Findings: An Assessment of Manufacturing Customer Pain Points: Challenges for Researchers

Findings

p. Ten distinct categories emerged, most of which were classified by respondents as severe as well as having a high probability of occurrence. For each of these categories, we provide 1) examples of statements made by the senior executives that we interviewed to give a better sense of how these respondents are conceptualizing the pain point, and 2) implications for research into supply chain trust and collaboration. Click on the links below to review the findings in depth:

1. Supply chain fragmentation
2. Lack of global project resources
3. Lack of internal collaboration and business intelligence
4. Commodity price increases
5. Global competition
6. Developing SCM talent
7. Power shift from manufacturers towards buyers
8. Regulatory compliance
9. Information technology (IT) integration

1. Intellectual property protection

Figure 1 ranks each category by percentage of responses by participants.

Figure 2 shows a pain point mapping of interview responses. The circle size represents the relative number of responses to the pain point category. The vertical (_y_) axis represents the perceived severity of the pain point, and the horizontal (_x_) axis shows the perceived probability of occurrence. Note that most circles are in the upper right quadrant, indicating very high frequency and severity.