Engaging Service Providers in Continuous Improvement: How Volvo's actors, systems and chemical management service provider could work together towards continuous improvement and sustainable development.

Continuous improvement is not a new idea in business. Six Sigma, Lean Production and the PDCA cycle are some of the approaches companies can take to conduct continuous improvement of their operations. However, when a buyer is engaged with a supplier via a service provision contract, their combined effort to work towards continuous improvement is made more complex. This research adds to the understanding of how a large business could engage its supplier in continuous improvement, specifically where a service provision contract exists between the buyer and supplier. A case study at Volvo Construction Equipment revealed that a number of actors and systems, that fulfilled the theoretical requirements for a successful engagement, already existed. This allowed for the proposal of a solution to Volvo Construction Equipment concerning the best way for them to engage with BP Castrol, their chemical management service provider