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Analyzes four entities in a connected supply chain through a case study. Focuses on the relationships between organizations and the specific goals and objectives of each firm. The study was conducted from an insider's view through personal experiences, and a series of on‐site and telephone interviews with managers from each entity of the supply chain. Focuses on passing on and interpreting quality goals, alignment of quality goals and the existence of partnership with the connected supply chain. The main reason for the success of the supply chain is the strength or dominance of the manufacturer. Strong and frequent unidirectional communication exists between the manufacturer and the supplier and between the manufacturer and the distributor. These connections are the crux of the supply chain. From this strong relationship, the supply chain is able to remain successful while communication weakens and disappears at either end of the supply chain.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology has recently begun to receive increased interest from both practitioners and academicians due to the well-known mandates to suppliers from major global retailers and the United States (US) Department of Defense. Though the deployment of RFID in the supply chain is relatively new, propriety RFID systems have been utilised in the manufacturing environment since the early 1990s. This paper examines these empirical applications and presents an analysis of the benefits that have been observed in the field. This encompassing collection of six empirical applications of RFID in the manufacturing environment discusses how RFID technology is presently being utilised and its potential for use, by manufacturers to control internal operations and for supply chain management. In addition, we identify the implementation challenges and the corresponding strategies to enable RFID in the manufacturing environment. Our analysis offers insights that can be useful to practitioners who are considering RFID installations and to academicians who are studying RFID systems.

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