The term outsourcing in the field of industrial production is used to refer to a situation where the main production unit (the customer) outsources to another production unit (the contractor) the performance of specific functions that include, in whole or in part, the customer's activities for the production of a product or service

Outsourcing can be carried out in three forms:

• outsourcing of ancillary functions,
• outsourcing of parts of the production process,
• outsourcing of the entire production process.

International Recommendations for the Index of Industrial Production 2010