Title: Improving the synchronisation of supply chains: an automotive case study

Authors: Andrew Lyons, Adrian Coronado, Dennis Kehoe, Julian Coleman

Addresses: e-Business Research Centre, The University of Liverpool Management School, Chatham Street, Liverpool L69 7ZH, UK. ' e-Business Research Centre, The University of Liverpool Management School, Chatham Street, Liverpool L69 7ZH, UK. ' e-Business Research Centre, The University of Liverpool Management School, Chatham Street, Liverpool L69 7ZH, UK. ' e-Business Research Centre, The University of Liverpool Management School, Chatham Street, Liverpool L69 7ZH, UK

Abstract: The authors report on an attempt to examine the theory, practical feasibility and benefits of making vehicle build information accessible to second and third-tier component suppliers. A description is provided of a case study used to demonstrate the impact on supply chain performance of sharing vehicle build information with the upstream suppliers of a high-volume vehicle manufacturer. A range of performance measures aggregated in the form of a ||supply chain scorecard|| demonstrated that suppliers are able to synchronise manufacturing more closely with the vehicle manufacturer and make capacity utilisation, lead time and inventory improvements with access to vehicle production schedules.

Keywords: case study; information transparency; supply chain management; supply chain synchronisation; automotive supply chain; automobile industry; vehicle build information; supply chain performance; information sharing; performance measures; supply chain scorecard; scheduling; lead time improvement; inventory improvement; capacity utilisation; sequenced supply; supply chain coordination; supply chain communication.

DOI: 10.1504/IJATM.2004.006289

International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management, 2004 Vol.4 No.4, pp.374 - 383

Published online: 13 Feb 2005 *

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