Strategically, having more than 1,000 suppliers results in a complex task of managing those suppliers, ensuring the quality of the products, and maintaining the IKEA brand. While we will address global supply chains later on, from a global strategy standpoint how would you manage IKEA’s global suppliers?
Answer) IKEA's suppliers are an important link in the company's quest to provide relatively standardized, quality, low-priced products to its market. We should probably recognize that for IKEA building a long-term, trusting relationship with suppliers is essential. IKEA relies on its suppliers to cut costs so that its prototypes can be manufactured at a reasonable price because developing a new product line is time-intensive, IKEA needs to work with its suppliers almost as though they are in-house, rather than independent of the firm. To achieve this, the suppliers need to know that IKEA will keep its word and treat them well.
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