Research project
Post Covid Market Landscape Changes and Product Development: Survival and Readiness Strategies in the Automotive Industry Supply Chain
- Start date: 1 January 2021
- End date: 31 August 2022
- Principal investigator: Gary Graham
- Co-investigators: Chee Yew Wong; John Barnett
Description
Post Covid, the demands of Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) will be for more rapid changes in their product and process innovation, agile and flexible production as they evolve from petrol car manufacturers to meet the market opportunities from the clock-speed evolution to hybrid and ultimately electric vehicle service providers. This implies that the automotive supply chain must not only evolve, it will need to revolutionise and be ready for the market challenges going forward in the next decade. If it is to remain competitive and support jobs, skills development and productivity of local North East economies as they recover and rebuild from COVID, Brexit etc.
We have a unique opportunity here at Leeds University Business School to develop a multi-triadic perspective dealing with all parts of the supply chain both upstream and downstream. Post Covid, the world will be different with smart mobility, decarbonisation, electrification of infrastructure, sustainable Ccties etc and these challenges must be faced with strategies to maintain and grow jobs and create the right skill base.
We aim to develop a hub of expertise in this area, and in doing so will:
- Test and advance the theoretical boundaries of an existing framework developed by the core working group. In order to advance the model with key industrial knowledge and expertise, it will be imperative to get further input, particularly from external stakeholders
- Develop assessment criteria from said framework. Technical knowledge and expertise to allow a level of Critical Path analysis and weighting to give meaningful risk-value opportunities matrix assessments of several suppliers
- Conduct in plant interviews with key director level staff to gain first hand actual assessment information
- Use that information to conduct an industry expertise led workshop in where we will present our findings and get their input to refine and advance our supplier readiness assessment tool. This will be facilitated by North East Automotive Alliance (NEAA)
- Communicate and present to individual suppliers our “readiness assessments”
- Communicate output to industry expertise for an industry readiness assessment
- Utilise the output, with further development for a more in-depth study both in the UK and Internationally