“汽車廠商一直面臨的挑戰(zhàn)非常簡(jiǎn)單：他們需要了解改進(jìn)工作流程與改善工作關(guān)系之間的區(qū)別。但一些廠商就是不明白這個(gè)簡(jiǎn)單的道理，他們以為公司是在努力改善與供應(yīng)商之間的工作關(guān)系，而事實(shí)上，他們只是在努力改進(jìn)工作流程而已，”Planning Perspectives Inc.（PPI公司）總裁John Henke Jr.博士如是說(shuō)。PPI公司坐落于密歇根州，主要研究廠商與供應(yīng)商之間的關(guān)系。
今年5月16日，PPI公司發(fā)布了《2016年北美汽車OEM與一級(jí)供應(yīng)商間的工作關(guān)系指數(shù)(WRI)報(bào)告》（PPI's 2016 North American Automotive OEM-Tier 1 Supplier Working Relations Index (WRI) Study），多家供應(yīng)商在報(bào)告中評(píng)價(jià)了公司與世界六大汽車廠商，即菲亞特克萊斯勒汽車（Fiat Chrysler Automobile）、福特（Ford）、通用（General Motors）、本田（Honda）、日產(chǎn)（Nissan）與豐田（Toyota）的工作關(guān)系，并對(duì)這些公司進(jìn)行了排序。據(jù)了解，一共有來(lái)自492家一級(jí)企業(yè)供應(yīng)商的647位員工參與了2016年的報(bào)告調(diào)查，而這些供應(yīng)商承包了這些汽車廠商（以上）年采購(gòu)量的63%。
在這6家汽車廠商中，僅通用汽車較去年取得了顯著提升，得分提高了26分。但這些改進(jìn)仍不足以讓通用公司進(jìn)入WRI評(píng)分中“好 -非常好（Good – Very Good）”的級(jí)別。
“今年唯一的亮點(diǎn)是通用汽車。” Henke博士向《SAE汽車工程雜志》表示，“通用的進(jìn)步非常明顯，已經(jīng)回到公司三年前的水平。”廠商如果能夠保持與供應(yīng)商的良好溝通，并對(duì)彼此的合作關(guān)系充滿信任，則更容易獲得一級(jí)供應(yīng)商提供的創(chuàng)新解決方案。
OEM-供應(yīng)商互信的好處
2016年是年度PPI發(fā)布該報(bào)告的第十六個(gè)年頭，今年的報(bào)告顯示，廠商與供應(yīng)商需要建立穩(wěn)固的工作關(guān)系，并保持開放、坦誠(chéng)的溝通。這一點(diǎn)非常重要，因?yàn)樵荚O(shè)備廠商每年70?80％的收入均用于向供應(yīng)商采購(gòu)零部件和材料。
Henke博士表示，2016年研究報(bào)告清楚說(shuō)明了一點(diǎn)，“廠商及其工程團(tuán)隊(duì)如果能與供應(yīng)商保持最佳工作關(guān)系，就能從供應(yīng)商獲得最好的服務(wù)和技術(shù)。”目前，Henke博士為密歇根州羅切斯特市奧克蘭大學(xué)（Oakland University）的名譽(yù)教授，并在羅格斯大學(xué)（Rutgers University）供應(yīng)鏈管理中心（Center for Supply Chain Management）擔(dān)任研究員。
供應(yīng)商更愿意與那些他們建立了互信協(xié)作關(guān)系的廠商分享最新的技術(shù)和創(chuàng)新。Henke博士表示，“他們甚至愿意在尚未敲定訂單的情況下就分享這些信息。”
供應(yīng)商在與工作關(guān)系最佳的廠商合作時(shí)，常常會(huì)拿出自己的最高水平。Henke博士說(shuō)，“他們會(huì)為廠商提供最好，也最有實(shí)力的工程師，當(dāng)然所有廠商都希望能與最好的團(tuán)隊(duì)合作。”
幾十年來(lái)，豐田和本田一直都保持著與供應(yīng)商間“專注于工程”的良好合作關(guān)系。
Henke博士表示，“本田和豐田的工程師在與他們的采購(gòu)部門和供應(yīng)商合作時(shí)的工作表現(xiàn)最好。優(yōu)化廠商與供應(yīng)商之間關(guān)系的因素有很多，包括公開和誠(chéng)實(shí)的溝通、信任、與供應(yīng)商合作以提高質(zhì)量并降低成本的意愿，還要為供應(yīng)商留下盈利空間，這些本田和豐田做的都不錯(cuò)。”
此外，由于豐田和本田在工程、采購(gòu)和供應(yīng)商方面存在“千絲萬(wàn)縷”的內(nèi)在關(guān)聯(lián)，因此這兩家廠商在定價(jià)時(shí)也采用了合作的方法。
在采購(gòu)和工程部門之間建立正面的合作關(guān)系極為重要。Henke博士解釋說(shuō)，“理想情況下，你肯定希望這兩個(gè)部門能夠通力合作，共同以最佳的價(jià)格實(shí)現(xiàn)最佳的解決方案。因此，這種合作的方法更加平衡，也更好。這樣一來(lái)，所有人都將為此付出努力。”
作者：Kami Buchholz
來(lái)源：SAE《汽車工程》雜志
翻譯：SAE 中國(guó)辦公室
GM shines brightest in latest OEM-supplier relations study
“The continuing challenge facing automakers is very simple: They need to understand the difference between process improvement and work relations improvement. Some OEMs don’t understand this simple point. They think they’re working to improve relations when in fact, they’re working to improve business processes,” asserted Dr. John Henke Jr., President of Planning Perspectives Inc.(PPI). The Birmingham, MI-based company studies OEM-supplier relations.
In PPI's 2016 North American Automotive OEM-Tier 1 Supplier Working Relations Index (WRI) Study released May 16, suppliers evaluated and ranked their working relations with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Ford, GM, Honda, Nissan, and Toyota. The 2016 report findings were based on responses from 647 supplier personnel from 492 Tier One companies, representing 63% of the six OEMs' annual purchases.
Of those automakers, only GM notched significant improvement with a gain of 26 points from last year’s rankings. But GM’s improvement falls well short of being in the WRI’s Good-Very Good range.
“The only bright spot this year is GM," Dr. Henke told Automotive Engineering. "They improved significantly—back to the low Adequate status where [the company] was three years ago,” he noted. OEMs with good supplier communications and trusted working relations are apt to be offered novel solutions from the Tier Ones.
The benefits of OEM-supplier trust
Now in its 16th year, the annual PPI study shows the need for strong working relations and open, honest communications among automakers and suppliers. That point is underscored from a monetary perspective as OEMs typically spend 70- 80% of their revenue on the parts and materials provided by suppliers.
The 2016 study "shows clearly that OEMs and their engineering staffs with the best supplier relations are the benefactors of the best [services and technologies] suppliers have to offer,” said Dr. Henke, a professor emeritus of marketing atOakland University in Rochester, MI and a research fellow at The Center for Supply Chain Management at Rutgers University.
Suppliers are more willing to share new technology and innovations with those OEMs with whom they have the most trusted, collaborative relations. "And they will do so without the assurance of a purchase order,” Dr. Henke said.
Suppliers with the best OEM working relations often assign their top performers to a project. “They’ll give OEMs their best engineers to work with—the best and the brightest. And everyone wants to know they’re working with the best people,” Dr. Henke said.
For decades, Toyota and Honda have maintained a stellar engineering-focused supplier-relations reputation.
“Their engineers work best with their purchasing organizations and their suppliers. The key factors that affect working relations are practiced quite well with these two automakers: open and honest communication, trust, willingness to work with suppliers to improve quality and reduce cost, and being mindful that suppliers have to make a profit,” according to Dr. Henke.
Toyota and Honda also have the most collaborative approach to pricing, because of the close-knit internal relations at these two OEMs with engineering, purchasing, and suppliers.
A positive-focused working relationship between purchasing and engineering is exceedingly relevant. “Ideally, you want both functions working together to arrive at the best solution at the best price. This is a more balanced and better approach because inherently everyone is involved,” explained Dr. Henke.
Author:
PPI公司的工作關(guān)系指數(shù)追蹤了六家北美和日本汽車廠商與他們的供應(yīng)商之間的關(guān)系?？傮w而言，豐田和本田的表現(xiàn)一如既往的優(yōu)秀。不過，今年通用汽車的情況取得了顯著改善，而日產(chǎn)的表現(xiàn)卻急劇下降。