This question is approached from the perspective of when and how suppliers get involved in target costing, as well as the role that supply management plays in that involvement. The key types of involvement identified in this study are shown in Fig. 7. Most striking is that all the organizations studied involve key suppliers in target costing during the concept/discovery phase or during very early specification development. As purchasing is the key interface with suppliers, it is clearly critical to involve purchasing in the first step of target costing.
The classification of involvement is one of degree of participation rather than an absolute classification. Some of the organizations, like the Aerospace OEM, are talking to key suppliers during discovery, but do not heavily involve suppliers until preliminary specifications are established.
Similarly, the other organization classifications do not represent every new product/service situation and every supplier. For example, most of the organizations studied indicated that they would incorporate a supplier’s new technology into design when that technology is superior to its own. In some cases, suppliers offering new technology are sought out, often by supply management. The degree to which supplier’s technology is incorporated varies among situations. Nearly all of those studied indicate that they may collaborate with suppliers on technology development. Utilization of supplier technology helps explain why these organizations get their suppliers involved early, while the design is still fluid. Similarly, every one of these organizations indicated that they work with their key suppliers to help suppliers improve performance in order to meet target cost goals.
Finally, the study examined whether the organization studied labeled its activities as design for materials or design for production. Fig. 7 indicates that many of the firms work with suppliers to incorporate these principles. Design for materials involves scrutinizing the materials used in a new product to ensure that the materials selected support the competitiveness of the product/service through cost, quality, performance and overall value. It may include one or more of the following activities: