Integration of Information Technology and Organizations in a Supply Chain

Ever since the Council of Logistics Management (CLM) adopted the definition of logistics in 1986, the integration of somewhat disparate activities of transportation, procurement, inventory control, distribution management, and customer service has been a major thrust in many firms. Realizing the synergy that exists in these functions, many companies have extended the concept further upstream and downstream to include entities outside the company to include vendors and their vendors and also customers and their customers. Experts predicted that integrated supply chains would enable these firms to compete better. How successful have companies been in integrating their supply chains? How pervasive integration has been in the supply chain? What were the challenges these firms faced in their journeys to achieve integration in their networks? How and when were they able to overcome these obstacles? In seeking to answer these questions, we examine the challenges faced by companies in integrating their supply chain networks using case studies among 14 European companies or European subsidiaries of global companies divided into five supply chains.