The Benefits of Collaborating with Suppliers on Design

Supply Chain Management Review staff -- Supply Chain Management Review, 3/2/2007

An article from Manufacturing Business Technology magazine, "A Winning Strategy," provides an illustration of how Lockheed Martin is working with suppliers on the design of the new F-35 Lightning II aircraft. Collaborating with suppliers in this way has led to fewer "fit rejections," or problems with parts not fitting together.

Lockheed Martin is not alone, according the article author Sidney Hill Jr., more globally dispersed product-development teams are driving the need for more sophisticated product lifecycle management tools.

General Motors, for example, has been able to reduce its product development cycle time by virtually integrating key supplies into every stage in the vehicle development process. Kirk Gutmann of GM explains how in "How GM is Accelerating Vehicle Development" from the May/June 2003 Supply Chain Management Review.