Communication of craftsmanship targets to the supply base

Premium automotive manufacturers must compete on the perceived quality of their product to differentiate their brands and appeal to their customers. This involves visual, touch, sound and smell, and is commonly referred to as "Craftsmanship," which vehicle manufacturers increasingly rely upon first tier suppliers to deliver. This paper establishes the factors associated with improving the communication of Craftsmanship related targets and problems between manufacturers and first tier suppliers, describes current practices and work undertaken by the University of Warwick to address issues