2010 Volume 9 Issue 6 Pages 359-384
This paper conducts a chronological analysis of the formation of an Asian production network and the optimization of processes in the HDD industry from 1980 to 2000. In particular, the changes in competitive strategy that occurred during this period and the type of impact the changes exerted on the formation of an Asian production network are clarified. The HDD industry experienced progress in the 1980s in terms of the standardization of connectivity with PCs and the modularization of HDD units, and production operations extensively expanded into Asia in concert with this progress. The industry experienced increased oligopolization in tandem with quantitative expansion, and many companies entering the market were weeded out during this time. However, along with such competition, qualitative changes also began to occur at the turn of the 21st century. Mutually oligopolistic competition increased between vertically integrated corporate groups and vertically specialized corporate groups, and rationalization and optimization of this Asian production network progressed as a result of this competitive process. Furthermore, the competitiveness of production networks in the Asian region became even more robust.
