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Inventory Reduction and Productivity Growth: A Comparison of Japanese and US Automotive Sectors

Author

Listed:
  • Marvin B. Lieberman

    (Anderson Graduate School of Management, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA)

  • Shigeru Asaba

    (Anderson Graduate School of Management, UCLA, and Gakushuin University, Tokyo, Japan.)

Abstract

This study assesses the inventory and productivity performance of the Japanese and US automotive industries in recent decades. Within each country we distinguish between vehicle assemblers and parts suppliers. In Japan, assemblers and suppliers made dramatic inventory reductions and productivity gains, particularly during the 1970s. By comparison, we find an unbalanced pattern for the United States: American assembly plants have been streamlined, but parts suppliers have stagnated. In both countries our findings suggest a strong association between inventory reduction and productivity growth © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Suggested Citation

  • Marvin B. Lieberman & Shigeru Asaba, 1997. "Inventory Reduction and Productivity Growth: A Comparison of Japanese and US Automotive Sectors," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 18(2), pages 73-85.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:mgtdec:v:18:y:1997:i:2:p:73-85
    DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1099-1468(199703)18:2<73::AID-MDE811>3.0.CO;2-H
    as

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Bergenwall, Amy L. & Chen, Chialin & White, Richard E., 2012. "TPS's process design in American automotive plants and its effects on the triple bottom line and sustainability," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 140(1), pages 374-384.
    2. Chiang, Chung-Yean & Qian, Zhuang & Chuang, Chia-Hung & Tang, Xiao & Chou, Chia-Ching, 2023. "Examining demand and supply-chain antecedents of inventory dynamics: Evidence from automotive industry," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 259(C).
    3. Klinedinst, Mark, 2007. "Cooperative comebacks: resilience in the face of the Hurricane Katrina Catastrophe (New Orleans and Southern Mississippi, May 2005–May 2006)," MPRA Paper 28521, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. S.G. Mani & Bhimaraya Metri, 2014. "Optimization of Work-in-Progress Inventory of Bottleneck Process: A Case Study of Passenger Car Industry," Global Business Review, International Management Institute, vol. 15(4_suppl), pages 49-58, December.
    5. Susan Helper & Rebecca Henderson, 2014. "Management Practices, Relational Contracts, and the Decline of General Motors," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 28(1), pages 49-72, Winter.
    6. Marvin B. Lieberman & Rajeev Dhawan, 2005. "Assessing the Resource Base of Japanese and U.S. Auto Producers: A Stochastic Frontier Production Function Approach," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 51(7), pages 1060-1075, July.
    7. Brun, Alessandro & Capra, Eugenio & Miragliotta, Giovanni, 2009. "VRP revisited: The impact of behavioural costs in balancing standardisation and variety," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 117(1), pages 16-29, January.
    8. Gérard P. Cachon & Marcelo Olivares, 2010. "Drivers of Finished-Goods Inventory in the U.S. Automobile Industry," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 56(1), pages 202-216, January.
    9. Marvin B. Lieberman & Lieven Demeester, 1999. "Inventory Reduction and Productivity Growth: Linkages in the Japanese Automotive Industry," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 45(4), pages 466-485, April.
    10. Obermaier, Robert, 2012. "German inventory to sales ratios 1971–2005—An empirical analysis of business practice," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 135(2), pages 964-976.
    11. Sergey Rumyantsev & Serguei Netessine, 2007. "What Can Be Learned from Classical Inventory Models? A Cross-Industry Exploratory Investigation," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 9(4), pages 409-429, April.
    12. Chuang, Chia-Hung & Zhao, Yabing, 2019. "Demand stimulation in finished-goods inventory management: Empirical evidence from General Motors dealerships," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 208(C), pages 208-220.
    13. Yumiko Okamoto, 1999. "Multinationals, production efficiency, and spillover effects: The case of the U.S. auto parts industry," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 135(2), pages 241-260, June.
    14. Klinedinst, Mark, 2011. "Going forward financially: credit unions as an alternative to commercial banks," MPRA Paper 33962, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. Demeter, Krisztina & Golini, Ruggero, 2014. "Inventory configurations and drivers: An international study of assembling industries," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 157(C), pages 62-73.
    16. Klinedinst, Mark, 2010. "Bad loans in the meltdown: micro analysis of credit union performance versus banks, an initial investigation," MPRA Paper 27434, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    17. Klinedinst, Mark, 2008. "A strength of credit unions: employee productivity of credit unions versus banks in the U.S.?," MPRA Paper 26296, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    18. Casalin, Fabrizio & Pang, Gu & Maioli, Sara & Cao, Ting, 2017. "Inventories and the concentration of suppliers and customers: Evidence from the Chinese manufacturing sector," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 193(C), pages 148-159.

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