The information systems conducted by the requirements of the internationalization of activities, by the organization of firms in networks and by the evolution of Information and Communication Technology, tend more and more toward the sharing of information in real time. The Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is among the tools that guarantee this exchange. EDI is a quick and effective means of transfer of business documents and ensures the optimization of the information flows of and their synchronization with the physical flows in the Supply chain. The objective of this study is to answer this research question "how the automobile industry in Morocco uses the EDI technology to optimize its flows?" We chose to adopt a case study approach to observing the reality of the practice of the EDI and its use as a tool for optimizing information flows. Thus, this article is the result of literature review and of the content analysis of semi-structured interviews conducted with professionals in the automotive industry.
Keywords : EDI, Information flows, Automotive Industry, Supply chain, Logistic
IntroductionThe evolution of technology and the structural changes in the global economy had led the organizations to recreate their value chain and to allocate more resources to the information system. Indeed, the emergence of their strategic and organizational role has made information technology investment an obligation and not an option. Thus, the information mastery that is an issue in the competitive struggle, the companies wishing to integrate distribution or supply networks into their logistic system, turn to
The evolution of technology and the structural changes in the global economy had led the organizations to recreate their value chain and to allocate more resources to information system. The companies wishing to integrate distribution networks into their logistic system are turning to the EDI (the Electronic Data Interchange) which can extend the management of their physical value chain till the point of consumption of their product. The EDI provides a concordance between the physical flow and the information flow to enable the supply chain management to be effective and fast. This technology allow illustrating the role of Information Technology in the Supply Chain: without information system, the global supply chain cannot be efficient. Furthermore, Morocco is the first automaker in North Africa and the second in the African continent. This country is now recognized as industrial platform for the production and export in the automotive industry. This Morocco's position on the global value chain led us to conduct this study which aims to explore the practice of EDI in the automotive sector and its impact on the supply chain management.
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