3. Teor´ıa de la Dimensi´ on
3.5. Equivalencia entre dim, ind e Ind
Further research can be conducted from a broader geographic range of SMEs both within Sweden and other countries, since SMEs in Kronobergslän showed a clear preferable local tendency that might not appear with a broader sampling frame. Market research can be a larger part of the investigation, where customer preference and the SMEs ability to grasp market conditions and demands, is a factor. The lack of developed purchasing strategy can
107 become a main focus for future research and to find the reasons behind the attitudes of strategy development in SMEs. Deeper investigation and focus could lie on the strategic advantages gained with hybrid sourcing for SMEs. Higher emphasize on the e-commerce possibilities that exist specifically for SMEs and invest the possibility to improve the order planning system within the SMEs organizations together with the interactions with their suppliers.
This research was investigated from buyer perspective. Further research can also study the buyer-supplier relationship from supplier perspective and their input on the possible improvements in relationship building with the buyer. Investigate what competitive advantages the supplier can gain from a partnership strategy. The perspective can also be seen from the market and how the market perceives activities in the supply chain. Investigation can focus on customers awareness and demands on activities of purchasing in manufacturing companies, both from a Business to business and Business to consumer. To gain deeper knowledge about SMEs strategic sourcing in manufacturing or service companies’ future research can focus on specific types of suppliers or product categories.
108
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115 Marketing Customers Suppliers Competitors Strategic Sourcing Competitive Benchmarking Company Appendix 1
The strategic triangle
116
Appendix 2
Strategic and operational sourcing activities
Strategic Sourcing activities Operational Activities
Manage relationships with suppliers/ capability evaluation (Talluri and
Narasimhan, 2004; Handfield et al. 2009).
Mange transactions and performance feedback with suppliers (Handfield et al. 2009).
Negotiate companywide supply contracts (Handfield et al. 2009).
Cost reduction and delivery time (Rendon, 2005; Pressey et al. 2007).
Manage critical commodities (Handfield et al. 2009).
Use e-systems to obtain standard or indirect items through catalogs (Handfield et al. 2009).
Highlight quality management, process capabilities, design and development capabilities (Talluri and Narasimhan, 2004; Rendon, 2005).
Quality improvement of products and services applied (Talluri and Narasimhan, 2004; Rendon, 2005; Pressey et al. 2007).
Develop electronic purchasing systems and focus on technology (Handfield et al. 2009; Van Weele, 2010).
Source items that is unique to the operating unit (Handfield et al. 2009).
117
Appendix 3
Interview guide
1. Strategic purchasing1.1 Do you have a purchasing strategy? Yes O No O
1.1.1 If yes, is your purchasing strategy linked to your corporate strategy? Yes O No O
1.2 Does purchasing department participate in the development of company’s corporate decisions/goals/corporate strategy/competitive strategy?
1.3 How is the company´s purchasing organization structured? Is it centralized or decentralized?
1.4 Who in the corporate hierarchy is most influential with regard to purchasing department decisions?
1.5 What are the core objectives/capabilities of purchasing department? 1.6 What are the company´s core objectives and strong competitive points? 2. Strategic sourcing
2.1. Are suppliers many or just one? How many suppliers do you have? (Not sub-contractors) 2.2.1 Why does the company choose single/multi sourcing?
2.2.2 Does the company have several suppliers for each product/each component?
2.2 How do you select your suppliers?
2.1.1 Are your supplier’s global/local (domestic) or both?
2.1.2 What is the reason for choosing a global/local (domestic) supplier? 2.1.3 Does it apply for all supplier or just a few?
2.3 When selecting and evaluating suppliers, how do you proceed? (Partnership vs competitive bidding)
2.3.1 Are the suppliers viewed as operational assets or are they a part of the internal organization?
2.3.2What does “relationships with suppliers” mean to you?
2.3.3 What do you value in terms of; quality, cost, delivery, capabilities, flexibility etc.?
2.3.4 How important is supplier’s attribute/goals/values in the decision making? 2.3.5 How long has the company worked with current suppliers?
2.3.6 Is your goal to search for new suppliers?
2.3.6.1 If yes, explain the reason for searching for new suppliers. 2.3.7 Is it important that you have a collaborative relationship with your suppliers? Yes O No O
2.3.8 Is the supplier performance measured in terms of its contributions to the company’s success?
2.3.9 Depending if the company use competitive or partnership sourcing, explain how that affects the contract terms and conditions.
118 3. IT and competitiveness
3.1 Competitive adtages
3.1.1 What are the company´s customer’s priorities and what needs is purchasing responsible for fulfilling?
3.1.2 What are the competitive advantages that the purchasing department focuses on?
3.1.3 Do you consider IT strategy as a competitive strategy? Yes O No O 3.2 IT
3.2.1 Is your order fulfillment process computerized? Yes O No O 3.2.2 What information does the company share with the suppliers?
3.2.3 What is the IT function for purchasing in the company? (Example fax, integrated ERP systems, Internet, web-based applications, etc)
3.2.4 Does your company use e-commerce? Yes O No O
3.2.4.1 If yes, is your purchasing and payment system linked to your supplier´s computer bases and are transactions done electronically? Yes O No O
3.2.4.2 If yes, do you consider this a competitive advantage? Yes O No O
3.2.5 Do you require your suppliers to synchronize their IT system with yours? Yes O No O
3.2.5.1 If yes, how much access do you allow for supplier to have in your system?
3.2.5.2 If yes, have you lost suppliers because they did not want to synchronize their IT system with yours? Yes O No O
3.2.6 Do you have an ERP system? Yes O No O
3.2.6.1 If no, how do you interact with your suppliers? Please explain (for example, do you use any integrated system) 3.2.7 Do the company use e-procurement? Yes O No O
3.2.7.1 If yes, do you consider it to be a competitive necessity? Yes O No O
119
Appendix 4
Summary of interview with pretesting company; Svetruck 1. Strategic purchasing
Svetruck don’t have a written purchasing strategy, but their activities are connected to the corporate strategy. The goal is to use suppliers that are well known and knowledgably about the business. Svetruck produces most of their component in-house and therefore buy mostly raw material. It makes R&D department smaller. The most important attributes of suppliers are the ability to offer high availability on components and high quality to create robust products. Their R&D department does not search for new suppliers, only when there is a need for development. It is the purchasing manager that takes purchasing decision and has the authority to take purchasing decisions regarding high amount of money or high refinement. For strategic decisions concerning changing brand for the engine, product development or larger decision the CEO would be involved. The purchasing department collaborates with R&D, construction and production department (Andersson, 2012).
2. Strategic sourcing 2.1 Single vs multi
Svetruck have around 400 active suppliers that used the last three years. They have different sorts of suppliers. Since the company mostly buy raw material they have several suppliers for the same material, such as steel because of the need to reduces cost. In those cases it is the daily rates and availability that determine. For standard components they have taken a strategic business decision to only use one supplier for each component or a specific brand. They use for example only one supplier for gear box and two for the engines. Reason to strategically choose one brand and one component is due to the market conditions (Andersson, 2012).
2.2 Global vs local
Most of their suppliers are places in Sweden and Europe. They do however have suppliers in Asia as well. Those are old supplier’s which Svetruck have built long lasting relationship with and from where offers components to older products. The negative aspect with global sourcing is long lead time and that it takes long time to secure the process and that the componentmeet demanded quality (Andersson, 2012).
120 2.3 Partnership vs competitive bidding
Relationship is an important factor for Svetruck and something that they nurture. The purchasing manager mentioned the importance in supplier’s knowledge about Svetruck organization, culture and way of working. An discussion were held about the specific location in Ljungby area, with several manufacturing companies is located close. The purchasing manager also mentioned that several smaller suppliers in the local area are proud of being suppliers for Svetruck. They change suppliers when a relationship does not function or when they are forced to choose new suppliers for other reasons. The company collaborates with suppliers in product development and mainly with existing suppliers. Product development and collaboration with suppliers occur when there is a specific demand from customers (Andersson, 2012).
3. Information technology
Svetruck use the ERP system Monitor, which were installed 2 may 2011 and are still being implemented in the organization. The system is not integrated with the suppliers and they do not use any EDI transaction. Suppliers also using Monitor have a special attached file that is synchronized through the system. Order transactions go via e-mail. Other communication with suppliers is made with e-mail, telephone meetings and face-to-face meetings. In most cases it is the supplier visiting Svetruck and not the other way around. In the future the