Systems engineering effective supply chain innovations

Authors

Tillmann Boehme, University of WollongongFollow
Eric Deakins, University of Waikato
Matthew P. Pepper, University of WollongongFollow
Denis Towill, Cardiff University

RIS ID

95695

Publication Details

Boehme, T., Deakins, E., Pepper, M. & Towill, D. (2014). Systems engineering effective supply chain innovations. International Journal of Production Research, 52 (21), 6518-6537.

Abstract

When seeking to adopt innovative supply chain (SC) best practices from apparently better-performing organisations during re-engineering, it is important to acknowledge that context also impacts performance. Hence, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the SC uncertainty circle model for its potential to yield direct performance comparisons even when the benchmarked organisations are located in different business sectors and economic settings. Using a rigorous well-established audit methodology, longitudinal field research with an engineer-to-order SC company demonstrates how highly effective, potentially transferable best practices can be reliably identified when systems thinking is allied to a context-free uncertainty metric, and how reducing product delivery process uncertainty can itself increase innovation capability.