Title: From product design to product, process and domain design capabilities of local tier 2 suppliers: lessons from case studies in Japan, Thailand and China

Authors: Jun Akabane; Yasuko Tsuchiya; Ryuichirou Inoue; Hajime Yamamoto; Yang Zhuang

Addresses: Yokohama City University, 22-2 Seto Kanazawa-Ward Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, 236-0027, Japan ' J.F. Oberlin University, 3758 Tokiwa Town Machida City, Tokyo Metropolitan, 194-0294, Japan ' J.F. Oberlin University, 3758 Tokiwa Town Machida City, Tokyo Metropolitan, 194-0294, Japan ' Nomura Research Institute Thailand, 399, Interchange 21 Bldg., Unit 2304, 23F, Sukhumvit Rd., Klongtoey Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand ' J.F. Oberlin University, 3758 Tokiwa Town Machida City, Tokyo Metropolitan, 194-0294, Japan

Abstract: The approach of Banri Asanuma, who focused on product design capability and the classification of works based on supplied/approved drawings are used for evaluating the capabilities of automotive parts suppliers. However, when evaluated with Asanuma's framework, most tier 2 suppliers are given the primarily low assessment that "are at the stage of working from supplied drawings". In this study, we introduce process design capability and domain design capability, in addition to the conventional product design capability, to more precisely evaluate local tier 2 suppliers in Japan, Thailand and China. As a result, Japanese suppliers demonstrate their superiority over Thai and Chinese suppliers in all three capabilities. The product design and process design capabilities of Thai and Chinese parts suppliers are still at the development stage. On the other hand, a comparison between Thailand and China reveals the trend of Thai parts suppliers being more active in domain design than Chinese suppliers.

Keywords: product design; process design; domain design; local tier 2 automotive parts suppliers; Japan; Thailand; China; capability building; evolutionary paths.

DOI: 10.1504/IJATM.2017.089365

International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management, 2017 Vol.17 No.4, pp.385 - 408

Received: 14 Oct 2016
Accepted: 18 Aug 2017

Published online: 21 Jan 2018 *

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