Overcoming Barriers to Supply Chain Involvement in Supplier Integration into New Product Development

Abstract

A strategic imperative for supplier integration into new product development (SINPD) is driven by the ever increasing demand for innovative products and global competition. SINPD leverages cross functional knowledge and external supplier capabilities to achieve innovation and quality, reduce costs, and accelerate market introduction. This paper examines expected supply chain management (SCM) personnel contributions to SINPD and the barriers to be overcome for SCM professionals to be strategic partners in such efforts. Significant barriers include misaligned supply strategy, unsupportive culture, limited capabilities, and lack of integrated processes. Survey methodology is used to develop a framework for overcoming such barriers based on insights from SCM professionals. The findings suggest that simultaneous top-down and bottom-up approaches to eliminating barriers is warranted. This research extends the discussion on SINPD by empirically examining the operational and strategic dimensions of organizational structures and processes that limit the contributions of SCM personnel toward the success of SINPD.