Integrated supply chain management from the wholesaler's perspective: Two Australian case studies

Documents two case studies conducted in Australian companies from the wholesaling sector. Both companies are importers and wholesalers supplying into the retail sector. The aim of the case studies was to establish to what extent each had adopted and implemented new technologies for the management of supply chain activities. Although both companies have approached implementation of established technologies such as barcoding and EDI from different perspectives some common themes emerge. The picture that emerges from the two cases is that although new technology may be adopted at varying levels, and with different objectives, the right technologies provide opportunities for all players. In both cases the services provided for retailers (either large or small) were important, and it was hard to see that they could be easily and efficiently replaced solely by applying new technology. At the same time, both companies saw technology as providing opportunities to grow their businesses, and to add value to the total supply chain.