Evaluating and Prioritising Supply Chain Management Strategies in The UK Textile Industry

Area of PhD:

The textile industry is segregated based on three specified markets: technical textiles, home, and apparel. This study focuses on the textile industry since this industry is highly important and certainly its volume.

Problem Description:

There is a dearth of supply chain management (SCM) strategies and practices integrated in UK textile industries as managers found it complex to select an appropriate strategy and practice based on the situation and their type of product. Previously, it was noticeable that SCM strategies and practices differ per company's production and purchase policies.

Methods:

A mixed-method consists of questionnaires of the practitioners and manufacturers and a Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to clarify what SCM approaches are being operated by their firms and, what components led to the adoption of a particular approach and how and why they plan to change the SCM strategy approach.

Results:

The intense global competition, reduced product life cycle, and increasingly demanding customers shape the current business environment. One of the main aspects of supply chain management is strategic procurement management, which entails both production and purchasing aspects. These strategies assure better utilisation of resources and cost control. The proposed SCM strategy for production and purchasing and its components in the textile industry is provided in the following section. Challenges to reducing the cost while enhancing the service level and promoting sustainable sourcing in the UK are the most important features of the proposed strategy.