A strategic approach for managing stakeholder interests is critical for global assembly plant site development and management. Using data culled from 1,214 articles on 35 notable assembly plant closures in the automotive and heavy truck industries from 1995-2018, this paper documents both the stated rationale and the stakeholder impact of each closure. A novel strategic planning and decision-making framework then offers some guidance for plant site development that leverages current thinking about industrial lifecycle and stakeholder-driven management strategies. The resulting framework informs some practical guidance for both current plant managers and the heads of global manufacturing strategy who wish to begin the process.
