SUPPLY CHAIN COLLABORATION IN NEW ZEALAND HOUSE CONSTRUCTION

Concurrent with the development of interest in supply chain management (SCM) in the broad manufacturing sector, there has been increasing interest and research in SCM in relation to construction. The construction supply chain comprises a network of project parties connected upstream and downstream to produce what the end consumer wants – much like in any production process. However in construction there is little by way of aggregation or integration in the supply chain. Indeed historically disintegration has been the default state in the construction supply chain. The key to achieving project success within a defined timeframe is based on collaborative interactions within the supply chain. Collaboration is the key to solving issues in on-going construction. The study collects the views of construction materials manufacturers, suppliers, architects, and homeowners on the significance of collaboration in the New Zealand residential construction sector. The study collated data from 30 semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis of the responses identified the significance of collaborative materials supply chain practices in the residential building construction sector. The study found that collaboration is appreciated by all the parties in the construction supply chain in order to find appropriate building materials for use on projects. Further, good communication across the supply chain was identified as a key driving factor to strengthening existing collaborative efforts