Supply chain integration systems by small engineering to order companies: the challenge of implementation

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a model for overcoming the key barriers to the implementation of supply chain integration systems by small engineering to order (ETO) companies. Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative data from three in-depth case studies are collected. The three case studies are small UK ETO companies, i.e. manufacturing companies that customise generic product types to meet specific customer requirements and only make these to order. Findings – The paper identifies three key barriers: management awareness of the benefits and implementation challenges of these systems, perceived risk to the business and to information security and intensity of skills needed for their successful implementation. The paper proposes an iterative model that aims at overcoming these barriers. Research limitations/implications – The authors apply the knowledge on technology adoption in the context of small ETO companies to explain the apparent lack of implementation of supply chain integration systems by small ETO organisations; and propose a model to overcome these barriers. The main limitation is the lack of full validation of our model. Although this model has been presented and discussed the with case study companies, it has not been fully implemented yet. A full implementation and subsequent review would provide unequivocal validation. Practical implications – The paper presents a model for overcoming the key barriers of implementation of supply chain integration systems by small ETO companies. Managers and consultants that aim at implementing such systems can use this model prior to implementation to reduce the potential impact of these barriers on the implementation. Originality/value – There are two contributions of this paper. The first is the explanation of the barriers that inhibit the implementations of supply chain integration systems by small ETO companies. The second is the development of the model for overcoming these.