Improving any one of a number of factors can produce faster product development cycles. One of the best ways to improve development time is to improve collaboration between OEMs and their suppliers. There is a natural barrier to collaboration. The structure of the industry has changed in the last decade or so. OEMs such as Ford and General Motors have spun off parts subsidiaries in the full expectation that they will do business with other OEMs. Existing suppliers have actively tried to broaden their customer base. As companies have become more independent, protecting intellectual property has become more important, which can be difficult to do when collaborating fully.
展开▼
