Supplier Development: Developing and Scaling the Capabilities of Local SMEs

Kalra, Jas ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3845-7896, Roehrich, Jens and Squire, Brian (2018) Supplier Development: Developing and Scaling the Capabilities of Local SMEs. The Case Centre.

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Abstract

The main objective of this case is to provide an illustration of how and why a supplier development process is designed by a buyer and to consider possible factors that could constrain the execution of this process. It encourages students to appreciate the dilemmas of a Supply Chain Director who is faced with a near-impossible tasks of integrating small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) into a complex supply network. This is done through the illustration of a megaproject, Hinkley Point C (HPC), which is being designed and delivered by HPC. Students will gain an appreciation of how HPC needs to work collaboratively with SMEs to scale their capabilities to the requirements of a megaproject. Moreover, students will decide the conditions in which different supplier development approaches would be appropriate. Due to its rare focus on the intersection of supply chain management, services, and megaprojects, the case has proven to be popular in operations, supply chain management, as well as project management classes, with both undergraduate and postgraduate students. The case has been developed from extensive interviews with executives and employees of HPC. The case has been taught to students in two of the top business schools in the UK.