Workers from Denso's Thai plant train their counterparts in Cambodia.
TOKYO -- Among major Japanese manufacturers moving production elsewhere in Asia, auto component maker Denso has been a leader in transferring technology, using a factory in Thailand that it calls its "second mother plant" to teach new production methods around the region.
Splitting manufacturing processes among different countries raises numerous questions. Companies must decide how much technology to share, and how much responsibility to hand over to local units. This requires a careful look at a country's level of technological advancement, as well as its market potential. So far, Denso appears to be striking a successful balance.
