Collaborative forecasting and planning in supply chains The impact on performance in Japanese manufacturers

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the impact of internal and external collaborative forecasting and planning on logistics and production performance. Design/methodology/approach - To measure the degree of collaborative forecasting and planning, the concept of collaboration is categorized into three dimensions: sharing resources, collaborative process operation, and collaborative process improvement. Based on these dimensions, a survey of Japanese manufacturers was conducted and the analytical model is proposed to examine using structural equation modeling. Findings - There are positive relationships between internal and external collaborative forecasting and planning. Upstream and downstream collaborative forecasting and planning are also positively related. Internal collaborative forecasting and planning has a positive effect on relative logistics and production performance. External collaborative forecasting and planning does not have a significant effect on relative logistics and production performance. Research limitations/implications - This study does not clarify how firms can achieve the improvement of forecasting and planning process. Future research should investigate the mechanism of process improvement in supply chain. Practical implications - Not only sharing resources and collaborative process operation but also collaborative process improvement play a crucial role in gaining sustainable competitive advantage in logistics and production. Originality/value - This study focuses on the forecasting and planning process in supply chain and proposes new dimensions measuring the degree of collaborative forecasting and planning. By focusing on the process and using the dimensions, the relationship between supply chain collaboration and performance are discussed concretely.