Title: Analysis of agile supply chain enablers for an Indian manufacturing organisation

Authors: Bharat Singh Patel; Atul Kumar Tiwari; Manish Kumar; Cherian Samuel; Goutam Sutar

Addresses: Thiagarajar School of Management, Pamban Swamy Nagar, Thiruparankundram, 625015 Madurai District, Tamilnadu, India ' Tapasthali Vidyashram Society, Banaras Hindu University, Kashipuram, Dafi, Varanasi, UP 221005, India ' Mechanical Engineering Department, Bhagalpur College of Engineering, Sabour, Bhagalpur-813210, India ' Mechanical Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, UP 221005, India ' Thiagarajar School of Management, Pamban Swamy Nagar, Thiruparankundram, Madurai District, Tamilnadu 625015, India

Abstract: The objective of present work is to categorise agile supply chain (ASC) enablers and examine its relative importance for better implementation of agility in perspective of the Indian manufacturing industry. This study deploys, analytic hierarchy process (AHP), a popular multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) tool as a solution methodology, such that the decision problem breaks into a hierarchy of different levels constituting goal, criteria and alternatives. The results show that there are three enablers namely virtual enterprises, customer satisfaction and adaptability are among the top priority enablers; enabler collaborative relationship is the moderate priority enabler and remaining three enablers i.e., use of information technology, market sensitivity and flexibility are the lowest priority enablers. To effectively implement agility in the supply chain, this study proposes that the manufacturing industries need to focus on the most important ASC enablers and also address the enablers with the least important at a later stage.

Keywords: agile manufacturing; agile supply chain; ASC; agile supply chain enablers; analytic hierarchy process; AHP; flexibility; customer satisfaction; adaptability.

DOI: 10.1504/IJASM.2020.105864

International Journal of Agile Systems and Management, 2020 Vol.13 No.1, pp.1 - 27

Received: 23 Jun 2018
Accepted: 11 Mar 2019
Published online: 16 Mar 2020 *