"Supply Chain Governance
& Regional Development in The Global Economy"
2002 Conference
September
9-10, 2002
9 a.m.-5 p.m.
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Pyle Center (702 Langdon Street)
Purpose
Sponsors
Program
Purpose
This conference brought together practitioners and academics from
the United States and Europe who are concerned with supply chain
governance and restructuring in the manufacturing sector. It addressed
three interrelated themes:
-
The general shift in the character of outsourcing by large Original
Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) in sectors such as autos, construction
and farm equipment, industrial machinery, and electrical and electronic
equipment. This shift can be broadly characterized as a move from
capacity subcontracting (where external sourcing supplements OEMs’
own in-house production capabilities) to specialized subcontracting
(where customers rely on component suppliers for inputs they do
not themselves command, often including technological and design
expertise). How far and in what ways this shift is occurring across
different sectors and regions formed a primary focus of the workshop.
-
Problems of cooperation between large OEMs and suppliers in such
areas as product development, logistics, and cost reduction. How
do customers and suppliers in different sectors and regions negotiate
power imbalances in their relationship and overcome internal organizational
barriers to effective collaboration?
-
Efforts on the part of OEMs, trade associations, labor unions,
and public agencies to help supplier firms successfully make the
transition to the new form of subcontracting. What are the strengths
and weaknesses of different organizational models of supplier
development, training, and restructuring currently being pursued
across U.S. states and European regions, from large firm and government-led
approaches to consortial and associational initiatives? And how
best can policy makers and other concerned actors ensure that
the effects of supply chain restructuring prove beneficial for
regional economic development, manufacturing employment, and workforce
outcomes?
For more information, contact Matt Vidal (mvidal@cows.org;
608-265-5987) at the Center on Wisconsin Strategy.
Sponsors
The conference was co-sponsored by the following organizations:
Center on Wisconsin
Strategy
University of Wisconsin • 1180 Observatory Drive • Madison,
WI 53706 • TEL (608) 263-3889 • FAX (608) 262-9046 •
http://www.cows.org
Center for World
Affairs and the Global Economy
University of Wisconsin • 1155 Observatory Drive • Madison,
WI 53706 • TEL (608) 262-9774 • FAX (608) 265-2919 •
http://www.wisc.edu/wage
Advanced Manufacturing
Project
An inter-university research consortium on the component
manufacturing sector supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
and the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership.
http://www.cows.org/current/amp.asp
Program
September 9: Research Workshop
September 10: Outreach Workshop
A joint academic-practitioner outreach workshop
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