Analyzing the supplier/customer relationship: an industrial case study

This paper discusses an industrial project in which the objective was to develop a classification method for associating key characteristics of supplier/customer relationships with supplier evaluation focus groups and core supplier capabilities. A neural network model was developed to supplement an existing supplier evaluation system by providing commodity teams with a mechanism for incorporating their own key characteristics into the proposed framework that is being encouraged as a company-wide standard. As a result, individual commodity teams are granted the necessary flexibility to perform effective supplier evaluation under a robust framework that is understood and accepted throughout the company. The paper illustrates the application of academic research to industrial problems.