Performance Benefits of Supply Chain Logistical Integration

The current research was undertaken to substantiate the academic relevance of the 21st Century Logistics framework by assessing the unidimensionality, reliability, and internal consistency of measures used to assess supply chain logistics integration competence, as well as offer a deeper investigation into the relationhips between logistics integration and performance. The results support the framework and justify the managerial relationships it portrays. The analyses identify the overall magnitude as well as the relative importance of specific competencies to competitively superior performance. Customer and internal integration are the most significant differentiators of overall firm performance. Consequently, managers seeking to leverage supply chain processes to enhance performance should focus on identifying the current and future supply chain needs of key customers and then develop an effective fulfillment and replenishment process to satisfy those needs.