ERIC Number: ED337589
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1989-Dec
Pages: 54
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Supplier Relationships and Training. Contractor Report.
Tornatzky, Louis G.; And Others
A study was undertaken to describe how changes in the network of transactions that occur between manufacturers and suppliers have affected the scope and nature of training and related human resource practices within supplier firms. Data came from the published literature, expert opinion, and a phone survey of 15 individuals ranging from manufactuers, suppliers, to training experts. Findings indicated that markets in which U.S. firms and products were competing became increasingly internationalized over the past decade. For supplier firms, that competitive arena was characterized more by issues of quality and delivery, as opposed to strict price considerations. This, in turn, had a significant impact on the use of advanced production and process technologies and induced major structural changes in relationships between suppliers of parts and components and their original equipment manufacturing (OEM) customers. In turn, the structuring in OEM-supplier relationships had an impact on a variety of business and management practices. Suppliers saw more training as being strategically important but were strapped by the inability to deliver it. The resultant pattern was continued reliance on equipment vendors and other third-party providers. U.S. OEMs and their suppliers were moving toward the "Japanese Supplier Model." Enhancement of training delivery capacity within supplier firms was recommended. (Appendixes include 29 references, survey report, and telephone protocol.) (YLB)
Publication Type: Information Analyses
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. Office of Technology Assessment.
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A