Auction procurement: a new trend? Foreign firms are bringing savings to Japan via auctions.(InDepth) From: Japan Inc. | Date: July 1, 2004| Author: Dodd, John | COPYRIGHT 2004 Japan Inc. Communications. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.Copyright information

THE ability to procure raw materials and parts cheaply has always been a competitive weapon for major companies in Japan. Traditionally, large brand-name manufacturers have dictated terms and pricing to their keiretsu subcontractors, who in turn did the same with their job shops, and so on down the food chain.

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BUT THE DRAWBACK of such a multi-layered system is that over time its human managers become slow and lazy--as happened through the 80s and 9...