Product modularity and supply chain collaboration: An empirical study of firm performance for 221 Chinese manufacturing industries

Abstract

Even though product modular design influenced supply chain management is generally acknowledged, but there is no empirical study involves product modularity and supply chain collaboration. The objective of this study is to uncover how supply chain collaboration impact on firm performance under the application of product modularity. Data was collected in various Chinese manufacturers. The statistical methods used include confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling and multi-group analysis (by LIS-REL8.7).The results indicate that product modularity has significant impacts on SCC and indeed has an influence on firm performance, and SCC is an intermediate variable that enables product manufacturers to achieve synergies and create superior performance. A further analysis also has been conducted of the moderation effect of firm size.