LESS PAIN BUT WHAT GAIN - A COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFECTS OF JAPANESE AND NON-JAPANESE CAR ASSEMBLERS BUYER-SUPPLIER RELATIONS IN THE UK AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

In this paper, a national survey of UK-based automotive component firm s, supported by interviews with suppliers and car makers, is used to c ompare the effectiveness of Japanese and non-Japanese car assemblers' buyer-supplier relations in a western context. The survey indicates th at buyer-supplier relationships with Japanese car assemblers are regar ded by component suppliers as better than their relationships with non -Japanese car assemblers in passing information about new working prac tices and creating better relationships through the supply chain. Howe ver, although a majority of suppliers of the Japanese believe their co mpetitiveness and consequently their chances of gaining orders from ot her car assemblers have increased, other evidence from suppliers and c ar assemblers also highlights potential structural and attitudinal bar riers to these new orders actually being realised. The Endings are gen eralised in order to speculate on the future for the UK-based automoti ve component industry. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.