application of certain technological advances during the past year has, however, raised important questions as to whether the increasing competitiveness of developing countries in some fields of manufacturing can indeed be sustained. 9. After the years of very low or negative industrial growth, the manufacturing sector in many OECD countries seems now to have undergone a transition to new structures which have far greater competitive strength than before, response to market changes and possibly less countries. greater flexibility in terms of production propensity for redeployment to developing 10. In general, industrial production in developed countries characterized creation of technologies. by a further rationalization of new capacities on the basis of Intra-OECD competition is likely existing production newly-developed to be increasingly is expected to be capacities and the process and product hard, especially in industries based on higher-level technologies. As before, corporate strategies vary. But whereas in the 1970s many industries pursued a strategy of increasing scales of production for growing shares of markets for "mature" products, more strategies now seem to emerge which entail far-reaching production rationalizations, concentration on new, selective product groups and focused marketing as well as the selective acquisition of other domestic and foreign companies. Another feature will be the increasing service content of the manufacturing sector and the increasing services sector per se in terms of supporting activities for industry. ID/B/339 Page 6 11. Appreciation of the significance of new technologies especially those in the informatics field is demonstrated by intensified national and regional efforts in micro-electronics, computing, telecommun1·cat1·0 d t · d f · ns an compu er-integrate manu acturing, as well as the wider interest shown in issues of transborder data flows. 12. The growing importance of technology has meant increasing co-ordination between Governments and producers in OECD countries, even in those in which the role of the State is 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing the impact of technological advancements on the manufacturing sector in developed countries, specifically in the context of the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development). It highlights the increasing competitiveness of developing countries in certain fields and the need for developed countries to adapt to new market conditions. The text also touches on the importance of technology, particularly in the informatics field, and the growing co-ordination between governments and producers.

**Category**
Industry, Economic development