Abstract
The growing interest in the relationships between transportation and globalization has spurred
many inquires in the nature of production, consumption and distribution, especially within transport
geography. It is widely acknowledged that improvements in transport and distribution have
contributed to significant changes in the geographies of production (and vice versa). In a context of
intense global competition and diminishing profit margins, logistics and the formation of global
production networks offer additional opportunities to improve the efficiency of production through
distribution strategies. The spatial and functional fragmentation of manufacturing and attempts at
reducing inventories have led to smaller, more frequent and synchronized shipments, transforming the
logistics industry, but placing intense pressures on transport systems to support these flows. The
benefits derived from global production networks thus cannot be achieved without improvements in
logistics and supply chain management. This paper seeks to assess the conditions driving the global
forms of production, distribution and transport mainly by looking at the levels of geographical and
functional integration of global production networks in view of the high level of fragmentation
observed within them. However, there still many uncertainties and delays in distribution, which can
only be compensated by a better organization of freight distribution systems supporting global
production networks.