M. Com. (Logistics Management) / The opening of the first dedicated Supplier Park by Seat adjacent to its Abrera assembly facility in 1992, in many ways, marked the beginning of a global trend. Since then, more than forty parks in various configurations have been established around the world. Initially, this trend was mostly confined to Europe but the Supplier Park concept quickly gained momentum in newly industrialised countries like Brazil and, more recently, the USA and South Africa (Reichhart & Holweg, 2007: 52). The world’s automotive industry is a vital part of the workings of the global economy and the wellbeing of the world’s citizens (OICA, n.d.). According to the International Organisation of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA, n.d.), the world’s automotive industry manufactured over 66 million cars, vans, trucks and buses in 2005 which is equivalent to a global turnover of close to € 2 trillion. If vehicle manufacturing were a country, it would be the sixth largest economy in the world requiring the direct employment of nearly eight million people in manufacturing the vehicles and the parts that go into them. This is more than 5% of the world’s total manufacturing employment. In addition to these direct employees, many more people are employed indirectly in related manufacturing and service provision industries (OICA, n.d.).
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:7620 |
| Date | 18 July 2013 |
| Creators | Nieuwoudt, Anton C. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | University of Johannesburg |
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