The purpose of this article is to explore the selected aspects of inter-firm cooperation between the manufacturing firms and their partners. Authors aim also to empirically investigate how this cooperation allows performing a successful internationalization and gaining competitive advantage on the foreign markets. Analysis is carried out on a sample of 7 Polish manufacturing companies that are cooperating with foreign suppliers or customers on a regular basis. Data were gathered using a tailored questionnaire distributed via e-mail. The results show that Polish companies rarely choose cooperative entry methods when aiming for internationalization of their operations. They do not perceive a direct link between cooperation with other Polish companies and the success of internationalization. These results are in line with other research. The conducted study shows that the problem of improving a manufacturer's competitive position on international markets by developing business relationships is still complex and requires further exploration.

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