Supply chain competitiveness and capabilities of constituent firms: an exploratory study of the Korean home appliance industry

Addresses the issue of supply chain competitiveness from the manufacturing capability perspective. Six supply chains are analysed, based on three manufacturers in the Korean home appliance industry. The case study findings demonstrate the strong connection between capability requirements of suppliers of critical parts and competitive priorities of manufacturing customers. For suppliers of non‐critical items, delivery and cost are the most important capability dimensions. The factors influencing congruence between customer requirements and the capabilities of constituent firms are also examined. Mutual co‐operative behaviour, specificity of transaction‐related assets, and “criticalness” of traded parts are identified as the key factors influencing congruence.