Supply chain management in Australian manufacturing—two case studies

In order to promote further understanding of the adoption and integration of supply chain management techniques in Australian manufacturing industry, it was decided to conduct two case studies. The organisations chosen for these cases were companies involved in the supply of goods to a major Australian retail chain. Both companies were involved to some extent in the use of the EAN barcoding system, as well as (in some cases) use of EDI and other enabling technologies. The purpose of the case studies was to identify (and compare) how the companies had approached implementation of Integrated Supply Chain Management (ISCM), what benefits had been experienced and where the points of leverage for each company lay. The evidence indicates that there are benefits from execution of ISCM practices when they are implemented in a ‘Strategic’ fashion, and that companies that implement with a ‘Reactive’ mindset perceive few (if any) benefits. What also emerges is that it may not always be possible (or indeed appropriate) to implement at a fully Strategic level, and the appropriate level of implementation may be moderated by factors such as the nature of the product, competitive environment, size of the company, culture of the company and strategic posture.