Current Supply Chain Research Articles

From consumer to prosumer: a supply chain revolution in 3D printing

PurposeRecent technological advances in three-dimensional printing (3DP) may disrupt traditional manufacturing and logistics processes. Because the increasing availability of 3DP service centers, affordable 3D printers, and online platforms empower consumers to design and print objects at home, companies must determine the motives that lead consumers to become prosumers so that they can establish appropriate business models and supply chains. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to identify factors that drive consumer acceptance and use of 3DP technologies.Design/methodology/approachThe explanatory conceptual framework, based on the extended unified theory of acceptance and use of technology, undergoes empirical testing with a sample of 196 3DP consumers who participated in an online survey.FindingsFacilitating conditions, hedonic motivation and a do-it-yourself mentality are key determinants of consumer acceptance and use intention of 3DP technology.Practical implicationsCompanies can use these insights about consumers’ motivation to determine whether their use of 3DP technology threatens current business models or supply chains. In turn, they can develop new ideas about how to adapt these features, as well as identify opportunities for new revenue streams.Originality/valueUnlike most extant literature on 3DP in manufacturing and logistics domains, this study takes consumers’ point of view to shed light on an issue typically investigated from an operations management perspective.

Effect of Ordering Policies on Complex Dynamics Behaviours in a Discrete-Type Manufacturing Industry Supply Chain System

The beer game model is a typical paradigm used to study complex dynamics behaviours in production–distribution systems. The model, however, does not accord with current practical supply chain system models in discrete-type manufacturing industry, which are generally composed of retailers, distributors, manufacturers with internal supply chain, and suppliers. To describe how ordering policies influence the complex dynamics behaviour modes and operating cost in a general discrete-type manufacturing industry supply chain system, a high dimension piecewise-linear dynamics model is built for the supply chain system. Five kinds of ordering policy combination are considered. The distribution of both the largest Lyapunov exponent of effective inventory and average operating cost per cycle is obtained by simulation in a policy space. The simulation shows that for the general discrete-type manufacturing industry supply chain system, the upper chaotic corners emerge besides the lower chaotic corners in the policy space expressing the distribution of system behaviour mode, and that the ordering policies at each supply chain node as well as their combination have very significant effect on the topology of the distribution of both system behaviour mode and operating cost in the policy space. We find that chaos is not always corresponding to high cost, and the “chaos amplification” is not completely relevant to the “cost amplification”.

Safari lodges and local economic linkages in South Africa

The potential contribution of tourism to the well-being of rural communities is impacted by the development of local economic linkages. For development practitioners and policy makers the importance of evolving linkages between tourism and agriculture demands attention. This article provides an examination of the state of linkages in South Africa's luxury safari lodge tourism sector. The results reveal the existence of only limited linkages between safari lodge accommodation providers and local agriculture. Current supply chains are mainly organised by intermediary supplier enterprises which source required food mainly from urban markets with only minimal local impacts. Linkages represent a vital potential mechanism through which to achieve the objectives of pro-poor tourism and a first step to maximise pro-poor impacts and avert polarization is to understand why such linkages rarely materialize and to identify the necessary conditions necessary for them to do so. South African policy frameworks for strengthening linkages must be informed by local evidence and draw from international experience.

Using Sensor-Based Quality Data in Automotive Supply Chains

In many current supply chains, transport processes are not yet being monitored concerning how they influence product quality. Sensor technologies combined with telematics and digital services allow for collecting environmental data to supervise these processes in near real-time. This article outlines an approach for integrating sensor-based quality data into supply chain event management (SCEM). The article describes relationships between environmental conditions and quality defects of automotive products and their mutual relations to sensor data. A discrete-event simulation shows that the use of sensor data in an event-driven control of material flows can keep inventory levels more stable. In conclusion, sensor data can improve quality monitoring in transport processes within automotive supply chains.

Carnival Corporation: The Challenges of Cutting Costs While Maintaining Quality and Customer Satisfaction

This case study has been developed to facilitate discussion about current supply chain management issues and potential solutions. The scenario presented in this case is very representative of the pressures experienced by supply chain managers. Namely, the need to reduce costs while maintaining quality and customer service. This case presents some unusual challenges and constraints that are unique to the cruise line industry. These constraints can provide an opportunity to explore new supply chain paradigms.

A hybrid MCDM-fuzzy multi-objective programming approach for a G-resilient supply chain network design

Stakeholders are being increasingly encouraged to improve their supply chain risk management in order to cope efficiently and successfully with disruption risks due to unexpected events. Notwithstanding, supply chain managers lagged behind this target overlooking green development in considering environmental impact which has become a main criterion in supply chain management. Where the era of greenness threatens current supply chain partners with the need to either cope with the new green regulations or leave the field for new players. Thus, an approach to design supply chains that are simultaneously resilient, and green is needed. This study satisfies this need by developing a green and resilient (G-resilient, here after) fuzzy multi-objective programming model (GR-FMOPM) to present a G-resilient supply chain network design in determining the optimal number of facilities that should be established. The objectives are minimization of total cost and environmental impact and maximization of Value of resilience pillars where Redundancy, Agility, Leanness and Flexibility (V-RALF) can be seen four of main pillars required for supply chain resilience. Fuzzy AHP is used for determining the importance weight for each pillar followed by a usage of a Fuzzy technique for assigning the importance weight for each potential facility with respect to RALF. The importance weights obtained by Fuzzy AHP and the Fuzzy technique are then integrated in the third objective (maximization of V-RALF) to maximize the value of resilience pillars. Based on the fuzzy multi-objective model, the e-constraint method is used to reveal Pareto optimal solutions and TOPSIS was then used to select the final Pareto solution. A case study is used to validate the applicability of the developed GR-FMOPM in obtaining a G-resilient supply chain network design and a trade-off among economic, green and resilience objectives. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is performed on the importance weight for facilities Pareto solutions with respect to the importance weight of RALF. Research findings proved that the developed GR-FMOPM could be used as a tool in evaluating and ranking related facilities with respect to their resilience performance. It can also be used to obtain a G-resilient supply chain network design in terms of facilities that should be established towards a trade-off among the three aforementioned objectives.

Supply Chain Design of Potato Commodity in Wonosobo Regency, Central Java - Indonesia

Today, the demand for horticultural commodities is relatively high, making these commodities more important in the growing Indonesian economy. One of the horticultural commodities is the potato (Solanum tuberosum). Potatoes are widely used as ingredients in the light meal industry such as potato chips. Restaurants and fast food industry also use potatoes as the ingredients. Wonosobo regency is one of the areas in Java producing a lot of potatoes and the majority of the population work as farmers. The purpose of this research is to find out the network design of potato supply chain in Wonosobo regency in order to design a more effective and efficient one. This research uses the descriptive qualitative method and the processes of collecting data are observation, interview, and documentation. The results suggest that the current supply chain design of potatoes is from farmers, middlemen, retailers, and consumers. An alternative network design proposed is the farmers should channel the lower quality potatoes directly to the retailers. While another alternative is, for the good quality potatoes, the farmers should sell them to cooperative for export.

The impact of green human resource management and green supply chain management practices on sustainable performance: An empirical study

This study aims at investigating the linkage between green human resource management bundle practices and green supply chain management (i.e. external and internal practices), as well as their impact on the Triple Bottom Lines of sustainability performance (i.e. environmental, social, and economic performance). A quantitative method is applied in which data is collected from a customized survey with 121 firms functioning in the most pollutant manufacturing sectors (i.e. food, chemical, and pharmaceutical sectors) in Palestine. The data analysis was conducted using the partial least squares structural equation modeling. The results from data analysis show that both of green human resource management and green supply chain management practices have a positive effect to sustainable performance in a joint manner. In fact, the results revealed that green human resource management practices have a direct effect on the sustainable performance, with the green supply chain management practices mediating this effect. In particular, internal green supply chain management practices positively mediate between green human resources management practices and sustainable performance, whereas external green supply chain management practices mediate only the relationship between GHRM bundle practices and environmental dimension of sustainable performance, thus suggesting absence of awareness among manufacturers regarding the effectiveness of this type of GSCM practices for an improved economic and social dimensions of sustainable performance, and calling for more attention from green training programs. This study is considered as the first empirical study exploring the impact of green human resource management and green supply chain management on components of sustainable performance in Palestine, adding great value to the current green human resource management-green supply chain management literature via responding to recent calls to test the combined impact of both practices on TBL of sustainability performance. At the end, the theoretical and managerial implications, limitations of the current study and future research directions have been discussed.

Leveraging SCOR to develop future ready supply chains : The digital revolution

The emerging and converging of digital technologies is disrupting the market landscape across industries. Business and commerce have been revolutionised with this new wave that connects markets, empowers consumers and incentivises innovation. Internet of Things (IoT) deployed devices now capture information in the fields, in the factory, at the distribution centres and on the transport vehicles and containers, at both the point of purchase and ‘point of demand’, while people are defining the criteria and searching products to make purchasing decisions. These technologies hold the promise and are helping companies across industries to discover key insights about the needs and choices of customers through their interactions in an increasingly omnichannel world. It is not just consumer goods that are being marketed and sold over the Internet. All things and services through distributors, or direct from the manufacturer are being marketed and sold leveraging the Internet. Armed with these insights, companies are able to re-imagine their supply chains and create connected digital supply networks that are smarter and better at responding to customer demands. This paper explores the modern and collaborative relationship companies now share with their customers. It then identifies the need and, leveraging the SCOR framework, the steps to building a demand-driven digital supply network that can sense and respond to real time demand signals, and the implications of such a network on the overall business model and the future of the business. It will also suggest an evolution to SCOR ‘enterprise’ that extends the current supply chain reference framework to include other enterprise processes to break down the constraints of silo management functions.

The Research on the New Model of Guangxi Featured Agricultural Products Supply Chain Under the Internet Environment

Although some achievements have been made in the study of supply chain management, the study of the supply chain model taking into account the characteristics of agricultural products and internet environment proves to be inadequate. Therefore, it is very meaningful to study the supply chain model of Guangxi featured agricultural products under the internet environment. This research investigates the current agricultural products supply chain in Guangxi. After the analysis of the needs of supply chain members and the convenience brought from the internet, a new supply chain model suitable for the Guangxi featured agricultural products based on supply chain management theory is constructed. The components of the new model include values, members and operational processes.

Potential and Barriers to the Implementation of Blockchain Technology in Supply Chain Management

Supply chain management has been identified as one potential application for blockchain technology. Established blockchains are envisioned to solve current supply chain challenges around data monitoring, transparency, and authenticity; However, there is a lack of knowledge in how to establish industry-wide blockchains in the first place. Based on working examples and academic research results of blockchain technology in supply chain management, common supply chain properties are identified that blockchain technology is believed to improve. These characteristics are critically discussed with respect to the operating mode of blockchains, assessing the technology’s actual potential to improve these properties. Pitfalls and chances of blockchain technology itself and its use within supply chains are elucidated. The consideration of supply chain properties and pitfalls and chances leads to an implementation agenda, highlighting the importance of standardization and technology governance. This explorative study suggests that companies engage in a collective action initiative in order to agree on standards, rethink the role of certain industry players and establish participatory governance mechanisms. It recognizes the importance of establishing one single source of truth that is accepted by all industry participants. Companies going forward with their own protocols will have to adjust their systems once a standard is established.

Development of a central order processing system for optimizing demand-driven textile supply chains: a real case based simulation study

Nowadays, the demand of small-series production and quick response become more and more important in textile supply chains. To meet the increasing trend of customization in garment production, forecast based supply chain model is not suitable any more. Demand-driven garment supply chain is developed and employed more and more. However, there are still many defects in current model for demand-driven supply chains, e.g. long lead time, low efficiency etc. Therefore, in this study we proposed a new collaborative model with central order processing system (COPS) to optimize current demand-driven garment supply chain and improve multiple supply chain performances. Common and important supply chain collaboration strategies, including resource sharing, information sharing, joint-decision making and profit sharing, were merged into this system. Discrete-event simulation technology was utilized to experiment and evaluate the new collaborative model under different conditions based on a real case in France. Multiple key performance indicators (KPIs) were examined for the whole supply chain and also for individual companies. Based on the simulation experiment results, we found that new proposed collaborative model gain improvements in all examined KPIs. New model with COPS performed better under high workload condition than under low workload condition. It can not only increase overall profit level of the whole supply chain but also individual profit level of each company.

Supply Chain Management, Blockchains and Smart Contracts

Many still view blockchain as an esoteric concept, often associating it only with the famous cryptocurrency, Bitcoin. But recent research shows that its application can have far-reaching implications in many areas; supply chain management being one such. Due to globalization, supply chains have become more complex in recent years. The products we use and consume everyday have parts and ingredients that have been sourced from all around the world. Today, both large conglomerates and small businesses rely completely on these global supply chains to deliver the ingredients and parts that ultimately go into making their final products. For these reasons, millions of dollars have been spent in the last few decades to refine the current supply chains and to make them more cost-efficient. Despite these efforts, global supply chains have substantial issues. Blockchain, along with smart contracts and IoT, can tackle most of the problems existent in supply chains today, saving companies significant costs, time and effort. It can also help companies cut down on their contingent costs by improving the traceability of their products. This in turn would help companies avert future disasters – such as potential consumer lawsuits and reputational harm, saving companies a chunk of the hundreds of dollars they currently spend on resolving consumer litigation and PR. There are also collateral benefits to this; companies can potentially improve their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) ratings and their overall Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) ratings – important criteria for today’s savvy and conscious investors. From economic and societal perspectives too, blockchain can significantly improve the sustainability and inclusivity of global supply chains. This would significantly benefit groups like farmers, cotton-harvesters and the like, whose profits are severely undercut by middlemen. Clearly, companies have many incentives to move their supply chains onto a blockchain. Many companies are already engaging consultants, NGOs and tech companies to run pilot projects on certain legs of their supply chain. This paper focuses on the potential ways in which blockchain can improve the ecosystem of global supply chains to the advantage of its various stakeholders, as enumerated above. The first part of the paper focuses on the problems current supply chain systems face. The second part focuses on how these problems can be solved with blockchain, IoT and smart contracts. The third and the final part highlights the various pilot projects being run by various stakeholders today to improve the traceability and sustainability of the supply chains in various industries through the use of blockchain, IoT and smart contracts.

Eliciting and representing the supply chain strategy of a business unit

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose a practical method to elicit – in a manner grounded in fact – the “as is” supply chain strategy that a business unit currently has in place. It also proposes a framework to represent the supply chain strategy of a business unit in a clear and actionable manner. Design/methodology/approach A framework to represent the supply chain strategy of a business unit was developed through inductive theory generation. A method to elicit the current, “as is” supply chain strategy of a business unit was developed through collaborative management research projects and validated by several third-party projects. Findings In different projects – many conducted by third parties – the method was found to be a useful approach to elicit the “as is” supply chain strategy of a business unit. Practitioners found value in representing a supply chain strategy as a conceptual system serving as a logical bridge between the overall strategy and the supply chain operations of the business units. Research limitations/implications The proposed framework may have limited scalability beyond a single business unit. The proposed method may be less useful when the supply chain strategy is undergoing a dramatic transformation, or when the participants from the company are either not fully engaged in the exercise or knowledgeable about the strategic rationale behind activities. Originality/value The paper provides an innovative approach to tap into the tacit knowledge of the organization to reveal the patterns of decisions underpinning its current supply chain strategy and to characterize the supply chain strategy of a business unit as a conceptual system.

A strategic model for exact supply chain network design and its application to a global manufacturer

This paper presents a comprehensive model that captures significant strategic decisions involved in designing or redesigning high-performance supply chains from the perspective of the manufacturer. The problem considers deterministic demand by multiple clients, for multiple products, over the periods of a long-term horizon. The design decisions involve selection of suppliers, establishment or resizing of production facilities and distribution centres, possible subcontracting of related activities, and selection of transportation modes and routes. The problem is formulated by a Mixed Integer Linear Programming model. Its objective is to minimise the overall costs associated with procurement, production, inventory, warehousing, and transportation over the design horizon. Appropriate constraints model the complex relationships among the links of the supply chain. The proposed model has been applied to a large case study of a global manufacturing firm, providing valuable insights into the transformation of the firm’s current supply chain network, as well as into the potential of the proposed approach.

The impact of supply chain relationship quality on performance in the maritime logistics industry in light of firm characteristics

PurposeAnchoring on configuration theory, the purpose of this paper is to evaluate how supply chain relationship quality (SCRQ) differs across firm characteristics (FC) in the maritime logistics industry. In addition, it utilises transactional cost theory to establish the relationship between SCRQ and supply chain performance (SCP).Design/methodology/approachThe data were obtained from a survey with 205 maritime logistics service players (shipping firms, shippers and freight forwarders) in Singapore. MANOVA and t-test analyses are used to examine the difference in SCRQ (i.e. trust and commitment) across FC which includes firm types and ownership types. Thereafter, structural equation modelling is employed to examine the influence of SCRQ on SCP.FindingsThe results indicate that the effects of trust and commitment on SCRQ vary significantly. It was also found that trust as an aspect of SCRQ has a significant impact on SCP, whereas commitment does not.Research limitations/implicationsAs the field data were obtained from only one industry, future replication of the findings to other industries should consider industry-specific factors, if applicable.Practical implicationsIt is suggested that maritime logistics service players should carefully manage trust and commitment to simultaneously enable SCP. By identifying the various aspects of FC that contribute to SCRQ, maritime logistics service providers could devise appropriate strategies for different customer segments more effectively.Originality/valueThis study expands current supply chain research by linking two dimensions of SCRQ in relationship marketing with SCP in supply chain management. It is also one of the first empirical attempts to explore the role of FC in the linkage between SCRQ and SCP in the maritime logistics industry.

MONITORING THE FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES SUPPLY CHAIN IN TURKEY

Turkey’s bio-diversity, geographical structure and climatic conditions, makes it possible to produce a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. Although, the high production capacity, half of the vegetables and fruits are lost during the supply chain processes from farmer to the end consumer because of the long and complex structure of the supply chain. At the same time the current supply chain structure leads to huge gaps between producer and consumer prices. The aim of this study is to determine the structure of the fresh fruit and vegetable supply chain in Turkey and develop alternative supply chain forms to prevent the “price differences” and “product losses” from farmer to the final consumer. The study included descriptive analyses with secondary data as well as literature review. In addition, this study emphasizes the asymmetric power relationship in the agricultural supply chain. The asymmetric power relationship is explained by the price differences between the farmer and the final consumer. The research findings suggest that the transition from the existing multi-intermediated supply chain to the non-intermediated model must be done in a gradual way and through strengthening of the farmers.

Assessing I2S-LWR economic competitiveness using systematic differential capital cost evaluation methodology

One of the main factors impeding nuclear power plant (NPP) construction is their economics. In this study, a systematic differential economics evaluation approach was developed through the use of the Code of Accounts guidelines to assess the costs of nuclear power plants. The methodology, entirely based on publicly available data, may serve as a template to evaluate direct costs for reactors of any size and design at any stage of developments. In particular, this approach was used to assess the costs of the Integral Inherently Safe Light Water Reactor (I2S-LWR).The I2S-LWR is a design concept of a large (∼1000 MWe) light water reactor. One of its key design features promoting inherent safety is implementation of an integral primary circuit configuration, which however necessitates a compact design of the core and primary circuit components.Through the methodology here presented, a representative loop PWR design was taken as a reference and the differential cost was estimated for each individual account based on the design difference, or similarity. Cost scaling techniques were applied to the accounts representing systems that differ from the ones of the reference PWR. Cost estimating techniques were used to evaluate cost of innovative components that are not part of standard PWR designs. By evaluating the cost difference of the I2S-LWR from the standard PWR, rather than the absolute cost, the uncertainty in the estimate is reduced. A similar approach was used by ORNL to estimate the cost of a Fluoride-salt High-temperature Reactor (FHR).A traditional four-loop PWR plant with a core thermal power of 3417 MWth (1144 MWe) was selected as the reference. Costs for that plant were prepared in 1978 by the Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Economics Data Base (EEDB), averaging actual cost incurred in the construction of several nuclear power plants (NPP), itemized with a great level of detail according to the Code of Accounts. This best estimate costs are denoted PWR12-BE. For each account, the cost of equipment, site labor and site material is provided. Industry experts at Westinghouse Electric Company performed a “sanity check” of the cost items, adjusting the cost of several items to match the current market and supply chain data.The detailed cost assessment of I2S-LWR was performed, systematically analyzing cost for each account, and applying the differential economics approach. First, Relative importance of each account, i.e., its contribution to the total cost was established, to help focus analysis on the most significant contributors. Moreover, the accounts describing components that are different than that of the PWR12-BE were identified.The integral configuration of the reactor has important implications on the cost of the reactor plant equipment (accounts 22x). Turbine generator equipment (Accounts 23x) is not believed to be much different than that of the reference design. I2S-LWR structures (Accounts 21x) mainly differ from that of a standard LWR as several buildings (containment building, shield building, annex building, waste processing building, fuel storage building) are integrated into a single building (nuclear island). Yardwork has a higher cost for the I2S-LWR, as the NI is partially below grade. On the other hand, due to its compact Nuclear Island footprint, I2S-LWR facilitates (and includes in its reference version) the use of seismic isolators, which contribute to reducing the direct cost. The total capital investment cost (TCIC), on the $/kW basis, of I2S-LWR is 5.84% lower than that of PWR12-BE, in spite of the lower power output of I2S-LWR. However, for the Western US (0.7 g), benefits of the seismic isolation are more pronounced, and the I2S-LWR total capital investment cost is 13.02% lower than that of PWR12-BE. If the I2S-LWR is compared to a PWR10-BE (traditional loop design, but scaled to the same power level as I2S-LWR), the savings are even higher, in the range 11.12%–17.89%.The analysis indicates that I2S-LWR has potential to offer an economically attractive design, with TCIC lower than that of a nuclear power plant based on a traditional loop PWR design. In other words, I2S-LWR design offers significantly enhanced safety, while at the same time improving economics.The differential economics approach developed in this paper can be used in identifying changes in cost of key components in order to improve the economics of a nuclear reactor design. The method can also help compare the economics of advanced Generation IV reactors and innovative water-cooled SMR (Small Modular Reactors) with respect to standard LWR technologies. In summary, the differential economics approach and can be used as a tool capable of helping stakeholder decisions.

Optimal logistics planning for modular construction using two-stage stochastic programming

Abstract The construction sector is currently undergoing a shift from stick-built construction to modular building systems that take advantage of modern prefabrication techniques. Long established in-situ construction practices are thus being replaced by processes imported from the manufacturing sector, where component fabrication takes place within a factory environment. As a result of this transformation, current construction supply chains, which have focused on the delivery of raw materials to sites, are no longer apt and need to make way to new, strengthened, and time-critical logistics systems. The aim of this study is to establish a mathematical model for the optimisation of logistics processes in modular construction covering three tiers of operation: manufacturing, storage and assembly. Previous studies have indicated that construction site delays constitute the largest cause of schedule deviations. Using the model outlined in this paper we seek to determine how factory manufacturing and inventory management should react to variations in the demand on construction sites. A two-stage stochastic programming model is developed to capture all possible demand variations on site. The model is evaluated using a case study from the residential construction sector. The application shows that the model is effective and can serve as decision support to optimise modular construction logistics.

Evaluating the supply chain information flow in Egyptian SMEs using Six Sigma

Purpose There is a great deal of concern among the Egyptian economy that small- and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs’) potentials are not fully used although they dominate it and contribute to its success. The question is what challenges are preventing those SMEs from performing efficiently. This research aims to focus on examining the issues regarding the supply chain of Egyptian SMEs, exploring the areas that need improvement and assessing the impact of technology in enhancing their performance and whether they afford applying it. Design/methodology/approach In this research, semi-structured interviews were conducted at 14 Egyptian SMEs. Then, the business process at six of the fourteen SMEs was observed. After that, a representative sampling was applied and a company was chosen as a representative case company. Moreover, the selected company’s documents were analyzed to capture the full image of the current supply chain performance in Egyptian SMEs. Finally, the Six Sigma DMAIC approach was used to assess the effectiveness of the current supply chain and identify the problems faced and how to deal with these deficiencies. Findings The current process of the supply chain was analyzed and the result shows the obstacles and constrains facing SMEs in Egypt. Despite the clear benefits of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, Egyptian SMEs still do not use it to solve their problems due to its high cost and their low budgets. However, the investigation concludes that SMEs in particular can benefit from the RFID technology and will be able to pay back the cost of the system applied after a certain period of time that is measured by calculating the breakeven point of having the RFID system against the current situation. As a result, improvements were realized and recommended for the organization. Originality/value This research develops a model that suits SMEs in the Egyptian market. The use of a case study approach with a quality measurement tool, namely, the Six Sigma DMAIC approach, especially after surveying several SMEs, and observing the business process at some of them, makes this a thorough investigation which proves that even SMEs can use the RFID technology despite its high cost that hinders its utilization. Thus, this research helps decision-makers in Egyptian SMEs make better informed decisions and guides them to when will they be able to pay back the cost of the system applied.