Purpose

This paper adopts a multi-tier perspective and aims to explore challenges of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in collaborative manufacturing amid the emergence of dedicated B2B platforms. Original equipment manufacturers welcome formation of demand-driven collaborations between SME suppliers to facilitate ramp-up of production capacity. While being potentially beneficial to suppliers, such collaborations face various barriers.

Design/methodology/approach

An exploratory study of 17 suppliers within the European Union’s aerospace industry was undertaken. The study comprised two stages. In the first stage, suppliers’ answers to self-administered interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. In the second stage, interactions between the barriers were determined through interviews with experienced SME collaboration facilitators. The authors apply system dynamics modelling to analyse the links between barriers and identify re-enforcing and balancing loops of other factors.

Findings

The authors establish five major groups of barriers to collaboration impeding: market transparency, access to orders, partner trust, contracting and (e) data sharing and coordination. The authors model application of four enablers that facilitate barrier removal for technology-enabled supply chains: digital platforms, supplier development, smart contracts and Industry 4.0.

Research limitations/implications

The study is limited by the data collection from the aerospace industry; validation of the models in other low-volume high-variability manufacturing sectors is needed.

Practical implications

The reader will learn about the barriers which impede demand-driven SME collaboration within manufacturing supply chains, interrelationships between these barriers and suggestions about how to remove them. SME cluster managers will find managerial implications particularly interesting as they will help them to overcome collaboration concerns and better prepare cluster members for Industry 4.0.

Social implications

The models developed within this study can be used to explore the effects of intervening at critical points in the model to create virtuous improvement cycles between key barriers and related variables in the model. This can help decision-making and policymaking in the area of supply chain integration.

Originality/value

There is currently a lack of studies about how the existing barriers amplify and de-amplify themselves and what the managerial approaches to tackle the barriers are. It is unclear how far companies will go in terms of information sharing, given the trust levels, power dynamics and governance structures evident in supply chains. This study contributes by explaining the reinforcing interaction between the barriers and showing ways to overcome these using enablers.

中文翻译：

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调查在小批量、高可变性制造中需求驱动的中小企业合作的障碍

目的

本文采用多层次的视角，旨在探讨在专用 B2B 平台出现的情况下，中小型企业 (SME) 在协同制造中面临的挑战。原始设备制造商欢迎中小企业供应商之间形成以需求为导向的合作，以促进产能提升。虽然可能对供应商有利，但此类合作面临各种障碍。

设计/方法/方法

对欧盟航空航天业的 17 家供应商进行了探索性研究。该研究包括两个阶段。在第一阶段，使用主题分析分析供应商对自我管理访谈的回答。在第二阶段，通过采访经验丰富的中小企业合作促进者来确定障碍之间的相互作用。作者应用系统动力学建模来分析障碍之间的联系，并确定其他因素的强化和平衡循环。

发现

作者确定了阻碍协作的五类主要障碍：市场透明度、订单获取、合作伙伴信任、合同以及 (e) 数据共享和协调。作者模拟了四种促进技术支持的供应链障碍消除的推动因素的应用：数字平台、供应商开发、智能合约和工业 4.0。

研究限制/影响

该研究受到航空航天工业数据收集的限制；需要在其他小批量高可变性制造部门验证模型。

实际影响

读者将了解阻碍制造供应链中需求驱动的中小企业合作的障碍、这些障碍之间的相互关系以及如何消除这些障碍的建议。中小企业集群管理者会发现管理影响特别有趣，因为它们将帮助他们克服协作问题并更好地为工业 4.0 做好集群成员的准备。

社会影响

本研究中开发的模型可用于探索在模型中的关键点进行干预以在模型中的关键障碍和相关变量之间创建良性改进循环的效果。这有助于供应链整合领域的决策和政策制定。

原创性/价值

目前缺乏关于现有障碍如何放大和减弱自身以及解决这些障碍的管理方法的研究。鉴于供应链中明显的信任水平、权力动态和治理结构，目前尚不清楚公司在信息共享方面能走多远。本研究通过解释障碍之间的强化相互作用并展示使用促成因素克服这些障碍的方法来做出贡献。