Track: Product Design and Development

Abstract

The electronic parts industry of Japan is very internationally competitive. However, the types of suppliers can be roughly classified into two types; a specialized supplier and a generalized supplier according to the on-going “selection and concentration” of business operations, and each supplier has a different product characteristics.

In recent years, the electronic parts industry in Japan attempts to increase its focus on the automotive market. While expanding auto parts transactions, it can be thought the differences in product characteristics in each supplier will make a difference in the relationship with customers.

In this paper, by comparing analysis of a specialized supplier and a generalized supplier increasing their focus on auto parts transactions, it is clarified generalized supplier tends to maintain fixed relationships with customers in comparison with specialized supplier in the auto parts transaction.