IDAZKUNAK Artículo 416 Cada día, antes de extender el primer

The setting for this study is the automotive industry which seems an appropriate choice for reasons concerning both the lean and green approaches. Their implementation is a specific issue that is not always applied by the organizations in all their departments or areas. A selection of research places is shaped by the choice of research topics (Pettigrew, 1990). This industry sector has high levels of lean and green implementation (Azevedo et al., 2012) which allow a better understanding of the role of the integration between them. In addition, it is also expected that automotive multinational companies play an active role in developing sustainable supply chain contributing for the successful development of business (Carvalho et al., 2011b).

The selection of this sector was also because of its importance to the Portuguese economy (Carvalho et al., 2011b). The Portuguese automotive sector, in 2011 sold 80% of the production to foreign markets, representing 4.3% of the country’s ross Domestic Product (AFIA, 2012). The principal strengths for the development of this sector in Portugal are the technique skills, presence of multinationals, history as exporter and low wage costs (AFIA, 2012).

The process of choosing where the research was carry out, was based on "planned opportunism" (Pettigrew, 1990). This research used an automaker that is partner in an

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international research project, the LARG_SCM project mentioned in previous chapters.

The case study was developed in a single automotive supply chain. This research work was created through a study on the automaker and their suppliers in the region center of Portugal. This sector has established itself as one of the most important centers of regional development. The supply chain consists in downstream linkages where the automaker produces according to the final customer needs; in the opposite direction, the upstream linkages consist in partnerships with their suppliers. The automaker is the leader partner in the supply chain and is the company that pulls the business.

The pull flow was extended beyond the boundary of the automaker factory to include the upstream supply chain. The study falls in upstream supply chain specifically in automaker and their suppliers located in an Industrial Park close to the automaker. The focus of the investigation centers on the companies and the processes that influence the supply chain. The study was limited to companies located in the Industrial Park being the only option available by the automaker. Therefore the possibility of applying this research to other companies of the group outside the country was excluded from the beginning. The automaker can rule the upstream SC processes and can influence the SC in terms of lean-green management. How lean- green elements defined in conceptual framework are developed is the question that wants to respond.

The universe considered for this study consists of different organizations in terms of the development of activities. According to Eisenhardt and Graebner (2007) "adding three cases to a single-case study is modest in terms of numbers, but offers four times the analytic power". The cases have been selected to offer contrasting in some situation is terms of lean and green applicable.

In a first phase of this research nine companies, considering focal company, first-tier suppliers and logistic service providers (LSPs), have been contacted. Relative to the suppliers, six were first-tier suppliers of materials and components parts and the other two LSPs. In all cases, it was made a first interview with leading experts and it was made a visit to the plant site to get an overview of the business of the organization. By a matter of time management of the organization in query, only four suppliers have accepted to continue the process of case study. Therefore it was considered a universe with three different research groups: i) the automaker; ii) second group consists of three first-tier supplier and one LSP which give a deepened data and; iii) the third group where it was made a less profound study. Table 5.1 summarizes the profiles according to, position in the supply chain, company type, and product type and organization size

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Table 5. 1 - Details of the case companies

Case study Position in SC Product type _{(n. of employees)} Company size

Company 1 Focal company Vehicles 3600

Company 2 First-tier supplier Exhaust system 70

Company 3 First-tier supplier Front /rear suspension _{and Front/rear axle} 100 Company 4 First-tier supplier Interior doors and _{panels modules} 320

Company 5 LSP Steel coils 50

Company 6 First-tier supplier Cockpit 115

Company 7 First-tier supplier Paints *

Company 8 First-tier supplier Hard top 255

Company 9 LSP - 50

Legend: * Without information

The company 1 manufactures passenger and multi-purpose vehicles. Company 2 is in the metalomechanics area of business and is a multinational company leader in the production of exhaust systems and catalytic converters. The product delivery to automaker is the exhaust systems. The Company 3 is a multinational company and is in the metalomechanics area of business. Today the company is a component assembly chassis module, suspension components and welding of metal parts for the automotive industry. The product delivery to automaker is front/rear axle and front/rear suspension. Another fist-tier supplier is the company 4 and is in the Interior Systems area of business and the product delivery to automaker is doors and panels modules. Company 5 is a logistic service provider and is in the area of services with the objective of supporting some distant first-tier suppliers. This company has the responsibility to receive, storage and deliver the steel coils to automaker. Company 6 is a joint venture of two other suppliers that provides the cockpit. Company 7 is a multinational company and is in the coating car area. The company supports the sourcing and management of the automaker paint area. The company 8 makes part of multinational company. It supplies the hard top of one vehicle model. Company 9 supplies the transport and logistics services. This company provides the transport services of automaker covering full loads and mixed cargo.

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Some of these companies are also second-tier suppliers from other suppliers in the Industrial Park. For example, company 3 supplies the skeleton of cockpit to company 6. The company 7 supplies with paints to company 4 for their paint area.