Today's complex logistics and supply chain management demands the continuous monitoring and managing of ever increasing shipment chains. This motivates the need for goods-centric tracking and tracing of logistics items, which ensures the opportunity to increase visibility and control in different logistics operations of a company. Recent technological developments enable manufacturing companies to trace and track goods over their entire life cycle and manage supply chain operations across organisational boundaries. The available auto-ID technologies such as barcodes, QR (quick response) codes, RFID (radio frequency identification) tags, etc., are widely used for monitoring the material flow in the logistics chain. However, a gap exists in evaluating performance and feasibility before implementing such technologies in respect to logistics and supply chain tracking and tracing network. Based on this research gap, this paper presents a methodology to measure the performance evaluation of available tracking and tracing technologies. An experimental set up was established and conducted with the objective of measuring the performances of the tracking technologies and tools. This research study would be a supportive roadmap for manufacturing companies before implementing suitable tracking and tracing technologies and tools in future everyday business operations.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to study the effect of technology adoption on operational competitiveness by taking an example from international manufacturing companies.Design/methodology/approach: This paper develops a conceptual model to generate strategic flexibility and benefit for a manufacturing firm by managing manufacturing strategy and technology adoption with different leadership roles.Findings: The results show that the leadership role is a significant factor to motivate strategic flexibility and generate higher benefit. For intellectuals, the mechanism provides a new approach to explicate technology adoption in a manufacturing company. Besides, it provides a deep‐rooted preliminary point for supplementary empirical assessment. The mechanism facilitates managers to expand their understanding of the leadership role for trust building and knowledge sharing in manufacturing firms.Practical implications: With that enhanced understanding, the managers can spotlight their actions, which help further to perk up their firm's competitiveness provoked by supporting the knowledge sharing activities through appropriate leadership roles.Originality/value: The mechanism developed in this study is believed to be the first sober effort to provide a deeper theoretical understanding of trust building for improving operational competitiveness in manufacturing firms with a practical approach.

Supply-chain management (SCM) in manufacturing industries has evolved significantly over the years. Recently, a lot more relevant research has picked up on the development of integrated solutions. Thus, seeking a collaborative optimisation of geographical, just-in-time (JIT), quality (customer demand/satisfaction) and return-on-investment (profits), aspects of organisational management and planning through ‘best practice’ business-process management – concepts and application; employing system tools such as certain applications/aspects of enterprise resource planning (ERP) – SCM systems information technology (IT) enablers to enhance enterprise integrated product development/concurrent engineering principles. This article assumed three main organisation theory applications in positioning its assumptions. Thus, proposing a feasible industry-specific framework not currently included within the SCOR model’s level four (4) implementation level, as well as other existing SCM integration reference models such as in the MIT process handbook’s – Process Interchange Format (PIF), the TOVE project, etc. which could also be replicated in other SCs. However, the wider focus of this paper’s contribution will be concentrated on a complimentary proposed framework to the SCC’s SCOR reference model. Quantitative empirical closed-ended questionnaires in addition to the main data collected from a qualitative empirical real-life industrial-based pilot case study were used: To propose a conceptual concurrent enterprise framework for SCM network activities. This research adopts a design structure matrix simulation approach analysis to propose an optimal enterprise SCM-networked value-adding, customised master data-management platform/portal for efficient SCM network information exchange and an effective supply-chain (SC) network systems–design teams’ structure. Furthermore, social network theory analysis will be employed in a triangulation approach with statistical correlation analysis to assess the scale/level of frequency, importance, level of collaborative-ness, mutual trust as well as roles and responsibility among the enterprise SCM network for systems product development (PD) design teams’ technical communication network as well as extensive literature reviews.

Purpose: For decades now, industrial manufacturers’ complex product development (CPD) activities have seen various improvement approaches as well as product development (PD) support processes all in the quest to achieve shorter PD lead-times and higher return on investments. CPD process improvements, in terms of complex engineering design and delivery, still lack a lot more variance to be addressed on the “better, faster and cheaper” paradigm for efficient communication and information exchange flow processes. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach: This paper presents employing social network theory analysis and statistical Pearson (r) correlation analysis in a triangulation approach to a proposed optimum conceptual information technology systems’ architecture and a “best practice” information flow process toward enhancing an industrial sustainable competitive advantage. Closed-end questionnaires were used to collect data for the scale or level of communication network from a sample size of eight Ship Power supply chain network complex engineering design and delivery systems-design teams with at least five members from each team. Findings: Two extremely interesting findings and observations were identified from the analysis carried out (isolates and close-harmonic analysis) as well as the findings from the hypotheses’ testing. These essential analyses of the engineering systems-design teams were conducted by using the triangulation or mixed-method described in the abstract methodology identified above. Originality/value: Effective and efficient real-time communication is seen as the vehicle for effective organization management. Although there may be some studies on effective technical communication in organizational and enterprise supply chain management settings, this research identifies a new robust and extensive analysis and feasible solutions to most of the communication bottlenecks and inefficient socio-industrial information flow processes, which need enhancement for industrial competitive advantage. Furthermore, the contribution of this paper further enhances the level 4 implementation aspect of the supply chain operation reference model in a replicable industry-specific perspective.

3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is becoming the industry standard for manufacturing and prototyping. Although the technology is very old, it gained a huge traction in the past two decades. 3D printing favors unique once-off orders (mass customization) in contrast to mass production. This calls for innovative business models in order to realize economic gains from the technology. Increased product innovations in the global economy also contribute to wide adoption of 3D printing unlike in the old days. A transition in the manufacturing field has brought e-manufacturing and now cloud-based manufacturing. Machines, including 3D printers, in the past were not Internet-enabled but modern designs have the capability of Internet connectivity. Cloud-based 3D printing is a new model of design that has a significant impact on today's entrepreneurs. This article focuses on a business case for a cloud-based approach in consumer product niches. A cloud-based 3D printing business model (3D-Cloud) is developed based on the business model canvas, which promises major breakthroughs in e-entrepreneurship innovation. The model uses a virtual community approach to bring together technocrats, enthusiasts, and shared 3D printer facilities of common interests, whilst promoting an enterprising spirit.