Between Autonomy and Dependence: Corporate Strategy, Plant Status, and Local Agglomeration in the Scottish Electronics Industry

Abstract

In this paper, the recent development of the electronics industry in Scotland is examined with reference to the information-systems sector. The development of this sector reflects the specific responses of US multinationals to global trends in technology and markets, in particular, the shift from electromechanical to electronic products and the development of smaller computer systems. Although these trends have led to movement towards greater autonomy for plants in parts of the Scottish industry, the advantage of such autonomy for the development of a regional industrial complex are not clear-cut. Opportunities to strengthen the supply infrastructure have arisen from the lower degrees of vertical integration generally associated with electronic equipment manufacture and from the customer base provided by foreign-owned manufacturers, and not necessarily from specific trends in plant status.