BUYER-SUPPLIER RELATIONSHIP ON LEAN MANUFACTURING CONTEXT: A METAL/MECHANICAL SECTOR CASE STUDY

Companies performance depends on their relationship with others supply chain elements, especially on lean manufacturing context. In order to better managing supply chain relationships it is necessary understanding the differences among companies (buyers and/or suppliers) and context characteristics where the relationships are going on. This study characterizes the buyer-supplier relationship from the supplier perspective through variables, constructs and taxonomies identified in a bibliographic review. Multiple case studies in a metal-mechanic sector were conducted in order to characterize the buyer-supplier relationship. The five suppliers studied participated in a Lean Manufacturing program sponsored by the buyer, over the years 2008 and 2009. Results show that the relationship focus is still economic or, as some authors affirm, there is domain of product logic instead integration logic.