Abstract
This paper aims to analyse how small-scale breweries undertake vertical and horizontal collaborations to manage their quality performance (when measured by reducing quality variabilities). While vertical collaborations are overemphasised, horizontal and simultaneous collaboration efforts have been understudied. Our contribution lies in proposing an interplay of vertical and horizontal collaborations through information sharing, joint decision-making, and knowledge exchange with intra- and inter-supply chain partners to address quality variability issues. We draw attention to supply chain relationships being predominantly informal, which contribute strongly towards accessing external sources of knowledge. Additionally, such collaborative efforts have led companies to achieve mutual gains in their relationships. Finally, a framework is presented that consolidates the supply chain actors, collaboration types, socialisation mechanisms, and relationship types.
Highlights
Quality management has been an extensively studied topic in the Operations and Supply Chain Management (O&SCM) literature
The collaboration topic has been extensively discussed in the supply chain literature; with limited research being carried out on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and quality performance
Findings suggest that SMEs interplay simultaneous collaborative efforts with multiple actors through different types of relationships and social mechanisms
Summary
Quality management has been an extensively studied topic in the Operations and Supply Chain Management (O&SCM) literature. Most small and medium breweries (SMBs) face challenges for managing quality variations in their manufacturing processes and sustaining the same product characteristics over time (Parker et al 2019). A set of microbiological elements, like variations in manufacturing time, pressure and temperature, exposure to oxygen after fermentation, and raw material composition, may affect their product flavour (Pellettieri 2015; Poveda 2019). This is not a big concern for large companies as their standardised processes have sophisticated technologies for controlling the flavour variations in the laboratory and manufacturing departments (Ashwath et al 2018)
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