Collaborative Supply Research Articles

Integrated software agents: Enabling technology for collaborative E-logistics and E-business

The application of Multi-Agent Systems in the field of logistics is a major challenge and appears to be the next generation of enterprise integration technologies. Undoubtedly, agent technologies are very useful and will be the next major step toward the development of information systems, thus it is important to identify clearly and describe the appropriate business processes in E-logistics concerning collaborative E-business and supply web management. To prove the validity of software agents, it is of major importance to achieve a clear view of the application environment and to develop appropriate methods for agent-oriented modelling concerning their integration.

Coordinating customers and proactive suppliers

Abstract This case study aims at increasing our understanding of what factors are critical for successful supplier collaboration, and shed light on the complexity of collaboration. The research was performed as in-depth case studies of the product development collaboration between a Swedish auto manufacturer and five of its most important system suppliers. The empirical evidence is based on 36 personal interviews and four group interviews with representatives both from the auto manufacturer and from the five suppliers. The results indicate that reality is often more complex and multifaceted than has been illustrated in previous research. The suppliers’ internal organization of product development and production and their co-operation with other manufacturers and suppliers were found to be of crucial importance. Further, both auto manufacturers and suppliers will need to adapt to new roles when suppliers are involved in the product development process.

Do the sourcing strategies of automotive firms really support corporate objectives?

This article explores to what extent different sourcing strategies can be expected to support corporate objectives, by applying a model for evaluation of strategic consistency. Strategic consistency is investigated through collective beliefs in panels of individuals from the automotive industry as well as academic strategy scholars in how different strategies contribute to corporate objectives. Four "generic paths" for the strategic issue of sourcing are defined as component supply strategy, supplier collaboration strategy, supplier network strategy, and system and mega suppliers strategy. Collective beliefs are found to be quite different between the two groups of judges. This raises questions about what we know about how strategies support objectives and if there in reality are clear causal relations. There are also questions about what really develops the automotive company. The leading strategy scholars in the world are not as clear as the practitioners that maximum out-sourcing is the best strategy. The growing focus on core competence may swing the outsourcing pendulum.

Re-embedding, Japanese Investment and the Restructuring Buyer‐Supplier Relations in the Canadian Automotive Components Industry During the 1990s

RUTHERFORD T. D.(2000) Re - embedding, Japanese investment and the restructuring buyer - supplier relations in the Canadian automotive components industry during the 1990s, Reg. Studies 34, 739-751. In this paper, I draw on the developing embeddedness literature in economic geography and consider the impact of Japanese automotive transplants on the Canadian automotive components sector. Following SAKO, 1992, I argue that Japanese firms are seeking to 're - embed' their obligational contractual relations (OCR) supply operations in North America. While this has had a significant impact on North American assemblers and Canadian suppliers, strong elements of the more price - focused and adversarial arm's length contractual relations (ACR) system remain. Although Japanese assemblers share greater non - price information with suppliers and have encouraged greater supplier collaboration, Canadian firms primarily supply low value - added components. Smaller production runs and the sourcing of sophisticated components from Japan and kieretsu operations in the US mean that dense, localized supplier networks are less likely to develop in Canada than in Japan or the US. Attempts to develop greater sectoral and labour management collaboration by Canadian suppliers over product development and training have also been limited. RUTHERFORD T. D. (2000) Enchâssement, investissement direct japonais et restructuration du rapport acheteur- fournisseur au sein de l'industrie des équipementiers canadiens dans les années 1990, Reg. Studies 34, 739-751. Cet article cherche à puiser dans les ouvrages naissants de la géographie économique à propos de la notion d'enchâssement et à examiner l'impact de l'investissement direct japonais dans l'automobile sur les équipementiers canadiens. D'après SAKO, 1992, on affirme que les entreprises japonaises cherchent à 'ré-enchâsser' leurs engagements contractuels (appelés Obligational Contract Relations; OCR) en tant que fournisseurs en Amérique du Nord. Alors que cela a eu un impact non-négligeable sur les usines de montage nordaméricaines et sur les fournisseurs canadiens, il reste d'importants éléments d'un système sans lien de dépendance (appellé Arm's Length Contract; ACR) qui porte plutôt sur le prix et qui s'avère plus antagoniste. Bien que les usines de montage japonaises partagent avec les fournisseurs plus d'information ne portant pas sur les prix et ont encouragé plus de collaboration entre les fournisseurs, les entreprises canadiennes fournissent essentiellement des pièces dont la valeur ajoutée s'annonce faible. Vu les séries plus petites et l'acquisition des pièces plus sophistiquées à partir du Japon et des opérations de kieretsu aux Etats-Unis, il y a peu de chances que d'importants réseaux de fournisseurs, établis sur le plan local, aillent se développer au Canada plutôt qu'au Japon ou aux Etats-Unis. Les mesures prises en faveur d'une collaboration plus étroite dans le domaine du management du secteur et de l'emploi par rapport au développement de produits et à la formation, s'avèrent aussi très limitées. RUTHERFORD T. D. (2000) Wiedereinbettung, japanische Investierungen und die Umstrukturierung von Käufer- Zulieferbeziehungen in der kanadischen Automotivkomponentenindustrie der neunziger Jahre, Reg. Studies 34, 739- 751. Dieser Aufsatz stützt sich die in der Wirtschaftsgeographie in Entwicklung begriffenen Einbettungsliteratur, und betrachtet die Auswirkung japanischer automotiver Verpflanzungen auf den Sektor kanadischer Automotivkomponenten. In Anlehnung an SAKO, 1992, wird die Behauptung aufgestellt, daß japanische Firmen versuchen, ihre durch kontraktlich festgelegte Beziehungen (Obligational Contract Relations (OCR)) eingerichteten Lieferunternehmen in Nordamerika 'wieder einzubetten'. Obschon dies sich beträchtlich auf nordamerikanische Montage- und kanadische Lieferfirmen ausgewirkt hat, blieben starke Elemente des preisbewußten und gegnerischen, auf Abstand bestehenden (Arm's Length Contract (ACR)) Systems bestehen. Obwohl japanische Montagefirmen mehr nichtpreisbezogenen Informationsaustausch mit Lieferanten pflegen, und mehr Zusammenarbeit unter Lieferanten empfehlen, liefern kanadische Firmen in erster Linie Komponenten mit geringem Mehrwert. Kleinere Produktionsserien und der Bezug hochentwickelter Komponenten aus Japan, sowie kieretsu Arbeitsvorgänge in den USA bedeuten, daß dichte, örtlich gebundene Lieferantennetzwerke sich eher in Japan oder den USA als in Kanada entwickeln. Versuche, durch Produktentwicklung mehr Zusammenarbeit kanadischer Lieferfirmen in der Abteilungsleitung und sonalleitung zu erreichen, war auch nur begrenzter Erfolg beschieden.

The dyadic capabilities concept: examining the processes of key supplier involvement in collaborative product development

The increased use of suppliers in the new product development process has important implications for the strategic performance of organisations. In this paper an analysis of supplier collaboration in the development process is deployed to support the development of a dyadic (or two-level) capabilities analysis of the strategic management of the innovation process. By setting an organisation's competencies within the context of their customer or supplier interactions this paper supports the view posited by Ford et al. (1986) that interaction defines the value of assets and resources. In a study of collaboration in the UK auto industry, it was found that both operational and relational competences are critical factors in the performance of the new product development process. Thus, the ability of customers and suppliers to develop both structured and ad hoc processes of interaction is shown to be important to the development process from early supplier selection process.

Flexibility in the “Age of Fordism”: Technology and Production in the International Automobile Industry

Is manufacturing flexibility a purely contemporary phenomenon, an outgrowth of computer-controlled technologies, volatile markets, and sophisticated consumers that did not exist in a previous age of Fordist mass production? Or did mass manufacturers in earlier periods face comparable problems of combining high productivity, low costs, rapid product innovation, and frequent adjustments to shifting demand? And if so, what technological and organizational solutions did they develop in response? Did the flexible manufacturing practices made famous by Japanese firms in the 1970s and 1980s such as just-in-time logistics, collaborative supplier relations, joint product development, quick tooling changes, and mixed-model assembly represent a sharp break with the canonical principles of Western mass production? Or were these innovations anticipated—and even to some extent inspired—by earlier experiments with manufacturing flexibility pioneered by American and European firms during the heyday of mass production itself ? Focusing on the archetypal mass production industry at the height of the Fordist era between the 1920s and the 1970s, the papers in this special issue of Enterprise & Society offer new and surprising answers to these questions.

Predicting cooperative behavior during a retailer’s bankruptcy

Retailer bankruptcy provides an opportunity for studying the relationships among members of a channel of distribution because bankruptcy disturbs the ongoing pattern of such relationships. This study employs qualitative research to model the criteria that suppliers use in selecting their response to a bankrupt retailer. Results show that suppliers who continue cooperative behavior with a retailer employ a model that assesses whether the risks in continuing to supply that retailer are in balance with the outcomes generated from the relationship. However, behavioral variables appear relevant as well: retailers appear to benefit from adopting a collaborative communication strategy and building supplier confidence so that a turnaround will in fact occur.

Buyer–supplier relationships in firms adopting advanced manufacturing technology: an empirical analysis of the implementation of hard and soft technologies

Abstract Advanced manufacturing technologies can be divided into two types, hard and soft. Hard technologies are biased towards the use of hardware such as robotics while soft technologies, e.g., Total Quality Management, rely more on organisational procedures and management methods. Companies will have had implemented different amounts of these two technology types. An interactive research framework is developed, proposing that supplier collaboration is more closely linked to the level of soft technology implementation than to that for hard technology. The framework is empirically tested using data from 83 firms in the top tier of the Turkish automotive industry. The positive outcome of this innovative study contributes to knowledge of these important relationships and better teaches managerial practice. The generic framework contributed by this research can, potentially, be applied to other industries with high levels of AMT implementation.

Sustaining strategic supplier alliances

Investigates the change in requirements to sustain supplier alliances as the relationship matures. Notes that the trend to outsource more materials and services has made firms more reliant on their sources of supply. This has led to a move towards increasingly collaborative supplier relationships, referred to as supplier alliances. Widespread use of these relationships is new and relatively little is known about the attributes that may promote success or failure. A recent paper concludes that such “partnership” relationships tend to expand and be more successful with each year following establishment. Tests this assumption using a longitudinal survey of 41 buyer‐supplier relationships. Finds that the purchasing firms perceived some improvements in benefits from their alliance‐like relationships but not significantly more than those which maintained traditional relationships. Also finds that the factors leading to improved benefits changed significantly as the alliance matured, with specific information flows becoming key. Proposes a profile of the relative importance of these factors over time.