Free-Pass Model to Manage Quality Relationships With Suppliers： An Italian Case Study

In order to be competitive in today＇s challenging business environment, manufacturing companies must have the ability to effectively integrate internal functions within a company and effectively link them to the external operations of suppliers and supply chain members. This could be done thanks to the implementation of an effective Supply Chain Management System. The aim of the research is to contribute to the literature panorama on Lean Supply Chain Management through the analysis of a case study of Alpha, Italian company in the arm industry, which has developed a new model called ＂Free-Pass＂, and to give a useful, realistic tool, expendable by companies that want to open up to Lean Supply Chain. A qualitative approach has been chosen, based on a longitudinal, single case study; a semi-structured interview has been carried out per year, with the company＇s Quality Manager from 2009, the year in which the ＂Free-Pass＂ model has been implemented, until 2016. Relevant secondary data were also used such as company reports, web site, and performance quantitative data. The implementation of the Free-Pass model across the company leads to a great change, both in terms of the transformation of the production process in a process flow ＂pulled＂, both at the organizational level, with the reduction of hierarchical levels, the process orientation, cross-functional teams, the streamlining of functions, and above all, the involvement of suppliers. This implied a radical change in thinking from management and from all the staff and a true ＂cultural revolution＂ for the company itself and for its suppliers, but it bought to both financial and organizational benefits. In conclusion the research has shown the importance of implementing quality relationships with suppliers based on trust and cooperation in order to achieve mutual benefits. The value of the research is given by the definition of a new model of Lean Supply Chain as an important tool of operation management which is expendable by companies.

China Procurement-Leveraging Supplier Selection and Supplier Management for Success

Successful China pro- curement is the result of a comprehensive set of complex and high-ly-specialized processes. Dis- tilling this down to a ＂magical recipe＂ for success is no simple task, and there are no shortcuts. However, as a useful reference, two fundamental ingredients for procurement success are： the selection of the right suppliers： and the effective management of chosen suppliers to optimize their performance.

Web-based supplier relationship framework using agent systems

In order to enable both manufacturers and suppliers to be profitable on today’s highly competitive markets, manufacturers and suppliers must be quick in selecting best partners establishing strategic relationship, and collaborating with each other so that they can satisfy the changing competitive manufacturing requirements. A web-based supplier relationships (SR) framework is therfore proposed using multi-agent systems and linear programming technique to reduce supply cost, increase flexibility and shorten response time. Web-based SR approach is an ideal platform for information exchange that helps buyers and suppliers to maintain the availability of materials in the right quantity, at the right place, and at the right time, and keep the customer-supplier relationship more transparent. A multi-agent system prototype was implemented by simulation, which shows the feasibility of the proposed architecture.

Mapping Customer-Supplier Relationships

This paper proposes that organizational performance improvement could be achieved through improving the relationship between suppliers and customers. Accordingly, the paper proposes that performance could be improved by properly managing differences （gaps） that are usually found between customers＇ expectations and of suppliers perception with respect to services delivered. The paper also proposes that gaps in the relationship between customers and suppliers could be analyzed using mapping techniques. The paper points to the possibility of finding perception gaps and expectation gaps in the interrelated value attributes of goods and/or services; namely quality, cost, and time of delivery of goods or services to customers. In addition, the paper suggests that those gaps may impact on the performance from the perspectives of quality, cost, and speed of delivery of the service. It is envisaged that this research could assist management in controlling cost and avoid wastage and improve organizational performance.