Strategic Challenges of the Portuguese Automotive Industry

Abstract

The main objective of this chapter is to define a set of strategic lines, from the public policy point of view, so that Portuguese suppliers of the auto industry can deploy a strategic alignment throughout the supply chain in order to position themselves as potential suppliers of the global sourcing strategy of their Iberian Peninsula clients. The characterization of the auto industry in Portugal and Spain is undertaken, framing the perspective of this industry and proposing the strategic guidelines for the Portuguese auto components industry to supply the Iberian market. The study supports a synergistic strategy between the Portuguese auto components industry and the Spanish automotive industry in order to increase the Portuguese incorporation in downstream activities of the supply chain. Portuguese auto components suppliers should adopt international relational strategies throughout the value chain in order to source their Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) clients and to reinforce their position as global suppliers. The strategy involves the consolidation of the Portuguese automotive cluster as global suppliers through specialization.