Supply chain strategies in the boatbuilding industry - different ways to cope with change

Abstract

The focus of this paper is the Finnish boatbuilding industry and the different ways it utilises the supply chain network to cope with change. The boatbuilding industry in Finland is a very traditional and relatively small field of business, but is not immune to global influences and the demands of change. One of the biggest differences between company strategies is the attitude towards the role and volume of supply in the production stages. The main research question in this study is: what kinds of supply strategies are companies using in a turbulent boating industry? This paper focuses on the different supply strategies found in the Finnish boatbuilding industry in a changing business environment. The paper presents how three different generic sourcing strategies presented in the literature review are utilised in practice. In addition, the paper suggests a framework for evaluating the most effective generic sourcing strategy in different situations.