A4 Refereed article in a conference publication
Supply chain and ICT issues of Estonia: Survey findings
Authors: Ain Kiisler, Tomi Solakivi, Olli-Pekka Hilmola
Editors: Matteo Cristani, Carlos Toro, Cecilia Zanni-Merk, Robert J. Howlett, Lakhmi C. Jain
Conference name: International Conference on Knowledge-Based and Intelligent Information and Engineering Systems
Publisher: Elsevier B.V.
Publication year: 2020
Journal: Procedia Computer Science
Book title : Knowledge-Based and Intelligent Information & Engineering Systems: Proceedings of the 24th International Conference KES2020
Journal name in source: Procedia Computer Science
Volume: 176
First page : 828
Last page: 837
ISSN: 1877-0509
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2020.09.078
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/50979063
Logistics and supply chain management are critical for economic sustainability. In this research, we aim to identify the most critical factors to logistics and supply chain performance for a small open economy by reporting survey results from Estonian manufacturing, trading and logistics service companies. By comparing survey results from 2012 and 2018, we also analyze how these critical factors may have changed during the last years. In the survey, the significance of competitiveness, functionality of logistics, and information and communication technologies (ICT) among others were included. The results indicate that the importance of factors such as purchasing, demand forecasting and operations planning have increased. Overall, purchasing and demand forecasting are considered more important than other factors. Surprisingly, logistics was considered less vital in 2018 than in 2012. Most of the current challenges in companies arise from demand management (forecasting and planning), increasing labour costs and regulatory changes. On ICT side change has been from traditional communications more towards digital, and especially using specific platforms (portals, intranet/extranet).
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