Improving visibility in manufacturing supply chains - a case study

Information and communication technology (ICT) is changing the shape and operation of today's supply chains. The rapid flow of information across extended organisational structures can provide visibility of product and processes, enable greater collaboration and support more responsive systems. This is essential to enable competitive advantage in turbulent market conditions. The Web is an ideal medium for such information systems. While examples of Web-based collaborations have been reported in the communications and electronics industries, they are not so common in manufacturing industries. A manufacturing-based case study traces the implementation of a Web-supported supplier information system.