| Summary: | This paper analyzes the B2B (business-to-business) relationships between big and small or medium-sized enterprises in the automotive sector in Brazil to tentatively identify the challenges that hinder the insertion of SMEs (small and medium-sized nterprises) in this supply chain. This multiple case study analyzed the largest car part manufacturers and<br />the largest car assembly plants located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. This was followed by studies of small and medium-sized businesses that had been indicated by the<br />executives of the large companies studied. The objective was to answer the question: why are very few SMEs successful in their attempts at inserting themselves in the automotive<br />supply chain. As identified, the main challenges faced by SMEs that do not operate in the auto chain are: the differences in the organizational objectives and the little know-how about the reality of B2B transactions in this sector.
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