Critical Supply Chain Innovation Indicators that Enhance Business Performance: A Case Study of Weir Minerals Africa

Abstract

The principal link between technology and competitive advantage is innovation. The quest for sustainable competitive advantage has caused firms to invest in innovation, consequently, innovation is responsible for new industries coming into being, and it is innovation, which allows some firms to dominate in that space. Thus, this study aimed to examine the critical supply chain (SC) innovation indicators that enhance business performance. This research study centred on the operational activities of the Weir Minerals Africa (WMA) Isando facility in Johannesburg, South Africa, including all elements associated with the supply chain activities of the plant. The study sample of 230 respondents was considered representative of the population. The philosophical worldview in this research is positivism. Positivism hinges on computable observations that lead to statistical interpretations. The study was quantitative, adopted the deductive research approach, and a set of hypotheses were formulated for the research to confirm or reject a theory. For this population, the researcher applied a census-based sampling approach. The results showed that there is a significant number of indicators that enhance business performance and these include a clear culture of continuous improvement, focusing on new markets both locally and globally, product portfolio changes, constant connection and engagement with customers and cost structures. In light of these findings, the study provided a set of recommendations. Weir Minerals has a significant number of supply chain innovation hubs and metrics that include improvement and innovation culture across the entire organisation, an aggressive drive to create new markets and a clear posture to enforce standards and consistent value to its customers. However, it has not made a significant and noticeable effort to connect regularly with its customers. It has to improve on its customer relationship management frontier. The study findings underscored the relevance of a holistic overview of the supply chain problems at Weir Minerals Isando (WMI) that may inform the supply chain management decisions and expand academic knowledge. Keywords: Supply Chain Innovation, Supply Chain Management, Sustainable Business Performance