Dynamics of alignment mechanisms across supply chain tiers in automotive electronics

Licentiate thesis, 2025

Research on supply chain alignment has often treated alignment as an achievable state.
Evidence from automotive electronics during the 2020–2023 semiconductor shortage and
the current shift toward circularity shows that alignment spans multiple tiers among
original equipment manufacturers(OEMs), Tier-1, and Tier-2 suppliers and develops over
time. Different planning horizons, information access, and responsibilities across tiers
create misalignments. The aim of this thesis is to explain how alignment mechanisms
emerge, interact, and develop across tiers, using resilience (the shortage) and circularity
as the main contexts.
The thesis is based on three studies. The first study identifies misalignments across the
OEM–Tier-1–Tier-2 triad and shows a structural change from an open to a transitional
triad as a non-contractual alignment mechanism. This structural change reduces some
misalignments but also creates new ones, indicating a continuous alignment–
misalignment cycle. The second study follows one supply chain from 2020 to 2025 and
shows how contractual and non-contractual mechanisms shape alignment over time:
while phases of contractual tightening trigger relational responses and vice versa. The
third study examines circularity practices and shows that collaboration is the foundation
that enables alignment.
The thesis contributes to alignment and multi-tier supply chain management by
framing alignment as a continuous process rather than an achievable state; explaining the
oscillation between contractual and non-contractual mechanisms over time; showing how
transitional triads shift roles and information flows across tiers. Together, the findings
suggest that firms should manage different alignment mechanisms simultaneously and
anticipate their interactions and unintended consequences.