ABSTRACT
Collaboration is one of those concepts that is overused and overworked in the supply chain vernacular. In the early years of 'lean' manufacturing, as introduced and practised by Japanese manufacturers, it was taken for granted that suppliers would collaborate in the systematic joint effort to eradicate cost, rather than just move it up and down the chain. However, as globalization took hold and supply chains became longer and more complex. Today, while there are still supply chains in which the parties collaborate, there are also many other supply chains in which this is not the case. Indeed, various generic types of supply chains coexist in parallel to provide different supply experiences for customers in the same market. The cultural value that is treasured above all others in a truly 'collaborative' supply chain is trust, which in turn leads to close working relationships for mutual gain.
