In the course of decreasing value added, enterprises increasingly collaborate with customers and suppliers. They hope for lower costs, higher flexibility, improved quality, and time advantages. In a survey, the following questions were investigated: What importance has collaboration in value added networks? How important is the duration of collaboration? With what kind of partners and in which area is collaboration realized? What is the trend towards collaborations with Eastern European and Asian partners? What are the success factors and threats of collaborations? In order to collaborate successfully and to capitalize on opportunities, collaborations should be understood as a success factor, should have a long term perspective and be more intensive. Furthermore, global and local sourcing should be used and balanced; the capability to collaborate and trust building should be facilitated.
