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The purpose of this paper is to identify the radio frequency identification (RFID) strategic value attributes (RFIDSVAs) mechanism selections preferences and also integration of RFID tags with technology coordination tools (IRTWTCTs) alternatives ranking performance decisions in supply chain management (SCM). RFID-enabled techno-economic feasibility decisions are enhancing the SC visibility in apparel supply chains (ASCs). The RFIDSVAs mechanism selections have performed significant agility to strategic competitive advantages, namely, inventory visibility, multi-tags ownership transfer within trusted third party, etc.

Fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) and FAHP-fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (FTOPSIS) approaches have been used to evaluate the quantitative assessment of RFIDSVA mechanisms selection decision based on weight priority orders and IRTWTCTs alternatives selection in ASC networks. The comparison of FAHP and FAHP-FTOPSIS approaches to evaluate the integrated framework develop in RFIDSVAs mechanisms and IRTWTCTs alternatives selection decisions in Indian multi-tier ASC networks.

The result found that the FAHP-FTOPSIS approaches have used to prioritizing the RFIDSVA mechanism selection weights and also identify the IRTWTCTs alternatives ranking preferences order in apparel SCM. The comparison between the FAHP and FAHP-FTOPSIS approach to quantitative assessments from RFIDSVA mechanisms and IRTWTCTs alternatives selection decisions, which enable them SC agility potential across multi-tier visibility in ASC networks. ASC stakeholders can be benefited by techno-economic feasibility decisions, RFID-enabled shop floor activities, multi-tags ownerships transfer in SCs and knowledge-based cryptography tags/items separation in SCs.

The research work has considered only five RFIDSVA mechanisms and also three integration of RFIDTWTCTs alternatives in multi-tier ASC. The strategic competitive advantages are achieved by RFID-enabled break-even tags price decisions and also techno-economic feasibility decision by contractual design multi-tier SC stakeholder’s involvements.

The pilot project study explores that the quantitative assessment decision has based on RFID-enable techno-economic feasibility in ASCs. Stakeholders can be benefited by inventory control of the financial losses, reducing the inventory inaccuracies and multi-tags ownership transfer within trusted third-party traceability in ASC networks.

This study explores the RFID-enabled apparel SC process and activities visibility (natural fibre’s fibre producer, fibre dyeing producer, yarn spinning producer, knitting and finishing producer).

Perceived as an antidote to poor execution, interest in radio frequency identification (RFID)-enabled visibility has grown. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether and how RFID-enabled visibility with item-level tagging improves store execution.

The authors conducted three field-based experiments in collaboration with two Fortune 500 retailers.

RFID-enabled visibility resulted in a sizable decrease in inventory record inaccuracy and out-of-stocks for inventory held in both the backroom and on the sales floor. The decrease in inventory record inaccuracy and out-of-stocks was even greater among products stored primarily on the sales floor suggesting the benefits from increased visibility accrue to sales floor inventory management processes. In contrast, the authors found no significant improvement in inventory record inaccuracy and no substantive improvement in out-of-stocks among products stored primarily in the backroom suggesting that increased visibility does not improve backroom management processes.

The authors recommend retailers focus on sales floor inventory management when seeking to improve store execution through the adoption of RFID-enabled visibility. In the context, only partial evidence exists that backroom inventory management improves with RFID-enabled visibility.

Retailers seeking to invest in RFID technology must estimate potential performance improvements before making firm-specific cost-benefit analyses. They must also understand where and how these performance improvements will accrue. This research uniquely presents the results of a three field experiments that quantify the changes in retail execution associated with RFID adoption.

Managing inventory continues to be a growing area of concern for many retailers due to the multitude of issues that arise from either an excess or shortage of inventory. This study aims to understand how a large-scale retail chain can improve its handling of excess seasonal inventory using three common strategies: information sharing, visibility, and collaboration.

This study has been designed utilizing a case study method focusing on one retail chain at three key levels: strategic (head office), warehouses, and retail stores. The data have been collected by conducting semi-structured interviews with senior-level employees at each of the three levels and employing a thematic analysis to examine the major themes.

The results show how three common strategies are being practiced by this retailer and how utilizing these strategies aids the retailer in improving its performance in regard to seasonal inventory. Among our research findings, some challenges were discovered in implementing the strategies, most notably: human errors, advanced forecasting deficiencies, and the handling of return merchandise authorizations.

This research takes a case study approach and focuses on one big-box retailer. The authors chose to study three levels (head office, warehouses, and retail stores) to gain a deeper understanding of the functions and processes of each level, and to understand the working relationships between them. Through the collection of primary data in a Canadian context, this study contributes to the literature by investigating supply chain strategies for managing inventory. The Canadian context is especially interesting due to the multi-cultural demographics of the country.

The combination of the latest advancements in information and communication technologies with the latest developments in AutoID technologies, especially radio frequency identification (RFID), brings the possibility of high-resolution, item-level visibility of the entire supply chain. In the particular case of retail, visibility of both the stock count and item location in the shop floor is crucial not only for an effective management of the retail supply chain but also for physical retail stores to compete with online retailers. The purpose of this paper is to propose an autonomous robot that can perform stock-taking using RFID for item-level identification much more accurately and efficiently than the traditional method of using human operators with RFID handheld readers.

This work follows the design science research methodology. The paper highlights a required improvement for an RFID inventory robot. The design hypothesis leads to a novel algorithm. Then the cycle of development and evaluation is iterated several times. Finally, conclusions are derived and a new basis for further development is provided.

An autonomous robot for stock-taking is proven feasible. By applying a proper navigation strategy, coupled to the stream of identifications, the accuracy, precision, consistency and time to complete stock-taking are significantly better than doing the same task manually.

The main limitation of this work is the unavailability of data to analyze the actual impact on the correction of inventory record inaccuracy and its subsequent implications for the supply chain management. Nonetheless, it is shown that figures of actual stock-tacking procedures can be significantly improved.

This paper discloses the potential of deploying an inventory robot in the supply chain. The robot is called to be a key source of inventory data conforming supply chain management 4.0 and omnichannel retail.

The purpose of this paper is to present a literature review that aims to provide insight into the characteristics and effectiveness of supply chain visibility (SCV), as well as to identify metrics that capture these aspects in business processes.

A systematic review of the supply chain literature is conducted to identify the characteristics and the effectiveness of SCV. The synthesis of SCV effectiveness and its metrics are based on the process-oriented approach which relates the effectiveness of SCV to improved business performance.

This study reveals that the characteristics of SCV can be captured in terms of the accessibility, quality, and usefulness of information. The benefits of SCV are found to extend beyond improvements to operational efficiency of business processes or to the strategic competencies of an organization.

This study underlines that clear agreements between all players involved in the SC can help to solve problems caused by information completeness (type and amount of information), and unlock the full potential of SCV projects.

By using a process-oriented approach, this review provides a comprehensive explanation of the functions of SCV, as well as its first-order effects, in terms of automational, informational, and transformational characteristics.

Supply chain traceability and supply chain visibility have become a critical element for the effective management of contemporary complex supply chains. At their core is information sharing, which has been acknowledged as a key prerequisite for logistics and supply chain performance, but whose notional underpinnings have not been delineated fully, leading to interchangeable deployment of these terms. Addressing the shortcoming, this paper aims to establish a contrast between the two notions.

Drawing from systematic review protocols, a multi-disciplinary review scope is constructed wherein the synthesis is strategized to primarily channel implications for the scholarship of logistics and supply chain management. The review is aimed at addressing two research objectives: (1) how the notions of traceability and visibility in supply chain management develop contrast in terms of their thematic emphasis and (2) to attain an integrative understanding of the notional convergence and divergence between supply chain traceability and visibility for raising strategic recommendations.

The review outcomes help contrast both the convergence and the divergence between traceability and visibility in the supply chain environment, and the differentiated but fundamental role that information sharing plays within these notions to outline why they are not interchangeable.

The originality of the findings lies in the conceptual synthesis of the relevant literature from both technological and non-technological perspectives to ultimately draw logistics and supply chain management implications. The review also points out key strategic considerations to demarcate the notional boundaries of traceability and visibility in future research.

This paper aims to, by connecting to the ongoing conversation on the importance of supply chain visibility, empirically examine the impact of visibility in supply chain relationships, on resource sharing among and on the performance of humanitarian organizations.

Survey data were collected from 101 humanitarian organizations in Southeast Asia. The organizations all experienced being interconnected within the supply chain relationships formed in humanitarian response settings. Data are used to test the conceptually developed model, using the structural equation modeling-partial least square (SEM-PLS) approach.

Results show that visibility has a significant impact on resource sharing and the performance of the organizations, especially in terms of the willingness to share resources, resources used and flexibility of organizations. The results also show that, in situations of high uncertainty, the association between resource sharing and performance becomes weaker.

The study is limited to the method used.

Findings of this research provide insights for humanitarian practitioners on the need to increase visibility of the scarce resources available within the relationships formed during a disaster relief operation to improve overall disaster response. The level of uncertainty in terms of needs assessment, number of affected people, location of a disaster and so forth, is also taken into account in the recommendations made.

This study is among the first to empirically test the link between visibility, resource sharing and performance, specifically in a humanitarian context, which is among the critical success factors for better interorganizational coordination and better aid delivery.

After completion of the case study, the students will be able to understand ABC analysis and develop a systematic approach using PDCA, analyze processes, technology, employee training and supplier relationships when analyzing shrink and developing solutions, evaluate how technology improves production inventory control and visibility and recognize the importance of fostering a culture of employee accountability and ownership to minimize inventory loss and improve overall operational efficiency.

On June 2, 2023, sitting in his office in Karachi, Pakistan, Khan Aamir, the manager of store and inventory at Euro Manufacturing, found himself immersed in a cloud of confusion. The incessant loss of inventory items, particularly the nut bolts and small accessories, had become a perplexing challenge. To address these losses and provide a cycle count report to the director of supply chain, Aamir, manager of store and inventory, was given the responsibility to take action. He was looking for a comprehensive approach to address the current problems and prevent further losses in the future. This case study examines the various reasons for the losses, including theft, inadequate inventory control methods, human error and problems with suppliers. It highlights the importance of established procedures, the use of technology (such as barcode scanning, radio-frequency identification tagging and inventory management software) and the cultivation of a culture of accountability among employees.

This case study is developed for class discussion in the course of operations management or supply chain management. This case study is suitable for use with undergrad students. This case study can be taught in a module on operations management or supply chain management, as part of a broader course in business management or industrial engineering.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS: 9: Operations and logistics.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the current trends, implications and challenges of information systems (IS) related to omni-channel logistics.

An exploratory survey study is conducted with 23 Swedish retail companies transforming to omni-channel logistics. The study investigates the retailers’ current situations regarding logistics IS as well as their perceptions of the future development.

From the perspective of leading Swedish retailers, omni-channel requirements drive the implementation of new IS to support effective and efficient material handling across the network and in the respective nodes. The shifting roles and increase in the number of handlings nodes will require flexible IS platforms that can support multiple flows and integrated inventory. The major increase in the implementation of new, critical functionalities is related to real-time, multi-criteria decision making on order allocation to different handling nodes. More advanced IS functionality is also required in material-handling nodes to support the increased degree of automation and continuous improvements with the aim to shorten order-to-delivery lead times. A number of challenges are identified that must be addressed during the transformation to omni-channel logistics, especially related to the growing complexity and decentralization of networks, tougher lead-time requirements and larger product assortments.

To support further theory development, 11 propositions related to trends and a schematic framework conceptualizing implications and challenges are submitted for testing in future research.

The study highlights several aspects related to logistics IS that are important for practitioners to consider as they undergo the transition to omni-channels. It provides insights into IS functionalities that are likely to grow in use and criticality for supporting material handling and inventory management in increasingly complex and decentralized networks. In particular, the authors stress the need to implement functionality that works across previously separated handling nodes and decision areas. Managers can also use the propositions to reflect on what the near future holds and as input for their own scenario analyses.

Previous research has primarily focused on technology that supports the front-end customer experience. This study is original in that it explores the trends, implications and challenges for logistics IS in omni-channels – an area that has not been explored in detail previously. It also studies both perceived and expected changes over time related to the transformation toward omni-channel logistics.

This paper aims to examine the effect of inventory information sharing on inventory efficiency and its intervening effect of information technology (IT) capability in manufacturing firms.

Stratified random sampling and filter questions selected targeted respondents, and an online survey collected 124 completed questionnaires from Malaysian manufacturing firms. partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) examined the structural model and hypothesis statement. An analysis of importance-performance map analysis (IPMA) test identified the relative importance drivers of inventory efficiency.

The findings showed that enhanced IT capabilities in manufacturing firms mediate a positive relationship between inventory sharing and inventory efficiency.

This study portrays the relationship between inventory level, demand and information sharing. The research was carried out only within Malaysian manufacturing firms.

These findings will enable the management of manufacturing firms to design and visualise their inventory levels and share best practices across supply chain networks to achieve effective and optimised inventory planning.

This study illustrates an intervention model that offers a direct and indirect impact of IT capabilities that allow scholars to close inventories productivity gaps in research.

This paper extends the limited literature on the sharing of inventory information and inventory productivity, notably from a strategic management perspective. The findings help scholars clearly understand the information systems capability and its mediating impact on information sharing and inventory efficiency’s relationship in the manufacturing sector. Moreover, demand information sharing affected the dynamic supply chain.