4.2.2 The link between BPM and SCC
From our investigation, BPM practices help various collaborative
activities, which can be divided into four types:
information sharing and communication, joint activities,
sharing common goals and sharing costs, risks and benefits.
The analysis provided evidence of the importance of information
sharing and communication within a firm and
with SC partners. For instance, an ERP system is used to
share information within the company and with its SC
partners for a long period of time ([20 years for ELC and
5–10 years for ALC). Technical and non-technical information
is also shared with suppliers (ALC). In addition, all
four managers explained that relevant knowledge regarding
collaborative activities and process improvements is shared
between a firm, suppliers and customers. For instance,
knowledge regarding process improvement techniques and
knowledge that can be used to reduce costs in the production
process are being shared. The factory manager
from AMC indicated that:
A customer sent a team to our company so they could
share their knowledge about some process improvement
techniques, such as the TPS […], so now the
firm and our customers are using the same techniques
to mutually improve our businesses.