Abstract

By the late 1990s, China had emerged as the largest manufacturer and exporter of motorcycles in the world. The Chongqing province in China was the motorcycles manufacturing hub and was popular for the 'modularization' techniques adopted by the local manufacturers. The Chinese motorcycles manufacturers studied the successful foreign models and made duplicates of them by making minor modifications. This case details how the 'modularization process' was carried out at Chongqing province. It also throws light on the consequences of copyright-infringement for the Chinese motorcycles manufacturers and highlights the difference between modularization and imitation. The case concludes with a discussion on the regulatory measures taken by the Government to revive the image of motorcycle industry in China.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Understand the positioning of China in the global motorcycles industry
• Understand the evolution of Chinese motorcycle industry
• Critically analyze the modularization process carried on at Chongqing province in China and examine the impact of modularization on competing foreign models.

Keywords

Modularization,Open Product Architecture, Intellectual Property Rights, Design Development, Yamaha-Tianjin Gangtian Case, Copyright Infringement, Motorcycle Manufacturers in China