Characterization of Best Practices for Customer/Supplier Collaboration in Co-innovation Projects

Abstract

High market competitiveness and a lack of internal resources and knowledge make companies increasingly interested in open innovation, being the collaborative innovation projects with suppliers one of the most widely used initiatives. However, the collaborative process is difficult to manage given the diversity of factors to consider when mixing different organizational cultures, resources, competencies, and experiences. One way to support the process is through the management of related good practices. Therefore, based on a review of the literature and international standards on open innovation or collaboration, this document identifies five dimensions and 18 practices of the customer-supplier collaborative innovation process. The identification of these good practices allows the characterization of the customer/supplier collaboration process in innovation projects and allows the establishment of a reference framework for the creation of an evaluation model.

Joint-design of products and supply chain in a context of innovation

“…It should be noted that a joint design approach for an innovative product and the associated supply chain depends on the innovative company's willingness to open up, i.e. its willingness to initiate partnerships (companies, laboratories) and to design new supply chains [30], [31]. Within the scope of this standard, strategic innovation management in the product/supply chain couple area is as follows (aspects dedicated to the product are marked with a "P" and "SC" for the supply chain.…”