By Sarah Weir, supervised by Lauren Bechtel (2018)
An increasing area of concern within modern day supply chains is the necessity for significant supply chain transparency. Increasing transparency is a concern for many companies because it allows firms to identify areas of inefficiency, permit the sharing of knowledge, and understand the exact location of an item, whether it is moving upstream or downstream. At Company x (the participating company of this student research project), having a transparent supply chain is crucial for the company and its customers. Improving visibility within the supply chain not only provides a more detailed account of transactional activities but improves safety and pinpoints areas of inefficiency. The problem at hand poses the questions of which enabling technologies are available in order to advance this space and what current applications are available to make the necessary improvements. In order to increase upstream material and resource transparency in the healthcare industry at Company x, extensive research has been performed by examining industry leaders and the various platforms they utilize. These systems include blockchain, Amazon Web Services, and Oracle SCM Cloud. The benefits, implications, and applications of each of these three platforms is examined in order to provide information on the best solution for COMPANY X’s supply chain. Our research serves as a working document for Company x colleagues to draw upon as the research of supply chain transparency and traceability continue to grow.
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Suggested citation
Weir, Sarah. 2018. “Supply Chain Transparency.” Student project paper, supervised by Lauren Bechtel, Center for Supply Chain Research® (CSCR®), The Pennsylvania State University.