Strengthening supplier collaboration and raising sector awareness through gamification method: a research in the medical device sector

For the medical device sector, the role of the supplier in the supply chain is not only to deliver the product, but also to pay attention to the quality and medical suitability of the supplied product. Companies in the medical device business should prioritize supply chains since their activity affects patient health. Supplier management is a crucial component of effective supply chain management. Although, there are some applications to regulate supply chain management, supplier and customer connections must be improved to get success. In this study, the gamification technique was utilized to help suppliers comprehend their customers' expectations and to raise their awareness of each other's expectations. The customer addressed some questions about the medical device sector and indicated their expectations from the supplier in the game created using this gamification strategy. As a result of this interactive meeting, both the customer-supplier relationship and the supplier's awareness improved. At the end of the game, the suppliers realized that they were more of a business partner to their clients than a supplier-customer relationship. In addition, they learned that they were in a critical position due to the consequences of the services and goods they offered in the sector on patient health.