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  • April 6, 2022
  • Article
  • Harvard Business Review Digital Articles

In Uncertain Times, Big Companies Need to Take Care of Their Suppliers

By: Willy C. Shih
  • Format:Electronic
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Abstract

Many large original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have long been ruthless with their suppliers, demanding extremely low prices and loading them up with risks. Given that the current turmoil buffeting global supply chains is unlikely to end anytime soon, OEMs should reconsider their supplier policies. They include moving beyond their transactional behavior and treating suppliers more like partners, implementing greater price flexibility in contracts, and rethinking inventory levels and where in the supply chain stock is carried.

Keywords

Supplier Relationship; Supply Chain Management; Supply Chain; Relationships; Risk and Uncertainty; Auto Industry; Industrial Products Industry; Manufacturing Industry; United States

Citation

Shih, Willy C. "In Uncertain Times, Big Companies Need to Take Care of Their Suppliers." Harvard Business Review Digital Articles (April 6, 2022).
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About The Author

Willy C. Shih

Technology and Operations Management
→More Publications

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More from the Author
  • Knowledge Transfer: Toyota, NUMMI, and GM By: Willy Shih
  • Vanguard Retail Operations By: Antonio Moreno, Willy C. Shih and Margaret Underwood
  • U.S. Steel: Proposed Acquisition by Nippon Steel By: Willy C. Shih
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