| Abstract [eng] |
Cooling demand and discussions about the recession highly impacted the logistics sector in the United States. Smaller transportation companies that built their business on the spot market suffer, as rates offered by the spot market do not completely cover operating expenses and recognize that now is a perfect time for changes in their supply chain management and that is where information sharing benefits take place. Information sharing is a crucial part of both internal and external collaboration. Internally, without proper information sharing, companies might incur miscommunication and planning issues, whereas externally, information sharing problems can cause even more issues, for example, disrupted coordination, increased costs, or even decreased service quality that further disrupts collaboration in the supply chain. The purpose of this thesis is to provide guidelines for the logistics company for potential supply chain performance improvement by means of information sharing. The key problematic aspects of information sharing in the case company are identified and with the use of literature research, a theoretical model for supply chain performance is proposed. The research was conducted using semi-structured interviews and document analysis, where interviews were held with two top-level management and three middle-level management employees, and customer contracts were analyzed. The research results suggest that there is space for improvement of information sharing both internal and external. To solve the existing problems and encourage information sharing, the following were suggested: 1. Establish data security protocols to prevent possible data leaks, which could incur increased unnecessary costs. 2. Establish standardized data formats with supply chain partners for increased information sharing capabilities together with potential data integration possibilities. 3. Build trust with smaller supply chain partners with the use of the CPFR model. 4. Revise customer contracts to increase information sharing. 5. Establish an internal strategy to prevent barriers of cultural differences with international supply chain partners. Solving the above-mentioned problems should lead the company to improved supply chain performance, which could be expressed through increased supply chain visibility, improved collaboration, increased agility, and customer satisfaction. The whole project consists of 70 pages and includes 12 figures and 14 tables. The project includes introductions, 4 main chapters, conclusions, and a list of references. |
