- The adoption of early supplier involvement (ESI) in the product development process, ESI is defined as a form of vertical co-operation in which manufacturers involve suppliers at an early stage in the product development/innovation process, generally at the level of concept and design. This results in a better product, in less time, at a lower cost.
- Research has shown that Western automobile manufacturers obtained significant benefits by emulating the ESI practices of their Japanese competitors.
JIT II.
- Term JIT II coined by BOSE Corp to describe its innovative purchasing relationship, an alliance between a buying and selling organisation.
- The seller places an employee in the buying company replacing the buyer, planner and sales person.
- In the collocation (in-plant), concurrent engineering and continuous improvement with access to information promoting integration between supplier and customer
