Level of knowledge and formalization of logistics and SCM in the Brazilian automakers suppliers

The logistics and supply chain management - SCM concepts in Brazil are not well developed yet; in many companies these concepts are frequently confused. Automotive sector, even though, presents considerable initiatives in logistics and SCM and, deserves to be noticeable. The main objective of this research was to verify the level of knowledge and formalization of logistics of the Brazilian automakers and its suppliers. In order to reach this objective, it was accomplished an applied, exploratory, descriptive and not only quantitative but also, qualitative research, through inductive approach. The technical procedure used to collect the data was a survey. The data collection was carried out through questionnaires sent by the post office mail and, e-mail to 50 suppliers and 23 automakers of automotive industry. It was noticed that, among several factors considered, the difficulty of implementation of the SCM concept is detached as the incoherence in the culture of the companies researched, concerning the partnerships and the information exchanging among the involved members. Furthermore, it also has noticed the evidence of the needs to spread SCM concepts throughout the value chain in the business concerned are the key factors for the competitiveness.