Competition through collaboration: insights from an initiative in the Turkish textile supply chain

Purpose – To gain an understanding of the benefits, bridges, and barriers associated with supply chain collaboration. Design/methodology/approach – Insights from extensive field research of a successful collaboration example in the Turkish dyeing and finishing industry. Findings – The competition among firms is increasingly shifting from company vs company to supply chain vs supply chain. The insights obtained from the collaborative model in this textile supply chain provide a good understanding of the benefits, bridges, and barriers associated with supply chain collaboration. Benefits can be grouped as customer‐oriented benefits, productivity benefits, and innovation related benefits. Factors supporting collaboration are observed as trust, common goals for cooperation, and existence of cooperation mechanisms, while barriers are related to three factors: lack of trust, risk‐benefit evaluation, and lack of common goals for cooperation. Research limitations/implications – Findings are based on interviews and questionnaires conducted with the managers of 3T, 30 dyeing and finishing firms (ten are partners) and six technology‐supplying partner firms, from various regions in Turkey. Practical implications – Highlights the importance of trust and collaboration mechanisms in managing collaborations. As the case of 3T in the dyeing and finishing industry shows, collaborations might significantly contribute to the competitiveness of textile firms. Originality/value – This paper presents a successful collaboration model in creating new technologies and products by bringing the resources of competing partners together. This collaboration might be a tool for firms in developing countries to become competitive in their respective industries at the global level.