A service oriented framework for deciding buyer supplier relations

In order to stay competitive in the global market, a common strategy of industrial enterprises is focusing on the company's core competences and reducing the depth of (own) added value. As a consequence, suppliers have a chance to differentiate themselves from competitors and gain competitive advantages by providing additional services that reduce the management effort on the customer side. In this contribution a holistic framework for suppliers is presented that supports them to carry out services to establish and continuously improve buyer-supplier relationships. This includes finding the appropriate collaboration concept (e.g., VMI, JiT, and JiS) for different material requirements and designing the implementation using a standardised process framework that includes information and communication technologies.