Production transfers are a result of outsourcing and offshoring decisions. Though, because of
the strategic focus of the outsourcing literature have not the operational issues of how
relationship development between sender, receiver and raw material been fully depicted. The
purpose of the present paper is to explore relationship development connected to transfer of
raw material supplies responsibility during transfer of production. To fulfil the purpose, four
different production transfers were studied: three from Sweden to China, Romania and
Hungary respectively and one transfer from Holland to Sweden. We can see that the
dependence and power shifts gradually between the sender and the receiver and the
relationship between them sets the arena for what relationship is developed between the
receiver and the raw material suppliers. Furthermore, short social distances can over bridge
cultural and technological distances to some extent, because it motivates to take the
relationship into a more developed state.
Bordeaux, France, 2014.