Visibility in Manufacturing Supply Chains: Conceptualisation, Realisation and Implications

Supply chain visibility (SCV) is considered key for enhancing both operational and strategic performance, as well as for supporting manufacturing companies in addressing upcoming regulations. Still, most companies and organisations experience low levels of SCV. The inherently complex nature of supply chains presents challenges for the practical realisation of SCV. Hence, there is a need to develop a holistic and comprehensive understanding of the factors affecting the realisation of SCV. This thesis, based on three research questions, focuses on building knowledge on supply chain visibility to improve supply chain performance and how technologies for real-time data can support these improvements. The findings are based on a systematic literature review and four empirical studies. The systematic literature review identified and categorised factors affecting SCV into four areas: antecedents, barriers and challenges, drivers, and effects. The empirical studies, which included a Delphi study and multiple case studies, explored viewpoints, critical information and data, and Internet of Things (IoT) based technologies for the real-time visibility of incoming goods. In addition, the studies explored perspectives on SCV in extended supply chains. Overall, the findings show that SCV can enhance supply chain performance in areas such as decision-making, risk management and operations and that it demands cross-functional collaboration and technological integration. The results also indicate that manufacturing companies are likely to face challenges related to trust, interorganisational collaboration, data quality and supply chain complexities in the effort to fully benefit from SCV. Thus, an implication of this thesis is that SCV is important yet difficult to implement. The primary contribution of this thesis is the proposal of a framework that offers a comprehensive, multidimensional view of SCV. This framework can be utilised by supply chain practitioners to map and evaluate dominant influences in supply chains. Furthermore, the framework can be adopted by manufacturing companies to establish priorities, foster collaborations and implement technologies to enhance SCV in their supply chains, thus supporting the transformation towards intelligent supply chains.