Suppliers' Associations in the Japanese Automobile Industry
Name
JP-WP-97-09.pdf
Size
2.83 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
7e03de125972acc346a21abcb07e7601
Author(s)
Sako, Mari
Date Issued
1997
Publisher
MIT-Japan Program
Series/Report no.
MITJP (Series);
Abstract
This paper analyzes the structure and functions of suppliers' associations (kyoryokukai) in the
automobile industry in Japan. The bilateral assembler-supplier relationship has received much
attention recently as a source of Japanese industrial competitiveness. However, this paper
argues that the hitherto neglected area of inter-supplier coordination in technology diffusion is
at least as important as the bilateral assembler-supplier relationship in accounting for the overall performance of the Japanese automotive industry. On the basis of company visits and a largescale survey of first-tier suppliers conducted by the author, the paper analyzes the reasons why suppliers' associations were established, why they continue to exist today, and their effects on economic performance.
Subjects
automobile
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