A cladistic classification of commercial aerospace supply chain evolution Christen Rose-Anderssen Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre with Boeing, University of Sheffield, Rotherham, UK James Baldwin School of Management, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK Keith Ridgway Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre with Boeing, University of Sheffield, Rotherham, UK, and Peter Allen, Liz Varga and Mark Strathern Complex Systems Research Centre, Cranfield School of Management, Cranfield, UK Abstract Purpose – This paper aims to address the advantage of considering an evolutionary classification scheme for commercial aerospace supply chains. It is an industry wide approach. By going beyond the performance of the single firm and considering the whole supply chain for a product a better understanding of present states and performances of the firms within the chain can be achieved. Design/methodology/approach – The approach is presented as evolutionary steps by introduction of key supply chain characters. These steps are brought together by applying cladistics to classify the evolutionary relationships between supply chain forms. Findings – Key character states define the change of supply chain forms in the evolutionary adaptation to market realities and to proactive responses to increased competition. Originality/value – The potential benefits of this approach include a benchmark of best practice, a strategic tool for policy development, and the creation of future scenarios. Keywords Supply chain management, Classification, Aerospace industry Paper type Research paper Introduction The commercial aerospace manufacturing sector is the level of analysis in the paper. The aim of the paper is to develop an original and innovative benchmarking classification scheme for aerospace supply chains. The paper shows how the commercial aerospace supply chains have evolved through strategically dropping and adding practices as both adaptation and proactive responses to the environment. Cladistics based on biological classification science has previously been applied to discrete manufacturing systems (Baldwin et al., 2003, 2004; McCarthy, 1995; McCarthy et al., 1997; McCarthy and Ridgway, 2000) but not to supply chains. In this paper cladistics, as an overarching classification system, has been developed from literature research. The visual representation of the relationship between The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/1741-038X.htm Commercial aerospace supply chain 235 Received September 2007 Revised March 2008 Accepted July 2008 Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management Vol. 20 No. 2, 2009 pp. 235-257 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 1741-038X DOI 10.1108/17410380910929646