Title: An empirical investigation of lead-time reduction in purchasing groups: evidence from SMEs

Authors: Hadi Ghaderi; Wout Dullaert

Addresses: Institute of Transport and Maritime Management Antwerp (ITMMA), University of Antwerp, Kipdorp 59, 2000 Antwerpen, Belgium ' Department of Informatics, Logistics and Innovation, VU University Amsterdam, De Boelaan 1105, 1081HV Amsterdam; Antwerp Maritime Academy, Noordkasteel Oost 6, 2030 Antwerp, Belgium

Abstract: This paper aims to empirically examine the impact of horizontal cooperation in purchasing on the lead times of the orders from suppliers. Two groups of SMEs participating in purchasing groups were investigated for a nine-month period of data collection. However, for one of the groups involved in cooperative transportation of the purchased goods, total lead-time was measured, and further analysis was conducted. The outcomes of this study show that firms involved in purchasing consortia face significant shorter lead times up to 45%. Meanwhile, the lead times for the firms cooperating in both purchasing and transportation tasks were shorter than for the other group. Additional managerial conclusions and unique contributions are drawn.

Keywords: purchasing consortia; horizontal cooperation; cooperative purchasing; lead time reduction; SMEs; small and medium-sized enterprises; cooperative transport.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLSM.2012.049704

International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management, 2012 Vol.13 No.3, pp.379 - 392

Published online: 10 Dec 2014 *

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