Another motivation for FDI is customer mobility. When an important client of a company engages in FDI and starts a factory in a foreign market,the firm,either a parts supplier or service provider, may very likely follow its client and make FDI overseas so as not to lose the business to its competitors. The building of factories and warehouses by Japanese parts suppliers in the United States following the construction of auto assembly plants by major Japanese automakers in the country is an example of such kind of FDI. The introduction of JIT inventory management system increases the necessity of such investment, since the system is meant to minimize the inventory to increase efficiency, putting the suppliers at disadvantage to make supply from a distant foreign country.
客户流动是企业对外直接投资的另一个动机。 当某一个公司的重要客户从事对外直接投资、 在国外市场建厂时，作为其零件供应商或服务提供商，该公司很可能会追随客户也在国外投 资。这样才不会让竞争对手抢去生意。随着曰 本主要汽车制造商在美国建立汽车装配厂，日 本的零件供应商也在美国建立工厂和仓库，就 是此类投资的一个例子。即时库存管理系统的 引进使此类投资更加必要，因为该系统意在把 库存降至最低以提髙效率。如果供应商还从遥 远的国外供货，他们将处于不利地位。
