Performance impact of new product development processes for distinct scenarios under different supplier–manufacturer relationships

Although supplier involvement in new product development (NPD) projects has become increasingly important for strengthening a firm's competitive position, few studies have investigated the impact of changing research and development (R&D) workloads in NPD. According to the level of design‐related characteristics including design‐related communication and design‐related nature, we identify four types of supplier–manufacturer relationships: sequential mode, passive supplier involvement, active supplier involvement, and strategic development. Differing from qualitative and survey‐oriented research, this study proposes a system dynamics model for the quantitative exploration of workload impacts on R&D‐system equilibrium under different supplier–manufacturer relationships. We justify experimentally the NPD performances of these supplier–manufacturer relationship configurations under workload impacts and provide managerial insights.