Supplier Integration and Communication Strategies in Collaborative Platform Development

Abstract

Following the introduction of platform-based products, especially considering that platforms are used for multiple brands, there is certainly a growing need for system engineering processes and techniques. This is further emphasized by the fact that companies faced with collaborative platform development frequently need to harmonize often opposing claims from stakeholders with different backgrounds, beliefs, desires and intentions. A core strategy for using resources (e.g., work-hours, knowledge, and production systems) better and more flexibly is to involve suppliers earlier in the development cycle. From this perspective, well-designed and efficiently managed supplier integration is a huge competitive advantage. Supplier integration may range from component design and manufacture to full responsibility for the design of complex distributed systems. The starting point for this work is the results from a previous study, made by the authors, in which a Swedish automotive company and one of its sub-suppliers were examined in order to identify communication barriers. This revealed several problems regarding supplier interaction and information management in projects where both suppliers and product owners contribute their unique knowledge. Following the previous study, the questions to answer include: How can platforms be represented to suit suppliers as well as orginal equipment manufacturers? How does one guarantee efficient, accurate and secure information exchange between the parties involved? Consequently, this article pinpoints some of the problems that companies involved with collaborative product platform development, together with their suppliers, must face today. To answer these questions, interviews, and document studies were conducted for a Swedish truck manufacturer. The results are oriented to the interfaces between product owners and their suppliers.

A literature review on multitype platforming and framework for future research

“…This results in an increasing number of empirical studies. As shown in Table 4, prior to 2001, there are five empirical studies, whilst from 2001 onward, there are 16 empirical studies Alizon et al, 2009;Chai et al, 2012;Gunzenhauser and Bongulielmi, 2008;Halman et al, 2003;Karandikar and Nidamarthi, 2007;Levandowski et al, 2014;Lindquist et al, 2008;Madni, 2012;Mahmoud-Jouini and Lenfle, 2010;Meyer and Dalal, 2002;Pasche and Magnusson, 2011;Sanchez, 2004;Shooter et al, 2007;Skold and Karlsson, 2012;Wortmann and Alblas, 2009). These empirical studies are aimed at shedding light on the life cycles, implications, challenges, and requirements associated with product platform design, development, and implementation in practice.…”

“…They include product platform strategies (Muffatto, 1999a(Muffatto, , 1999bKarandikar and Nidamarthi, 2007), product platform adoption (Krishnan and Gupta, 2001;Marion et al, 2007), product platform development in practice (Alizon et al, 2009;Halman et al, 2003;Lindquist et al, 2008;Muffatto and Roveda, 2000;Shooter et al, 2007), product platform competencies (Chai et al, 2012), product platform projects (Tatikonda, 1999), product platform life cycles (Wortmann and Alblas, 2009), product platform application in process intensive industries (Meyer and Dalal, 2002), and the exploration of platform planning in marketing (Thomas, 2012). In comparison, the number of available studies investigating each of these issues is relatively small.…”

“…Shooter et al (2007) describe in detail the process of developing ice scrapers' product platform in an American virtual company, including market segment identification, product platform development, manufacturing and production. Recognizing the benefits of involving suppliers earlier in product family development, Lindquist et al (2008) describe in detail how a Swedish truck manufacturer integrates suppliers in their product platform development project. Alizon et al (2009) examine how Ford model T, as a product platform, was developed and point out that today's companies can still learn from Ford's product platforming.…”

Collaborative Platforms for Supply Chain Integration: Trajectory, Assimilation of Platforms and Results

“…Regarding the definition of a platform, Lindquist et al (2008) said that there is not one unified way of describing what a platform is because researchers often have their own definitions. Simpson et al (2001) defined a product platform to be a set of parameters, features, and components that remain constant from product to product within a given product family.…”

Modelo para classificação de características de customização em massa para serviços

“…Tseng e Jiao (1996), Fischer et al (1999, Jiao e Tseng (1999), Muffato (1999), Dahmus et al (2001), Simpson et al (2001), Gershenson et al (2003), Simpson (2004), Zha et al (2004) Li et al (2008), Ni et al (2008), Lindquist et al (2008), Kumar (2008), Kumar et al (2008), Salvador et al (2009).…”