Collaborative supplier development for Lean implementation: a case study

Enterprises face numerous barriers when dealing with Lean implementation campaigns, especially if the companies’ dimensions are small. Recent studies highlighted the struggles of small firms in dealing with Lean implementation barriers, but few discussed the importance of collaborative supply chain relationships to overcome these barriers. This article depicts a case study undertaken in a company that shows how a collaborative customer-supplier relationship can help small-medium enterprises enter the Lean philosophy. The methodology used in this paper is a case study carried out in one Italian mechanical company working mainly as a tier-two supplier in the automotive sector. The implementation of Lean in this firm was prompted and actively supported by a tier-one automotive firm settled in Italy. The outcome of this paper depicts a successful Lean implementation in an SME thanks to the use of Lean Thinking tools, the collaborative relationship between customer-supplier and the support given by the first to the latter. This research limit lies in using a single case study and the lack of a long-term study period. This paper can help managers, practitioners, and firms understand the potentiality and opportunities given by the collaboration between different supply chain actors, ensuring a successful Lean implementation.