Blockchain can streamline simpler supply chains

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Information Systems ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Consumer Demand ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Supply Chain Efficiency ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Cost

Significance However, implementation of this technology still faces multiple unresolved challenges, making the estimate appear over-optimistic. Impacts Rising consumer demand for transparent supply chains makes blockchain especially useful for fashion, food and mining sectors. Traditional databases and information systems will remain central to supply chain efficiency improvements. As the blockchain industry matures, the cost of deploying the technology will fall from its current high level.

Exploratory analysis on the relationship between strategy and structure/processes in supply chains

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 381-400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikihisa Nakano
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Operating Cost ◽  
Exploratory Analysis ◽  
Process Variables ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Strategy And Structure ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide some empirical evidence of the relationship between strategy and structure/processes in supply chains on the basis of the results of an exploratory analysis using survey data from Japanese manufacturers. Design/methodology/approach – This study explores the differences of structure/processes among the four supply chain strategies, that is, efficient, responsive, efficient/responsive, and traditional. Specifically, this study conducts a one-way analysis of variance of the structure/process variables by supply chain strategies. Findings – As the results of exploratory analysis including follow-up interviews with survey respondents, this study found many differences between traditional and efficient/responsive firms on process variables. With regard to structure variables, the existence of a supply chain management department, which is a variable of internal structure, in responsive and efficient/responsive firms is statistically more likely than in efficient firms. In addition, this study found significant differences between efficient and responsive firms, and traditional firms on some variables of external structure. Research limitations/implications – The results of this study explain why efficient/responsive firms can achieve high level of customer service and low operating cost, which is demonstrated by Qi et al. (2009). In addition, this study statistically ensures the validity of Stavrulaki and Davis’s (2010) proposition that firms with agile strategy tend to conduct opportunistic collaboration or have collaborative barriers with their suppliers because of their flexible supply base. Originality/value – This is the first empirical study that explores the relationship among management elements in supply chains including not only strategy but also structure and processes. Through this study, it is implied that the strategy-structure-processes-performance paradigm adopted in this study is useful for exploring the patterns of other management elements that fit in with supply chain strategies.

Procurement Approaches in Different Supply Chains

2013 ◽  
Vol 436 ◽  
pp. 551-556
Author(s):  
Stefan Pap ◽  
Liviu Morar
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Product Life Cycle ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Complex Environment ◽  
Supplier Relationships ◽  
Product Life ◽  
Supply Chain Efficiency ◽  
The Cost

From a purchasing point of view, it can be argued that in order for a supply chain to be efficient the cost of purchasing must be balanced with risk pertaining to the supply market and the purchased product. To decide on the appropriate forms of supplier relationships today, we argue that there are three main dimensions to be considered: A more complex environment. Supply chain efficiency. Product life cycle.

Improvement of public distribution system efficiency applying blockchain technology during pandemic outbreak (COVID-19)

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anup Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Distribution System ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Public Distribution System ◽  
Blockchain Technology ◽  
Supply Chain Efficiency ◽  
The Cost

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analytically examine the viability of using blockchain technology (BT) in a public distribution system (PDS) supply chain to overcome issues of shrinkage, misplacement and ghost demand.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use a standard news vendor model with two objectives, the first of which includes a reduction of the total cost of stock, while the second includes minimization of the negative impact of human suffering due to the nonavailability of subsidized food supplies to the needy people.FindingsThe authors applied the model to a real-life case to draw meaningful insights. The authors also analyzed the cost/benefit tradeoff of adopting BT in a PDS supply chain. The results show that the adoption of BT in a charitable supply chain can reduce pilferage and ghost demand significantly.Originality/valueThe paper is positioned for utilizing inventory visibility via consistent and tamper-resistant data stream flow capability of BT to enhance the overall efficiency of PDS. Notably, Indian PDS faces three major challenges in terms of its supply chain efficiency.

The role and attributes of manufacturing companies in virtual supply chains

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 511-532 ◽  
Author(s):  
Artur Swierczek ◽  
Danuta Kisperska-Moron
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Hierarchical Cluster ◽  
Electrical Equipment ◽  
Quantitative Character ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Quality Of Products ◽  
High Level

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the role and main attributes of manufacturing companies which operate in virtual supply chains. Design/methodology/approach – In order to identify the role and main attributes of manufacturing companies enabling to operate in a virtual supply chain, a three-step statistical analysis was employed, namely exploratory factor analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis and non-hierarchical clustering technique. Findings – The findings show that virtual supply chain operations would not be supported by manufacturing companies offering highly customized products achieved by a unit production, developed in details and engineered to order. On the contrary, the large manufacturing companies of virtual supply chains report a high level of flexibility stemming from a wide scope of more standardized products offered to the market. The conducted study show that better ability of manufacturers supporting virtual supply chains is not industry specific. Research limitations/implications – The list of investigated attributes is not complete, and other characteristics of manufacturers in virtual supply chains should be identified. Another important shortcoming of the study is its quantitative character and generalization of the findings. Each “virtual” environment in supply chains may be unique and some of the compared characteristics may differ significantly. Therefore, the aforementioned attributes should be considered separately with a conscious focus on the environmental context. The quantitative study may be greatly enhanced by applying the case study approach, showing detailed solutions and practices, and thus making the study more valuable from the theoretical and managerial standpoints. Practical implications – The conducted study showed that better ability of manufacturers to support virtual supply chains is not industry specific, since the branch of electronic products and electrical equipment and components was represented by an equal share of manufacturers, both in non-virtual and virtual clusters. Furthermore, in order to operate in virtual supply chains, managers should pay attention to the structure and range of products delivered to the market. The managers should also be aware that apart from considering cost and efficiency, operating in a virtual supply chain environment also requires quality of products and processes in order to manufacture and deliver a superior value for the customers. Originality/value – Having recognized major groups of indicators demonstrating the level of ability of manufacturing companies to operate in a virtual supply chain, the attributes of three clusters of manufacturers possessing different bunch of features, significant for virtual supply chains, have been distinguished.

Supply chain performance for a traditional shipbuilding industry in Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yugowati Praharsi ◽  
Mohammad Abu Jami'in ◽  
Gaguk Suhardjito ◽  
Samuel Reong ◽  
Hui Ming Wee
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Performance Index ◽  
Supply Chain Performance ◽  
Shipbuilding Industry ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Scor Model ◽  
Critical Issues ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Cost

PurposeStudy in supply chain performance research on the shipbuilding industry is lacking. The purpose of this research is to study and provide guidelines to improve the performance of traditional shipbuilding supply chains in Indonesia.Design/methodology/approachThe paper develops an empirical study gathered from a traditional shipbuilding industry, its suppliers, and customers. This study consists of three sections: the traditional shipbuilding industry, the suppliers, and the individual supplier scores. The internal and external performances in this study are measured using Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) metrics. The SCOR model identifies five performance measurement attributes, including reliability, flexibility, responsiveness, cost and assets. Instead of using “responsiveness,” this study applies the schedule performance index, and supplements “cost” with the cost performance index in order to accurately reflect the traditional shipbuilding supply chains processes.FindingsBy analyzing SCOR metrics in the traditional shipbuilding industry, it has been found that the ideal shipbuilding supply chain metrics are order fulfillment, flexibility, asset turnover and total supply chain costs. The lowest performance metric value in the traditional shipbuilding industry is the cost of goods. Some improvements are proposed to lower the high cost of ship building. An integrated economic ordering system in collaboration with all the suppliers is one of the most effective ways to reduce the cost of the traditional shipbuilding supply chains. The implementation of SCOR metrics enables management to identify the critical issues to improve.Research limitations/implicationsThe study applies SCOR metrics to improve the traditional shipbuilding supply chains performance. The study is limited because the data collected are based on one shipbuilding industry only.Originality/valueTo the author's knowledge, this is the first empirical analysis on the implementation of SCOR metrics to the traditional shipbuilding industry. The analysis to improve the traditional shipbuilding supply chains performance can provide managerial insights to other industries.

Achieving supply chain integration using RFID technology

2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Fosso Wamba
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Information Systems ◽  
Business Process ◽  
Supply Chain Integration ◽  
Rfid Tags ◽  
Rfid Technology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Impact

PurposeDespite the high operational and strategic potentials of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, very few studies have been conducted about its role as enabler of supply chain integration to achieve high‐level operational efficiency. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to be an initial effort towards bridging the existing knowledge gap in the literature.Design/methodology/approachThis exploratory research was conducted in one retail supply chain. A multi‐method approach combining a longitudinal real‐life case study and a methodology integrating several steps, including a “living laboratory” strategy was used and involved all members of a product line to analyze their contributing activities and their interface with other supply chain members; the aim being to explore the impact of RFID technology on inter‐and intra‐organizational processes and information systems.FindingsThe results provide support to the role of RFID as enabler of better integration of timeliness and accuracy data flows into information systems, business process optimization through automation, better system‐to‐system communication and better inter‐and‐intra‐organizational business process integration. Furthermore, they also validate the unique characteristics of RFID technology such as enabler of real‐time multiple tags items data collection and exchange within the supply chain and the read‐and‐write capability that may help, for example, to reuse some RFID tags within the supply chain and therefore reduce the cost related to the purchase of the said RFID tags. Finally, the study also reveals the importance of business process renovation and complementary investments during the adoption of RFID technology, in order to achieve high level of business value from the technology.Originality/valueThe paper is original in the sense that it provides some empirical support for the enabling role of RFID technology in allowing supply chain integration.

Propagation of risks and their impact on performance in fresh food retail

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 568-602 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samir K Srivastava ◽  
Atanu Chaudhuri ◽  
Rajiv K. Srivastava
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Performance Measures ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Food Retail ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fresh Food ◽  
Retail Supply Chains ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Supply Chain Risks

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to carry out structural analysis of potential supply chain risks and performance measures in fresh food retail by applying interpretive structural modeling (ISM). Design/methodology/approach – Inputs were taken from industry experts in identifying and understanding interdependencies among food retail supply chain risks on different levels (sourcing and logistics outside the retail stores; storage and customer interface at the stores). Interdependencies among risks and their impact on performance measures are structured into a hierarchy in order to derive subsystems of interdependent elements to derive useful insights for theory and practice. Findings – Using the ISM approach the risks and performance measures were clustered according to their driving power and dependence power. Change in/inadequate government regulations’ are at the bottom level of the hierarchy implying highest driving power and require higher attention and focussed mitigation strategies. Risks like lack of traceability, transport delays/breakdowns and temperature abuse, cross-contamination in transport and storage have medium driver and dependence powers. Research limitations/implications – The approach is focussed on food retail supply chains in the Indian context and thereby limits the ability to generalize the findings. The academics and experts were selected on convenience and availability. Practical implications – It gives managers a better understanding of the risks and performance measures that have most influence on others (driving performance measures) and those measures which are most influenced by others (dependent performance measures) in fresh food retail and also a tool to prioritize them. This kind of information is strategic for managers who can use it to identify which performance measures they should concentrate on managing the trade-offs between measures. The findings and the applicability for practical use have been validated by both experts and practicing managers in food retail supply chains. Originality/value – The work is perhaps the first to link supply chain risks with performance and explains the propagation of risks in food retail supply chains. It contributes to theory by addressing a few research gaps and provides relevant managerial insights for practitioners.

AI technologies and their impact on supply chain resilience during COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sachin Modgil ◽  
Shivam Gupta ◽  
Rébecca Stekelorum ◽  
Issam Laguir
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Information Processing ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Failure Modes ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Weak Links ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Supply Chain Resilience

PurposeCOVID-19 has pushed many supply chains to re-think and strengthen their resilience and how it can help organisations survive in difficult times. Considering the availability of data and the huge number of supply chains that had their weak links exposed during COVID-19, the objective of the study is to employ artificial intelligence to develop supply chain resilience to withstand extreme disruptions such as COVID-19.Design/methodology/approachWe adopted a qualitative approach for interviewing respondents using a semi-structured interview schedule through the lens of organisational information processing theory. A total of 31 respondents from the supply chain and information systems field shared their views on employing artificial intelligence (AI) for supply chain resilience during COVID-19. We used a process of open, axial and selective coding to extract interrelated themes and proposals that resulted in the establishment of our framework.FindingsAn AI-facilitated supply chain helps systematically develop resilience in its structure and network. Resilient supply chains in dynamic settings and during extreme disruption scenarios are capable of recognising (sensing risks, degree of localisation, failure modes and data trends), analysing (what-if scenarios, realistic customer demand, stress test simulation and constraints), reconfiguring (automation, re-alignment of a network, tracking effort, physical security threats and control) and activating (establishing operating rules, contingency management, managing demand volatility and mitigating supply chain shock) operations quickly.Research limitations/implicationsAs the present research was conducted through semi-structured qualitative interviews to understand the role of AI in supply chain resilience during COVID-19, the respondents may have an inclination towards a specific role of AI due to their limited exposure.Practical implicationsSupply chain managers can utilise data to embed the required degree of resilience in their supply chains by considering the proposed framework elements and phases.Originality/valueThe present research contributes a framework that presents a four-phased, structured and systematic platform considering the required information processing capabilities to recognise, analyse, reconfigure and activate phases to ensure supply chain resilience.

Cost Effectiveness Analysis in Short Sea Shipping: Evidence from Northeast Asian Routes

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1340
Author(s):  
Xue-Bin Zheng ◽  
Yul-Seong Kim ◽  
Young-Ran Shin
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Short Sea Shipping ◽  
Effectiveness Analysis ◽  
Transportation Modes ◽  
Lift Off ◽  
Cooperative Relationship ◽  
High Level ◽  
Northeast Asian ◽  
The Cost

Nowadays, roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) is an important mode for short sea shipping (SSS) due to its advantages of fast and convenient load and unloading system. Despite the advantages, the market share of Ro-Ro is insignificant compared with lift-on/lift-off (Lo-Lo) in the Northeast Asian region that is geographically suitable for fostering SSS. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to have a better understanding of the effectiveness or Ro-Ro and Lo-Lo in the regional SSS market. For this purpose, this paper develops a model to estimate the total logistics cost of the two transportation modes. The total logistics costs of Ro-Ro and Lo-Lo are calculated on three major SSS routes between Korea and Japan. The results show that Lo-Lo outperforms Ro-Ro on most routes in terms of the cost effectiveness, and Ro-Ro is competitive only for high-priced and time-sensitive cargo. However, it is also documented that Ro-Ro transport has a significant impact on reduction in the total logistics costs when companies integrate the supply chain and improve the cooperative relationship to a high level.

Applying Industry 4.0 technologies in the COVID–19 sustainable chains

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carina Acioli ◽  
Annibal Scavarda ◽  
Augusto Reis
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Industry 4.0 ◽  
Supply Chain Performance ◽  
Chain Process ◽  
Sustainable Supply Chain ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainable Performance ◽  
The Social ◽  
New Research

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is 1) to investigate the effects on the crucial Industry 4.0 technological innovations that interact between the real and virtual worlds and that are applied in the sustainable supply chain process; 2) to contribute to the identification of the opportunities, the challenges and the gaps that will support the new research study developments and 3) to analyze the impact of the Industry 4.0 technologies as facilitators of the sustainable supply chain performance in the midst of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).Design/methodology/approachThis research is performed through a bibliographic review in the electronic databases of the Emerald Insight, the Scopus and the Web of Science, considering the main scientific publications on the subject.FindingsThe bibliographic search results in 526 articles, followed by two sequential filters for deleting the duplicate articles (resulting in 487 articles) and for selecting the most relevant articles (resulting in 150 articles).Practical implicationsThis article identifies the opportunities and the challenges focused on the emerging Industry 4.0 theme. The opportunities can contribute to the sustainable performance of the supply chains and their territories. The Industry 4.0 can also generate challenges like the social inequalities related to the position of the man in the labor market by replacing the human workforce with the machines. Therefore, the man-machine relationship in the Industry 4.0 era is analyzed as a gap in the literature. Therefore, as a way to fill this gap, the authors of this article suggest the exploration of the research focused on the Society 5.0. Also known as “super-smart society,” this recent theme appeared in Japan in April 2016. According to Fukuda (2020), in addition to the focus on the technological development, the Society 5.0 also aims at the quality of life and the social challenge resolutions.Originality/valueThis article contributes to the analysis of the Industry 4.0 technologies as facilitators in the sustainable supply chain performance. It addresses the impacts of the Industry 4.0 technologies applied to the supply chains in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it analyzes the research gaps and limitations found in the literature. The result of this study can add value and stimulate new research studies related to the application of the Industry 4.0 technologies as facilitators in the supply chain sustainable performance. It can encourage the studies related to the COVID-19 impacts on the sustainable supply chains, and it can promote the research development on the relationship among the man, the machine and the labor in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

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