Contract coaters, customers and closeness - Barriers to partnership development in the UK surface finishing sector

Although partnership sourcing and supplier rationalization seems to be a gr owth activity in industry as a whole, there is little evidence of enthusias m for partnership development from the sub-contract surface engineering and finishing part of the supply chain. A survey of UK zinc and nickel electro platers indicates that size of plater and asymmetry of customer and plater sizes may be important in inhibiting partnership development with customers .