This paper draws on results from case study research with car assemblers and autoparts suppliers in the Brazilian automotive industry in order to investigate the perception on benefits and problems arising from new patterns of buyer-supplier relationships brought by the adoption of lean production practices in manufacturing. The benefits and problems as perceived by the12 interviewed companies, three assemblers and 9 suppliers, are presented and discussed in view of benefits and problems mentioned in the literature. The results point to a convergence in the perceptions found by research on the matter undertaken in the same industry in other countries, with differences indicative of a strategic and positive attitude on the part of Brazilian suppliers in face of our more demanding conditions dictated by lean supply practices adopted by their clients.
buyer-supplier relationship; brazilian automotive industry; benefits in the relationship; problems in the relationship
