCMdoesnomorethanassemblecomponentsmadebyothers:

Threedimensionalscanning,computer-aideddesign,andcomputer-aidedmanufacturingallowcompaniestocopyinamatterofhourscomponentsthatmayhavetakenyearstodesign.Thepotentialforabuseishigh.CFMInternational,forexample,ajointventureofGeneralElectricandFrenchmanufacturerSNECMA,whichmakespartsforaircraftengines,hashadtomoveagainstrepairandoverhaulshopsintheUnitedStatesthatwerepurchasingcounterfeitparts.Sure,OEMscanresorttolawsuits,banishment,orlobbying.Noneoftheseisapanacea,however.Theresultsoflitigationareuncertainandmayarriveonlyafteryearsofexpensiveproceedings.Meanwhile,profitskeepfalling.Persuadingothermembersofone’sindustrytoshuntheoffendingCMalsotakestime,iscertaintoencounterresistance,andrisksrunningafoulofantitrustlaws.Finally,asglobalizationspreads,interventionsfromindividualgovernmentsbecomelessdecis