It is commonly accepted that one of the main reasons for the existence of multinationals is the possibility to acquire, create, and transfer technological assets across national boundaries.

Networking can therefore be seen as highly important for the future competitiveness of production plants in Flanders.

A global manufacturing network consists of different types of plants. Those plants play a different strategic role in the company, have their own focus, and differ in age, autonomy, and level of resources and investments. The evolution of the plant depends to some extent on the network role of the plant. One earlier research has shown that plants that play the role of ‘lead plants’, which means they innovate and actively share their innovations with the other plants in their network, are likely to survive. In contrast, plants that occupy a more isolated position are more likely to disappear. Moreover, coordination with suppliers and customers helps to improve the performance of the plant.