Outsourcing to a non-developed supplier market: The importance of operational aspects in outsourcing

•This article investigates how firms manage outsourcing in situations of a non-developed supplier market.•This study followed the initial outsourcing activities and strategies of two case companies in the wood product manufacturing industry.•The findings show that greater focus needs to be placed on operational aspects associated with non-developed supplier markets, which contrasts with the traditional strategic view of outsourcing.•For practitioners, this article suggests that it is important to emphasise that the learning curve for a supplier can be lengthy, and also that alternative outsourcing routes are available when outsourcing in non-developed supplier markets.

This article investigates how firms manage outsourcing in situations of a non-developed supplier market. This study followed the initial outsourcing activities and strategies of two case companies in the wood product manufacturing industry. The findings show that greater focus needs to be placed on operational aspects associated with non-developed supplier markets, which contrasts with the traditional strategic view of outsourcing. For practitioners, this article suggests that it is important to emphasise that the learning curve for a supplier can be lengthy, and also that alternative outsourcing routes are available when outsourcing to a non-developed supplier market.