• Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Supplier Directory
  • SCB YouTube
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Logout
  • My Profile
  • LOGISTICS
    • Air Cargo
    • All Logistics
    • Express/Small Shipments
    • Facility Location Planning
    • Freight Forwarding/Customs Brokerage
    • Global Gateways
    • Global Logistics
    • Last Mile Delivery
    • Logistics Outsourcing
    • LTL/Truckload Services
    • Ocean Transportation
    • Rail & Intermodal
    • Reverse Logistics
    • Service Parts Management
    • Transportation & Distribution
  • TECHNOLOGY
    • All Technology
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud & On-Demand Systems
    • Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)
    • ERP & Enterprise Systems
    • Forecasting & Demand Planning
    • Global Trade Management
    • Inventory Planning/ Optimization
    • Product Lifecycle Management
    • Sales & Operations Planning
    • SC Finance & Revenue Management
    • SC Planning & Optimization
    • Sourcing/Procurement/SRM
    • Supply Chain Visibility
    • Transportation Management
  • GENERAL SCM
    • Business Strategy Alignment
    • Education & Professional Development
    • Global Supply Chain Management
    • Global Trade & Economics
    • HR & Labor Management
    • Quality & Metrics
    • Regulation & Compliance
    • SC Security & Risk Mgmt
    • Supply Chains in Crisis
    • Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility
  • WAREHOUSING
    • All Warehouse Services
    • Conveyors & Sortation
    • Lift Trucks & AGVs
    • Order Fulfillment
    • Packaging
    • RFID, Barcode, Mobility & Voice
    • Robotics
    • Warehouse Management Systems
  • INDUSTRIES
    • Aerospace & Defense
    • Apparel
    • Automotive
    • Chemicals & Energy
    • Consumer Packaged Goods
    • E-Commerce/Omni-Channel
    • Food & Beverage
    • Healthcare
    • High-Tech/Electronics
    • Industrial Manufacturing
    • Pharmaceutical/Biotech
    • Retail
  • THINK TANK
  • WEBINARS
    • On-Demand Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
    • Webinar Library
  • PODCASTS
  • VIDEOS
  • WHITEPAPERS
Home » Supplier Relationship Management: Collaboration for Win-Win Advantage - Stryker Instruments Case Study

Supplier Relationship Management: Collaboration for Win-Win Advantage - Stryker Instruments Case Study

April 16, 2008
APQC

In APQC's consortium best-practice study, Supplier Relationship Management: Collaboration for Win-Win Competitive Advantage, leading organizations shared their secrets for rationalizing their supply bases to include only the strongest, best-performing, and most collaborative upstream partners and leveraging those partnerships to reduce cost, improve quality, and increase customer satisfaction.

The study focused on:

1.  Designing a supplier relationship methodology to establish value-added upstream partnerships
2.  Establishing a collaborative environment and synchronizing the supply chain
3.  Using processes, tools, and technology as an enabler of a collaborative environment and synchronized supply chain
4.  Measuring the success of the supplier relationship methodology and providing for continuous improvement

Stryker Instruments (Stryker), a division of Stryker Corporation, was one of the best-practice organizations studied in this research project. They hosted a site visit, and completed screening and detailed questionnaires. Stryker manufactures medical equipment, including drills and saws for orthopedic surgery, knee implants, stretchers, and hospital beds. Worldwide, the company is a leader in the orthopedic medical equipment market. Stryker was acknowledged by Fortune Magazine as one of America's Most Admired Companies in the medical products division in 2005. 

Beginning in the mid-1990s, Stryker Instruments decided to create a plan to build better partnerships with its supply base. The organization realized that it could not get better internally if Stryker's suppliers could not keep up and/or were not on the same page as the organization. Stryker made the decision to spend time with its suppliers first, get them to where they needed to be, then work on streamlining its internal processes. The organization would then go back to the suppliers and help them streamline their processes so that the partnership would have a strong foundation. The goal was to help the supply chain to be more reactive and responsive to customer demand. 

Stryker's definition of "partnership," as shared with APQC at a site visit in July 2006, is a relationship built on trust, communication, and commitment where both sides work at providing a winning formula for long term success for all involved. Stryker developed a philosophy in its supplier relationship management methodology that drove home the partnership, setting expectations on both sides of the supply chain-internally as well as externally. The organization believes that it has to be able to give its suppliers allies within the organization, whether in R&D, purchasing, or planning, to support them to create a true partnership approach. The organization realized that it must promote honesty, and having the right people, communication, and culture are big keys.

To read this entire case study from APQC, please click here.

    RELATED CONTENT

    RELATED VIDEOS

    Business Strategy Alignment Food & Beverage Industrial Manufacturing Pharmaceutical/Biotech
    KEYWORDS Business Strategy Alignment Food and Beverage Industrial Manufacturing North America Pharmaceutical/Biotech
    APQC

    Supply Chain Analytics at Sam's Club

    More from this author

    Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter!

    Timely, incisive articles delivered directly to your inbox.

    Popular Stories

    • AN ARRAY OF MEDICAL DEVICES LAID OUT ON A GREEN BACKGROUND

      Why the Medical-Device Industry Is Embracing Contract Manufacturing

      Sourcing/Procurement/SRM
    • On Demand Webinar_SAP.png

      Optimize your Logistics Pinch Points to Build a Risk Resilient & Sustainable Supply Chain

      Webinars
    • A MANUFACTURING PLANT AT DUSK OR DAWN REFLECTED IN WATER

      Uncertainty is the New Normal

      Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)
    • A TOY TRUCK CARRIES A GIANT BOX WITH A RED RIBBON IN A BOW

      Three Trends to Watch During Peak Season 2023

      Apparel
    • A GIANT CONTAINER VESSEL SPORTING THE LETTERING OF YANG MING PLIES THE SEAS

      Yang Ming Accused of Profiteering During Pandemic by Bed Bath & Beyond

      Ocean Transportation

    Digital Edition

    Scb august 2023 lg

    2023 100 Great Supply Chain Partners

    VIEW THE LATEST ISSUE

    Case Studies

    • JLL Finds Perfect Warehouse Location, Leading to $15M Grant for Startup

    • Robots Speed Fulfillment to Help Apparel Company Scale for Growth

    • New Revenue for Cloud-Based TMS that Embeds Orderful’s Modern EDI Platform

    • Convenience Store Client Maximizes Profit and Improves Customer Service

    • A Digitally Native Footwear Brand Finds Rapid Fulfillment

    Visit Our Sponsors

    Antuit Zebra Anvyl AutoStore
    BEUMER Group Blue Ridge Global Brother
    CHEP Cleo Coenterprise
    Data Capture E2open Enveyo
    Eva Air ForwardX Robotics Frayt
    GAINSystems Generix Geodis
    GEP Global Supply Chain Marketing Summit GreyOrange
    Here Holman Logistics Infor
    Inmar Kinaxis Lexis Nexis
    Locus Robotics Logility LogistiVIEW
    Lucas Systems MCA Connect MPO
    Old Dominion OneRail Overhaul
    PartnerLinQ (Visionet) Port of Virginia Ryder E-commerce by Whiplash
    Saddle Creek Logistics SAP Shyft
    Sourcemap SPS Commerce Tecsys
    TGW Systems Thomson Reuters Veho
    Verusen Walmart Workshop
    • More From SCB
      • Featured Content
      • Video Library
      • Think Tank Blog
      • SupplyChainBrain Podcast
      • Whitepapers
      • On-Demand Webinars
      • Upcoming Webinars
    • Digital Offerings
      • Digital Issue
      • Subscribe
      • Manage Your Subscription
      • Newsletters
    • Resources
      • Events Calendar
      • SCB's Great Supply Chain Partners
      • Supplier Directory
      • Case Study Showcase
      • Supply Chain Innovation Awards
      • 100 Great Partners Form
    • SCB Corporate
      • Advertise on SCB.COM
      • About Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Contact Us
      • Data Sharing Opt-Out

    All content copyright ©2023 Keller International Publishing Corp All rights reserved. No reproduction, transmission or display is permitted without the written permissions of Keller International Publishing Corp

    Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing