A networked engineering portal to support distributed supply chain partnership.pdf

A networked engineering portal to support distributed supply chain partnership D. LIU*, C. ROBERTO BOE?R, M. SACCO and R. FORNASIERO Institute of Industrial Technologies and Automation, National Research Council, Via Bassini 15, Milan, Italy In this paper, the authors discuss the latest advancement of supply chain management (SCM) that leads to the development of a networked supply chain partnership (SCP). A deep insight is given into the nature, motivation and implementation of the SCP as a value-added component in the forefront of SCM. The role of the Internet in SCP is examined, and the current situation of SCP in China is analysed. Compared with available e-portals in the global market, a web-based DRAGON Engineering Portal (DEP) across geographical borders and cultural barriers is proposed to support European and Chinese industrial partners in developing strategic manufacturer–supplier partner- ships. E-partnering and cultural repository are in-built to support a dislocated supply chain partnership for collaborative product development, starting with the location of partners and the implementation of contact initiation. Keywords: Supply chain management; Networked supply chain partnership; Web-based engineering portal; E-partnering; Contact initiation; Collaborative product development 1. Introduction As the economy changes and competition becomes more global, it is no longer company vs. company, but supply chain versus supply chain (Stanley 2001). In the new millennium, many challenges have appeared in global supply chain management (SCM), and there has been tremendous pressure to innovate within SCM research in order to meet worldwide demand. Over the past decades, much literature has been dedicated to SCM discussing cost reduction, profit making and business growth, the Internet in SCM activities such as production scheduling, order processing, purchasing, transportation, customer service, and so on. However, little attention has been paid to the Internet-ba