Title: Determining the impacting factors on performance of inventory management in the large-scale apparel manufacturing industry in Sri Lanka

Authors: Shanika Weerakkody; Guru Prabhakar; Xiaojun Luo

Addresses: College of Business and Law, University of the West of England, Bristol, BS16 1QY, UK ' College of Business and Law, University of the West of England, Bristol, BS16 1QY, UK ' College of Business and Law, University of the West of England, Bristol, BS16 1QY, UK

Abstract: The Sri Lankan economy depends heavily on the labour-intensive garment sector; thus, supply chain management plays a crucial role in its operation. Inventory management is an important activity when comparing supply chain management in the garment sector since it accounts for the bulk of the performance level of supply chain management. This study aims at examining the affecting factors of warehouse management performance in the apparel sector of Sri Lanka, with a focus on the large-scale apparel companies. The examined factors include process improvement, skilled labour, outsourcing, as well as warehouse design and location. Pre-structured questionnaire was adopted to collect primary data from staff members in the major garment companies in Sri Lanka and 74 responses were gathered. Multiple regression models were developed to investigate the relationship between affecting factors and company performance. It is found that skilled labour forces and tools for process improvements have a substantial influence on the performance level of the inventory management procedures in Sri Lanka's garment sector.

Keywords: inventory; warehouse; labour; apparel; manufacturing; Sri Lanka.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSOM.2026.152996

International Journal of Services and Operations Management, 2026 Vol.53 No.4, pp.496 - 517

Received: 29 Sep 2023
Accepted: 04 Oct 2023
Published online: 17 Apr 2026 *

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