The aim of this paper is to design a map of needs of Information and Comunications Technologies (ICTs) in
Global Manufacturing Virtual Networks (GMVNs). These organizations are constantly changing dynamic
systems where horizontal and vertical relationships are established between independent enterprises, or even
competitors, where it is not necessary to maintain large internal manufacturing resources but efficiently manage
and share network resources. ICTs play a key role in the efficiency of the management and coordination of
GMVNs, although its implementation is complicated due to the need to overcome the emotional barriers of
integrating ICTs between competing firms. In recent years, Internet growth has solved some of these difficulties
by allowing implementing some technologies such as collaborative manufacturing or manufacturing grids that in
some sectors are increasingly being implemented like computing, astronomy, or bioinformatics. However,
actually there is not any implemented model that considers horizontal relationships between firms, especially
competitors, and contemplates its fundamental factors for the harmonization of these networks such as cultural
mechanisms or systemic strategy in the network.
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