Abstract
PurposeThe purpose of this study is to identify, characterize and assess supplier flexibility measurement practices in the order-to-delivery process.Design/methodology/approachThe study involved a survey; participants were 224 purchasing managers at Swedish manufacturing companies that had more than 20 employees.FindingsScrutiny of the details of measurement practices revealed that most respondents actually do not specifically measure supplier flexibility. Instead they measure other measures like delivery reliability, conduct qualitative follow-ups, or cannot specify how supplier flexibility is measured. It was acknowledged that they measure different supplier flexibility aspects, and the applied measures were characterized, e.g. in terms of which flexibility dimension they represent.Research limitations/implicationsConceptual clarifications and adaptations to measuring supplier flexibility in the order-to-delivery process are provided. The identified measures can be a contribution in further developing literature on flexibility performance measurement.Practical implicationsPurchasing, logistics and supply chain managers in search of supplier flexibility performance measurement can find ways to measure and an extended flexibility vocabulary. This has the potential to improve flexibility in the supply chain.Originality/valueEven though flexibility is claimed as being an important competitive advantage, few empirical studies and operationalized measures exist, particularly in the order-to-delivery process.
Highlights
Due to increased volatility in customer demands, the ability to flexibly adapt has become a top priority for many companies (U€stu€ndag and Ungan, 2020; Kumar and Singh, 2020; Kuo et al, 2016; Jafari, 2015)
In search of supplier flexibility performance measurement, the purpose of this study is to identify, characterize and assess supplier flexibility measurement practices in the order-todelivery process
The first research question of the study was addressed through an added, mainly qualitative part of a survey, where the quantitative part was presented in a previous study on supplier flexibility in the order-to-delivery process (Forslund et al, 2021)
Summary
Due to increased volatility in customer demands, the ability to flexibly adapt has become a top priority for many companies (U€stu€ndag and Ungan, 2020; Kumar and Singh, 2020; Kuo et al, 2016; Jafari, 2015). Type-wise, to handle customers’ flexibility demands, flexible production may not be enough (U€stu€ndag and Ungan, 2020). The possibilities to achieve flexibility are highly affected by suppliers (Kumar and Singh, 2020; Bag et al, 2018), as manufacturers typically spend 60–80% of their total cost of purchasing (U€stu€ndag and Ungan, 2020). Supplier flexibility enables companies to adapt efficiently to changes, supported by suppliers’ capabilities (Bag et al, 2018; Lao et al, 2010).
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