The scope and boundaries of companies in the automotive industry will be subjected to increasing change over the next ten years. With over-capacity of more than two million vehicles in Europe alone Original Equipment Manufacturers under increasing pressure to make to order and yet satisfy costumers in terms of delight, variety and availability. One way of doing this is by removing complexity from their business down to their suppliers. This will mean fewer first tier companies working far more closely in some form of partnership with the QEMs. They will become system rather than just product suppliers and will make on far greater roles in areas such as design and technology. The industry has already seen a number of take-overs and joint ventures as companies reposition or reconfigure themselves to make advantage of new opportunities. These new companies or consortia in turn will have difficulty in dealing with out-sourced complexity. They will also seek to reduce this complexity down to their suppliers. This however is not so easy. The majority of these UK sheet metal component suppliers are small in size and have found it difficult to take advantage of new technologies and innovations. While there is still a demand for their products, this may not be sufficient for a number of them to retain their supply chain positions in the future. The paper reports on the current state of automotive supply chains and the impact that changes in structure and operation are having on sheet metal companies. It argues that all Small and Medium Enterprises will need to reassess their own manufacturing and operational capabilities and be more proactive in determining their boundaries ie their supply chain position and roles. There are indeed many threats facing such companies, but there is opportunity as well for those who can manage such changes effectively.
Automotive supply chain - Issues for SMEs
1999
8 Seiten, 12 Quellen
Aufsatz (Konferenz)
Englisch
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