The Takata Corporation is under pressure to speed up the production of parts needed to make recall repairs on over seven million automotive airbags. Kartik Kalaignanam, a marketing professor at the University of South Carolina, is available to speak about this topic. As a researcher of automotive recalls and the management of supplier relationships, he has a deep breadth of knowledge on this topic that grows in importance with the number high profile recalls that have been issued in the automotive industry in recent years.

Until 15 – 20 years ago, auto manufacturers produced nearly every part of a car, he says. Today, they primarily manufacture the central systems that include the engine and transmission. The other parts – called modular products that include air bags, exhaust systems and brakes -- are produced by suppliers. Kalaignanam contends the key to ensuring safety, restoring consumer confidence and avoiding massive recalls in the future is for auto manufacturers to change the way they manage relationships with suppliers of these modular products.

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