Title: Supply chain improvement initiatives in the Australian textiles, clothing, footwear and leather industry: a field study

Authors: Sonja Petrovic-Lazarevic, Amrik S. Sohal, Marcia Perry

Addresses: Department of Management, Monash University, P.O. Box 197, Caulfield East VIC 3145, Australia. ' Department of Management, Monash University, P.O. Box 197, Caulfield East VIC 3145, Australia. ' Department of Management, Monash University, P.O. Box 197, Caulfield East VIC 3145, Australia

Abstract: This paper examines the findings of a field study on supply chain initiatives in 12 Australian companies. The companies were all recipients of Australian government assistance aimed at enhancing supply chain and global competitiveness in the Textiles, Clothing, Footwear and Leather (TCF&L) industry. The government assistance in this instance concerned Australian-based supply chain initiatives servicing local customers. The findings indicate that an increased strategic and global focus by the supply chain needs to be sustained by adequate information flow, appropriate value-adding processes, with suitable leading technology applications and people-valuing and innovation-fostering company environments. Important too for company prosperity is continuous reduction of waste and cost. The findings further reflect the general instability of trading arrangements in the Australian TCF&L industry as companies and their respective supply chains adjusting, not always with success, to global competition and a shrinking industry infrastructure.

Keywords: supply chain management; SCM; supply chain improvement; improvement initiatives; textiles; textile industry; clothing industry; garment industry; apparel industry; footwear industry; leather industry; Australia; information flow; value added; waste reduction; cost reduction.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLSM.2007.012068

International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management, 2007 Vol.3 No.1, pp.1 - 19

Published online: 16 Jan 2007 *

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