Exploring the role of technological capabilities in supply chain management of export-oriented garment suppliers

Purpose Drawing from the dynamic capability theory, this study seeks to explore the role of upgraded technological capabilities in the supply chain management of export-oriented garment suppliers in the garment industry of Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach Employing a mixed research approach comprising qualitative and quantitative methods, a “dominant-less dominant design” research design was followed, and qualitative data was considered as the dominant design, while quantitative data were the less dominant design. Findings The research findings denote that garment factories have begun implementing various cutting-edge technologies to help them deal with the operational issues they encounter in the supply chain. The findings also show that although the industry does not use technology to its full potential, it does improve the performance of garment suppliers. Research limitations/implications Even though there are over 4,000 suppliers in Bangladesh's garment industry, this study only looks at six suppliers for the qualitative study and sixty suppliers for the quantitative study's questionnaire survey. For a more comprehensive understanding of the role of cutting-edge technologies in the garment industry, future research could take into account more suppliers. Practical implications This research's findings will be eye-opening for garment suppliers, who must use cutting-edge technologies to be competitive in the market. This study will help buyers realise that advanced technology adoption in supplier factories is buyer-driven; as a result, buyers must assist their suppliers in adopting new technologies. Originality/value To the best of our knowledge, this is the first research attempt to explore how advanced technologies can be used to manage the supply chain management of export-oriented garment suppliers in a developing country.