INTRODUCTION
The technology has been in use with great innovation and development, leading various businesses to develop and innovate. In this world of competition, technology has impacted the scenario to a great extent, which would help them survive in this competitive market of the world by improving the supply chain system. The supply chain managers have evaluated that servicing the customers has been helped a lot by implementing the digital technologies, which has helped to improve the maintenance invisibility, the accountability in an organization, and helps in having control over the organizational activities in the system of the supply chain. In this report, research will be done on the role of technology in the supply chain system, and the study will also be done to understand its impact on the organization’s supply chain system. The quantitative and qualitative research on the research work would help in an in-depth analysis of the topic, giving a clear idea about the impact of the technology in the organization’s supply chain system (Daryanto,2018). As the customers’ demand is increasing, this has led to the implementation of the new technology, which would help satisfy the need of the customer by the required product and the services. The study will also be done on how the technology could help in improving the productivity and organizational performance by implementing an efficient technology in the system, and how the competition of the market could be met by the implementation of such technology in the business process of supply chain systems in an organization. The research will also help in finding the right way the operation the supply chain system (Shukla,2018).
SIGNIFICANCE OF RESEARCH
The research’s significance is to analyze and find a method that helps in having the right data and the information to understand the importance of technology in the supply chain system. At first, the research will help to understand the operation of the supply chain properly in an organization; through this research, the issues which the organization might be facing in the use of the technologies in the supply chain management would also be covered as there are many issues which the supply chain management faces due to the improper technological implementation into its business process (Shukla,2018).
The research paper will provide a solution to the supply chain system’s problem, which would give a clear idea now how the implementation of the new technology in the system could help the organization improve its supply chain operational efficiency (Daryanto,2018).
The significance of the use of technology in the supply chain system can be immense; with the help of the research, it could be found that the implementation of the technology helps in increasing the control over the production in the manufacturing unit of the organization. The improved technology implementation could help in better the management of the inventory. It would also lead to having improved communication between the partners of the supply chain, the order tracking and delivery has become efficient and improved. with the improved technology now the tracking of the goods and the product going for the delivery has become much easier as the technology could help in the efficient tracking of the trail of the products going out for delivery. Hence a more fast and safe mode of delivery can be expected out of this (Bon,2018).
PROJECT RATIONALE
Implementing the technology into the complex supply chain is considered the prior requirement for the effective control of the system of the supply chain in the organization. Today the company is not an independent entity but, in reality, is part of the network of the multi-echelon that is the supply chain for delivering the customer with the goods and the services (Shukla,2018). The management of the supply chain is responsible for formulating an integrated control of these networks, which could help to get significant benefits. The technology has been in use with great innovation and development in recent years to improve the supply chain system’s efficiency by improving its operational processes. In this world of competition, technology is influencing all the scenarios in the world of business to a great extent, which helps these organizations survive in this world’s competitive market by improving their system of the supply chain. It has also been found that the implementation of the technology on the supply chain system of the organization could help in improving the accountability and control in the organization (Afrin,2019).
ARGUMENT IN FAVOUR OF THE RESEARCH.
In recent years, many issues are arising in the sustainable function of the sustainable system of the organization’s supply chain. And many companies are trying to find a way to improve their practice in the supply chain to have an efficient and sustainable way of operation in the organization. By studying the market demand increasing day by day, the company has been trying to fulfill those demands (Shukla,2018). Hence an efficient and effective use of technology becomes the need of the situation. Why would an organization want to have an improved supply chain system? let’s dive into the argument –
1. The business transformation due to sustainable efforts. To understand the issue practically, it is important to have innovative employees who have the right skills and the required vision to redesign the processes and the product and business model. Efficient and skilled employees would be able to understand the context of the business. Many organization has started to change the processes involved in their business to improve its sustainably (Shen,2019).
2. Risk management. The new technologically implemented supply chain would help improve or influence the growth of their organization, but rather it would also have a positive impact on the organization’s risk management activities. By following the sustainability risk, the organization could help improve the management, strategies, and capabilities of the organization (Shukla,2018).
3. Increasing the revenue by reducing the cost. Implementing the new and more sustainable technology would significantly help in the positive financial outcomes hence many companies are becoming more sustainable in approach for this very reason (Afrin,2019).
ISSUE IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN SYSTEM
Various technical issues may arise in the organization’s supply chain system and can pose a serious threat to the business process’s operation and could even lead to a halt of the whole operations if not handled with proper strategies. There are several technical issues related to supply chain management these issues are –
1. The instability of the wireless connection in the warehouse. The unstable network connection in the organization’s warehouse is a big concern for the company’s maximum. It has been found that about 87 % of the company in today’s time are facing these issues. The problem of the unstable connectivity of the network is caused due to –
- Not properly planned implementation of the wireless warehouse.
- By selecting the wrong wireless solution.
- Lack of standardization of the equipment (Shen,2019).
2. The issue of the printing and the scanning. For the operation related to the supply chain system or the logistic prints label and scans documents for the shipping of the goods. hence an issue in the printing, and the scanning would affect the shipping of the goods very badly (Shukla,2018).
3. Lack of the I.T. infrastructure. The I.T. infrastructures place a most important role in the smooth functioning of the operations of the supply chain system of the organization, the I.T. infrastructure in an organization includes the hardware and the software devices, the network devices, etc. which help in improving the efficiency of the operation of the business process (Shen,2019).
LITERATURE REVIEW
A literature review is a detailed summary of a given researched topic. It summarizes, describes, and clarifies the subject from the survey of books, articles, and sources relevant to the topic. It more profusely defines the evaluation and research of scholars of previous issues. It is the acknowledgment of scholars for their research. It provides both theoretical and analytical information on the topics made by the analysis of the scholars.
The modern supply chain:
The modern supply chain aims at focusing on improving the value added to the delivered product rather than on the distribution process. The modern SCM enables us to understand the importance of entering into a partnership. Unlike traditional supply chain management, the modern SCM looks after the welfare of the customers. The modern SCM involves new technologies and strategies (Rejeb et al,2019). It also believes in creating a healthy relationship with its partners so that no pandemonium is created during the import and export of goods. It also helps in developing trust, so carry it forward in the future too. Also, modern SCM has implemented logistic management to ensure both forward and reverse flow of goods, the safety of the goods, and usage of the persuasive process.
Different technologies used in the modern supply chain:
- Radio technology
- Advanced weighting technology
- The internet of things (IoT)
- AI, machine learning
- Robots and automation
- 3D printing
- Radio technology:-
It is often seen that items are lost from the transits. In such a case, the cost of the lost item has to be incurred by the supplier. So, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) has been adopted by many organizations. It keeps track of all the items while releasing it from the transit. An RFID chip is attached to every product so that even if the item gets dislocated, there is no difficulty in detecting it (Guchhait et al,2019). By this, the supplier also is not liable in case of misplacement of the item from the transit.
Advanced weighing technology:-
The weighing process is essential in supply chain management. Outdated truck scales are still into prevalence. So, accurate usage of them should be mandatory. The advanced weighing machine was introduced to weigh the gross weight of the truck to ensure that the truck carries an exact amount of raw materials. A standard weight is fixed, and according to that, all the trucks should be loaded with equal amounts of goods. It saves both money and time.
- The internet of things (IoT):-
While transportation of ordered goods, various things has to be kept in mind, such as traffic, weather report, environment status. All of these can be tracked with the help of the internet. It also keeps track of the assets while it is carried through the logistic process. So it is also known as the location tracker in the management. However, it gives rise to cybersecurity risks. It should never be forgotten that even though these provide profit within a short span, there are many risks involved with it (Birkel et al,2019).
- AI, machine learning:-
Due to the supply of huge data, it often becomes hectic to keep them safe, and also complexity arises in supply networks. According to IDC, by the end of 2021, most of the companies would invest in AI, and this would lead to an increment of 15% in productivity. With algorithms and methods, AI makes it easy for companies to collect these huge data and keep track on them. AI makes it possible to scrutinize these data and is especially useful while transporting abroad (Sharma et al,2020).
- Robots and automation:-
Robots have been used for quite some time and play a vital role in supply chain management. It is used to transfer goods and raw materials. According to IDC, by the end of 2023, 65% of the activities will be conducted through robots. It will help to reduce the time required as well as to increase the activities by 20%. It will lead to an increment in productivity (Neelakandan et al,2019). Amazon initially introduced the Kiva robots, a poster child for logistics and fulfillment, to carry inventory pallets from one place to another in 2013, which almost seemed impossible for the workers. It was not implemented for replacing human resources but to help them out in cases of tremendous chaos. It also eliminates waste products generated while traveling from place to place. Drones were first used by Amazon in 2016 to deliver goods to customers. Though further usage has not been witnessed, it is trying to implement them to the soonest.
- 3D printing:-
With the help of new technologies, supply chain companies are investing more in localized production. The production of goods is being carried out in local assembly hubs. It leads to a reduction in the costs of hardware. If the supply of the items is done where the demand is more, then the logistics and transportation costs will be minimal. It leads to depreciation in geological risks as well as carbon footprint (Shree et al,2020)
Evaluation of the technology used in the modern supply chain:
The modern supply chain management shows the transformation of raw materials to final products. It refers to how efficiently goods are transferred through various supply chains which are efficient as well as budget-oriented. After the procurement of raw materials, the manager has to see whether efficient supply chains are being implemented. The company can’t supply the product directly to the store for public purchase. So intermediaries are hired to distribute the products to various stores around the earth. Usage of modern technologies, methods, implementation of the above strategies results in success. These management skills are an essential attribute of the company. These strategies assist each department to effectively carry out its responsibilities, keeping in mind the emerging trends and the factors of uncertainty. As days are passing, technologies are getting advanced, and supply chain management is also improvising itself. In the above topic, we have discussed how supply chain management is evolving through years with the implementation of new technologies.
METHODOLOGY
Introduction-
The research methodology is a descriptive study that aims to state the methods used in a research approach. The research methodologies can be distinguished into two parts, primary method, and secondary method. The primary method is applied when necessary information is collected from research conducted by own, and second method is applied when the necessary information are collected from previously made research.
Research philosophy:-
There are various philosophies prevailing in these researches. The philosophies can be categorized into various parts. However, the chief ones are realism, interpretivism and positivism. The research philosophy chosen here is positivism.
Justification of the chosen philosophy:-
The positivism approaches deal with research which have to be made on the basis of any particular data. To draw any conclusion, it is very essential to have the related data available. Science cannot justify the conclusions drawn in this case. So this research was also made with a positivism approach since data was collected.
Research approach:-
The approach of the research can be further divided into two parts, that is, the inductive and deductive approach. In this case, the deductive research approach was implemented.
Justification of the chosen approach:-
In this case, the deductive approach was implemented because firstly we had to deduce hypotheses from the existing research. Then all the data were collected and analyzed from the previously derived theories. In accordance with the data, a set of questionnaires was made based on which the research was conducted.
Research design:-
The research design is the set of techniques used by the researchers to conduct the related research. The research design can be divided into four types. These are descriptive, explanatory, confirmatory and exploratory. In this research, an explanatory design is used.
Justification of the chosen design:-
The explanatory design was used because the researcher cannot improvise the data. He/she has to work with the data collected by him. So, all the data have to be explained in details.
Gantt chart:-
| ACTIVITIES | 1ST WEEK TO 4TH WEEK | 5TH WEEK TO 8TH WEEK | 9TH WEEK TO 12TH WEEK | 13TH WEEK TO 16TH WEEK | 17TH WEEK TO 20TH WEEK | 21TH WEEK TO 24TH WEEK |
| Choosing the topic | ||||||
| Background of the research | ||||||
| Determining the aims of the research | ||||||
| Collecting the existing data | ||||||
| Literature review | ||||||
| Working on the data | ||||||
| Analyzing the questions | ||||||
| Concluding the research | ||||||
| Analyzing the research | ||||||
| Self-reflection | ||||||
| Submission of data |
REFERENCES:
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Cole, R., Stevenson, M. and Aitken, J., 2019. Blockchain technology: implications for operations and supply chain management. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, 24(4), pp.469-483.
Cousins, P.D., Lawson, B., Petersen, K.J. and Fugate, B., 2019. Investigating green supply chain management practices and performance. International Journal of Operations & Production Management.
Govindan, K., Cheng, T.E., Mishra, N. and Shukla, N., 2018. Big data analytics and application for logistics and supply chain management.
Green, K.W., Inman, R.A., Sower, V.E. and Zelbst, P.J., 2019. Comprehensive supply chain management model. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal.
Kshetri, N., 2018. 1 Blockchain’s roles in meeting key supply chain management objectives. International Journal of Information Management, 39, pp.80-89.
Rajeev, A., Pati, R.K., Padhi, S.S. and Govindan, K., 2017. Evolution of sustainability in supply chain management: A literature review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 162, pp.299-314.
Saberi, S., Kouhizadeh, M., Sarkis, J. and Shen, L., 2019. Blockchain technology and its relationships to sustainable supply chain management. International Journal of Production Research, 57(7), pp.2117-2135.
Tseng, M.L., Islam, M.S., Karia, N., Fauzi, F.A. and Afrin, S., 2019. A literature review on green supply chain management: Trends and future challenges. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 141, pp.145-162.
Rejeb, A., Keogh, J.G. and Treiblmaier, H., 2019. Leveraging the internet of things and blockchain technology in supply chain management. Future Internet, 11(7), p.161.
Birkel, H.S. and Hartmann, E., 2019. Impact of IoT challenges and risks for SCM. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal.
Neelakandan, S., Tyagi, A. and Nagalkar, D., Global eProcure, 2019. Robotic process automation for supply chain management operations. U.S. Patent 10,324,457.
