It is important to note that collaboration is an integral element in supply chains. Thus, it is essential to establish the values and disadvantages of collaboration in supply chains.
In general, the practice of collaboration is significant for counterparties because it allows different firms and people to cooperate with each other and obtain benefits. Therefore, through collaboration, counterparties come together to accomplish certain parts of the work that are required in supply chains (Singh et al., 2018). Moreover, the practice of collaboration in supply chains is constantly gaining popularity, and the main types of collaboration are vertical and horizontal. Accordingly, vertical cooperation allows several counterparties to share responsibilities at different stages of the supply chain (Singh et al., 2018). Furthermore, horizontal cooperation relates to one stage of the supply chain and aims to optimize costs.
Additionally, the core values of using collaboration in the supply chain include mutual benefit for business partners. The advantages of sharing work and responsibilities for counterparties are the ability to reduce inventory levels, increase profitability, and complete work in a shorter time frame (Raweewan & Ferrell 2018). This leads to better customer service and allows them to increase their demand for services or goods. Consequently, collaboration can also address significant risks of disruption in the delivery chain. However, some barriers can pose an obstacle to accomplishing tasks, such as the lack of a common vision of counterparties. Another barrier is the different technical capabilities of the partners, which leads to poor quality of work (Duong & Chong, 2020). As a result, the primary disadvantages of collaboration in the supply chain are insufficient information exchange and different levels of counterparty training.
Hence, collaboration in the supply chain is a way to execute processes faster and better. Collaboration can reduce costs, optimize time, and increase demand for goods or services. Nevertheless, possible barriers to cooperation include insufficient information exchange between partners and varying levels of their capabilities.
References
Singh, H., Garg, R., & Sachdeva, A. (2018). Supply chain collaboration: A state-of-the-art literature review. Uncertain Supply Chain Management, 6(2), 149-180. Web.
Duong, L. N. K., & Chong, J. (2020). Supply chain collaboration in the presence of disruptions: A literature review. International Journal of Production Research, 58(11), 3488-3507. Web.
Raweewan, M., & Ferrell Jr, W. G. (2018). Information sharing in supply chain collaboration. Computers & Industrial Engineering, 126, 269-281. Web.