A model for Supplier Relationship Management

En un mundo globalizado las empresas no solo compiten por clientes, sino también por proveedores. La colaboración y el trabajo en equipo con proveedores se ha convertido en algo crítico y estratégico para lograr una ventaja competitiva y la satisfacción de los clientes. En este contexto las empresas necesitan atraer a los mejores proveedores y asegurarse de que estos se conviertan en aliados en relaciones duraderas a lo largo del tiempo. Para ello es fundamental que los mencionados proveedores valoren positivamente esta relación. Este estudio se basa en un estudio de caso de una empresa del sector aeronáutico y propone un modelo de gestión de la relación con los proveedores.

Organizations in a globalized business world not only compete for customers but also for suppliers. Supplier collaboration and partnership have become critical in order to achieve a competitive advantage and customer satisfaction (quality, customization, innovation, distinctive customer experience, etc.). In this context, companies need to attract and retain promising and high performant suppliers that contribute with their ideas, capabilities and materials (Pullets et al., 2015). They need to become the customer of choice for their best suppliers. Traditionally, literature in supplier relationship management was oriented from customer perspective (companies evaluating their suppliers); some recent literature underline the importance of considering supplier satisfaction in the buyer-supplier relationship, how to measure it and the role it plays in becoming a customer of choice. But a research gap on identifying and measuring supplier experience exists. Based on the case study of Aciturri, a top aeronautical manufacturer, this paper introduces the concept of supplier journey and presents a model to evaluate not only the supplier satisfaction but also the supplier experience. Based on qualitative and quantitative approaches, the proposed model presents the following results: (i) identification of the stages in a supplier journey (Contracting, Industrializing, Series/Ordering); (ii) identification of the key moments (6) and moments of truth (12) in a customer-supplier relationship; (iii) a clear methodology about how to assess facts and perceptions; (iv) and finally an evaluation of the supplier experience.