IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wsi/ijimxx/v21y2017i03ns1363919617500268.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Identifying The ‘Right’ Supplier For Module Developments — A Cross-Industrial Case Analysis

Author

Listed:
  • JUSTUS ERICH EGGERS

    (University of Twente, Drienerlolaan, 5, 7522 NB Enschede, Netherlands)

  • ERWIN HOFMAN

    (University of Twente, Drienerlolaan, 5, 7522 NB Enschede, Netherlands)

  • HOLGER SCHIELE

    (University of Twente, Drienerlolaan, 5, 7522 NB Enschede, Netherlands)

  • ELMAR HOLSCHBACH

    (#x2020;University of Applied Sciences South Westphalia, Lindenstr 53, 59872 Meschede, Germany)

Abstract

Relational view argues that buying companies should integrate supplier resources in new product development (NPD) projects to realise competitive advantages. Due to decoupling of modules and the associated opportunity to allocate development activities to upstream suppliers, modular product architectures are considered to be a driving factor for the integration of supplier resources. Module developments are associated with substantial investments, long-term orientation and risks across product families for the buying firm. Therefore, supplier integration for module development is highly critical. Regardless of the relevance, research has not yet analysed, which supplier competence are considered as antecedents for successful module developments with suppliers. To close the identified gap, this paper analysed case companies from the automotive, agriculture equipment and rail vehicle industry. Technical, organisational and relationship aspects are identified as critical success factors. The results contribute to theory by adding to relational view the finding that competences for successful collaborations differ in accordance to the level of interaction between suppliers and buying firms. Moreover, this study provides a model and an evaluation scheme that helps practitioners to allocate the best suitable development role to suppliers within module developments.

Suggested Citation

  • Justus Erich Eggers & Erwin Hofman & Holger Schiele & Elmar Holschbach, 2017. "Identifying The ‘Right’ Supplier For Module Developments — A Cross-Industrial Case Analysis," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 21(03), pages 1-33, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:wsi:ijimxx:v:21:y:2017:i:03:n:s1363919617500268
    DOI: 10.1142/S1363919617500268
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/S1363919617500268
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1142/S1363919617500268?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sharon Novak & Steven D. Eppinger, 2001. "Sourcing By Design: Product Complexity and the Supply Chain," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 47(1), pages 189-204, January.
    2. Holger Schiele & Richard Calvi & Michael Gibbert, 2012. "Customer attractiveness, supplier satisfaction and preferred customer status: Introduction, definitions and an overarching framework," Post-Print hal-00948480, HAL.
    3. Kathleen M. Eisenhardt & Claudia Bird Schoonhoven, 1996. "Resource-based View of Strategic Alliance Formation: Strategic and Social Effects in Entrepreneurial Firms," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 7(2), pages 136-150, April.
    4. Nepal, Bimal & Monplaisir, Leslie & Famuyiwa, Oluwafemi, 2012. "Matching product architecture with supply chain design," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 216(2), pages 312-325.
    5. Langlois, Richard N. & Robertson, Paul L., 1992. "Networks and innovation in a modular system: Lessons from the microcomputer and stereo component industries," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 21(4), pages 297-313, August.
    6. Doran, Desmond & Hill, Alex & Hwang, Ki-Soon & Jacob, Gregoire, 2007. "Supply chain modularisation: Cases from the French automobile industry," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 106(1), pages 2-11, March.
    7. Vincent Frigant & Damien Talbot, 2005. "Technological Determinism and Modularity: Lessons from a Comparison between Aircraft and Auto Industries in Europe," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(3), pages 337-355.
    8. Robert M. Grant & Charles Baden‐Fuller, 2004. "A Knowledge Accessing Theory of Strategic Alliances," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(1), pages 61-84, January.
    9. von Hippel, Eric, 1990. "Task partitioning: An innovation process variable," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 19(5), pages 407-418, October.
    10. Akira Takeishi, 2002. "Knowledge Partitioning in the Interfirm Division of Labor: The Case of Automotive Product Development," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 13(3), pages 321-338, June.
    11. T. K. Das & Bing-Sheng Teng, 2000. "Instabilities of Strategic Alliances: An Internal Tensions Perspective," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 11(1), pages 77-101, February.
    12. Ulrich, Karl, 1995. "The role of product architecture in the manufacturing firm," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 24(3), pages 419-440, May.
    13. Vincent Frigant & Damien Talbot, 2005. "Technological determinism and modularity : lessons from a comparison between Aircraft and Auto Industries in Europe," Post-Print hal-00153097, HAL.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Vincent FRIGANT (E3i, IFReDE-GRES), 2005. "Proximities in Modular Production: an Analysis of the Globalization of the Automotive Fisrt Tier Suppliers (In French)," Cahiers du GRES (2002-2009) 2005-11, Groupement de Recherches Economiques et Sociales.
    2. Damien Talbot, 2018. "L’industrie aéronautique civile européenne : vers une banalisation ?," Post-Print halshs-02007393, HAL.
    3. Nicholas Burton & Peter Galvin, 2020. "Component complementarity and transaction costs: the evolution of product design," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 14(4), pages 845-867, August.
    4. Cabigiosu, Anna & Zirpoli, Francesco & Camuffo, Arnaldo, 2013. "Modularity, interfaces definition and the integration of external sources of innovation in the automotive industry," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 662-675.
    5. Vincent FRIGANT, 2007. "Between Internationalisation and Proximity: the internationalisation process of automotive first tier suppliers," Cahiers du GREThA (2007-2019) 2007-13, Groupe de Recherche en Economie Théorique et Appliquée (GREThA).
    6. Vincent Frigant, 2007. "L'impact de la production modulaire sur l'approfondissement de la Division Internationale des Processus Productifs (DIPP)," Revue d'économie politique, Dalloz, vol. 117(6), pages 937-961.
    7. Frigant, Vincent & Layan, Jean-Bernard, 2009. "Géographie d’une industrie automobile modulaire : le cas des équipementiers français en Europe de l’Est," Revue d'économie régionale et urbaine, Editions NecPlus, vol. 2009(04), pages 711-737, December.
    8. Vincent FRIGANT, 2013. "Une comparaison de l’internationalisation des chaînes d’approvisionnement automobiles allemande et française," Cahiers du GREThA (2007-2019) 2013-09, Groupe de Recherche en Economie Théorique et Appliquée (GREThA).
    9. Vincent FRIGANT & Stéphanie PERES & Stéphane VIROL, 2012. "How do SMEs to rise at the top of the supply chain? An econometric exploration of the French auto industry (In French)," Cahiers du GREThA (2007-2019) 2012-16, Groupe de Recherche en Economie Théorique et Appliquée (GREThA).
    10. Alessandro Rossi & Alessandro Narduzzo, 2003. "Modular design and the development of complex artifact lesson fron free open source software," Quaderni DISA 080, Department of Computer and Management Sciences, University of Trento, Italy, revised 29 Sep 2003.
    11. Med KECHIDI (LEREPS-GRES), 2006. "The dynamics of the vertical relations in the aeronautics: An analysis of the subcontracting relationships of Airbus (In French)," Cahiers du GRES (2002-2009) 2006-10, Groupement de Recherches Economiques et Sociales.
    12. Simge Tuna & Stefano Brusoni & Anja Schulze, 2019. "Architectural knowledge generation: evidence from a field study," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 28(5), pages 977-1009.
    13. Vincent FRIGANT, 2011. "Egyptian pyramid or Aztec pyramid: How should we describe the industrial architecture of automotive supply chains in Europe?," Cahiers du GREThA (2007-2019) 2011-27, Groupe de Recherche en Economie Théorique et Appliquée (GREThA).
    14. Stefano Brusoni & Keith Pavitt, 2003. "Problem solving and the co-ordination of innovative activities," SPRU Working Paper Series 93, SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School.
    15. Cédric Durand & David Flacher & Vincent Frigant, 2018. "Étudier les chaînes globales de valeur comme une forme d’organisation industrielle," Revue d'économie industrielle, De Boeck Université, vol. 0(3), pages 13-34.
    16. Marie CORIS & Vincent FRIGANT & Yannick LUNG, 2009. "Organizational change and institutional diversity (In French)," Cahiers du GREThA (2007-2019) 2009-23, Groupe de Recherche en Economie Théorique et Appliquée (GREThA).
    17. Alessandro Narduzzo & Alessandro Rossi, 2003. "Modular Design and the Development of Complex Artifacts: Lessons from Free/Open Source Software," ROCK Working Papers 021, Department of Computer and Management Sciences, University of Trento, Italy, revised 12 Jun 2008.
    18. Vincent Frigant & J.F Lampon & P. Cabanelas, 2017. "The new automobile modular platforms: from the product architecture to the manufacturing network approach?," Post-Print hal-02150377, HAL.
    19. Andreas Reinstaller, 2011. "The Modularity of Technology and Organisations. Implications for the Theory of the Firm," WIFO Working Papers 398, WIFO.
    20. Gang Zhang & Ruoyang Gao, 2010. "Modularity and incremental innovation: the roles of design rules and organizational communication," Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory, Springer, vol. 16(2), pages 171-200, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wsi:ijimxx:v:21:y:2017:i:03:n:s1363919617500268. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Tai Tone Lim (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.worldscinet.com/ijim/ijim.shtml .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.