Advanced technologies supporting smart supply chain business processes

This paper aims to investigate the deployment of advanced technologies on supply chain business processes in the smart supply chain context. The experience of seven international companies from different supply chain levels, industry sectors and countries is analyzed. In the case studies, companies' deployed advanced technologies such as IoT (with multiple sensors) and RFID, automation, big data analytics, and EDI cloud solutions. These technologies are deployed mainly to support the following supply chain business processes: “order fulfillment”, “manufacturing flow management”, “returns management”, “supplier relationship management”, “customer service management” and “demand management”. The benefits recognized are increase in process productivity, velocity, and efficiency, delays reduction, just-in-time deliveries, faster integration with new business partners, reduction of time to market, increase in the EDI reliability, and increase of customer satisfaction. These benefits are aligned with the smart supply chain capabilities.