A study of supply chain management practice in UK industrial SMEs

This paper provides the outcomes of a supply chain management (SCM) practice survey designed to identify current trends in UK industrial small‐ to medium‐sized enterprises. The analysis identifies the adaptation of SCM techniques and relationships between customers and smaller suppliers. The outcomes, based on a survey of 288 firms, indicates a lack of effective adaptation from traditional adversarial relationships to the modern collaborative “e” – supply chain; identifies issues businesses need to address to improve the performance of their supply chains, and so improve their competitive position by grasping the benefits of effective SCM.