The main goal of this article is to identify and compare structural and relational characteristics of Brazilian supply chains that produce car engines and home appliances. With this purpose we carried out three case studies in each of these industries. The restructuring of the two industries since mid-1990s had similar traits, and automakers increased their supply bases due to the expansion of the diversity of products. But there are differences between the two groups regarding the seasonality of demand, the number of tiers in the supply chains and the relationships between assemblers and second tier suppliers. The results show that, in each sector, even when companies have similar competitive priorities and strategic objectives, they adopt distinct supply chain configurations and management practices. In each sector, there are structural differences among supply chains in the levels of outsourcing, in the geographic distance between assemblers and suppliers, in procurement policies and in the number of suppliers.
Supply Chains; Supply Chain Management; Automotive Industry; Home Appliance Industry
