A Case Study of Successful Partnering Implementation

This article provides a detailed case study of successful buyer‐supplier partnership development and maintenance at the Eastman Kodak Company. Kodak followed a methodical approach, adapting a managerial guideline for “partnering” originally developed by one of the authors in 1991. The term “partnering” is used here in the sense of cooperative buyer‐supplier relationships, rather than in the legal sense. This article provides a summary of the key issues Kodak faced, along with the benefits it has experienced in developing and maintaining successful partnering relationships.