Case Study: Data Sharing Between Supply Chain Actors

This interesting real-life case study looks at Volvo Car Corporation which has started using a collaborative radio frequency identification (RFID) enabled Track and Trace (T&T) system in order to monitor the location of their cargo, shipped from their body components manufacturing factory in Olofström in southern Sweden to its car assembly factories located near Gothenburg.

The indepth case study examines the function of T&T which enables companies to know the location of various objects and the history of its movement. It focuses on the use of T&T when objects are moved between multiple supply chain partners in terms of sharing hardware, software and data.

Aimed at students on supply chain management, logistics and operations courses, the author includes useful diagrams and tables illustrating how inter-organizational information systems are based on data sharing between the partners of a supply chain work.

This case study offers the reader valuable insights into how a real company shares data between different stages of the supply chain. Dr Vahid Mirzabeiki discusses the advantages and issues of the collaborative T&T system and provides the reader with a series of questions which tests their understanding of incorporating the T&T system within a supply chain as well as in depth suggested answers.

The questions and worked out answers look at strategic capabilities and performance of logistics operators, 3PLs and 4PLs.

About the Author

Dr Vahid Mirzabeiki is a lecturer in the Supply Chain Research Centre at Cranfield School of Management. Vahid's areas of expertise include supply chain management, information sharing in supply chain, and inter-organisational information systems.