In 2007 Rettig criticized ERP software due to its high
complexity, high cost of implementation, low implementation success rate and poor
data integration abilities. She then
introduces service orientated architecture (SOA) as a possible improvement on
these shortcomings. However, she
maintains reservations about SOA due to the technical challenges of development
and very long-term implementation schedules (Rettig, 2007). Five and a half years have passed since
Rettig’s article was published and I am curious to see how far SOA has come. This blog will feature an example of SOA
implementation and relate it to the supply chain concepts that we have learned.
Sharp opened a new manufacturing facility called Green Front
Sakai in 2009. Many key features of this
facility relate to topics that have been discussed in class and previous
readings. These include environmental
responsibility, supplier co-location, and advanced IT systems that implement service
oriented architecture. These factors result in many supply chain
implications and are strongly interdependent on one another. For example, co-location is a strong contributor to the
success of environmental responsibility and SOA is a strong contributor to the
success of co-locating suppliers.
Week 5’s reading about the future direction of supply chain
management mentions the importance of collaborative physical logistics. This includes shared physical infrastructure
and shared information. Although the
article only mentions sharing warehouses and distribution centers as means of
sharing physical infrastructure (Capgemini & Global Commerce Initiative, 2008), Sharp has taken this
practice a step further by co-locating its manufacturing facilities with its
major suppliers. Developing Green Front
Sakai has enabled the co-location of 19 different suppliers and brought
together the following technologies and capabilities: LCD panels, sewage
treatment, packaging, industrial gases, color filters, office leasing
operations, liquid chemicals, logistics, glass substrates, hydrogen gas, gas, electric
power, energy, pure water supply and wastewater treatment, and photoresist (Sharp Corp., 2010). This provides environmental benefits by
minimizing the transportation required between multiple links in the supply chain.
In addition to using shared physical infrastructure, Green
Front Sakai moves toward collaborative physical logistics by using improved
information sharing. Sharp views integrating
facilities with its suppliers as the formation of a virtual company. As such, highly integrated IT systems need to
be utilized throughout the virtual company.
To accomplish this, SOA was used to bring companies onto a single IT
platform. Using SOA allowed Sharp and
its partners’ systems to communicate with each other more simply and
effectively. There are many benefits from implementing SOA.
Fundamental benefits are derived from the improved transmission speed (real-time
as opposed to daily batch collection) and quality of SCM information. Benefits derived from this fundamental
improvement include a two-thirds reduction in lead time, transparent production
plans being made available to all partners, elimination of work orders, and
improved management of parts and materials (SAP AG, 2010).
As you can see, through shared physical infrastructure and shared information, Green Front Sakai is helping Sharp and its partners move toward "Supply Chain 2016". Implementing SOA plays an important role in this advancement. Sharp's implementation gives us an idea of the progress SOA has made since Rettig's article and the future outlook for SOA. According to this week's readings, the direction and success of
enterprise software development is influenced by three main drivers.
Referred to as macro processes, these drivers include supplier
relationship management (SRM), internal supply chain management (ISCM) and
customer relationship management (CRM).
The chapter Information Technology
in a Supply Chain states that if enterprise software doesn't focus on these
macro processes, it will likely fail (Chopra &
Meindl, pp. 455-456). The Sharp example clearly shows how SRM and ISCM can be improved with SOA, but does this guarantee SOA's future success? Do you think that SOA will generally benefit enterprise software applications, or was it only successful in this case because of the extremely close relationship between Sharp and its suppliers?
Capgemini, & Global
Commerce Initiative. (2008). Future Supply Chain 2016. Retrieved 23 Feb, 2013, from www.capgemini.com/m/en/tl/tl_Future_Supply_Chain_2016.pdf
SAP AG. (2010). Sharp Corporation: Creating One
Virtual Company with an SOA-Based Large-Scale Supply Chain Management
System. Retrieved 5 Mar, 2013, from http://download.sap.com/download.epd?context=B42FBBFC6A20C86457DEAA2385BA4B9D2992BB85F24D10D051FA315C091DB6FA434CFF27AD58464F4EE8C6CF845D7C1937EC33C3131C2EA8&ei=sGY1UctRyLqRBdTggWg&usg=AFQjCNEPAFUX5LOKhqJc2mgMhgoOwF49eQ&sig2=PsQJXjJr_8HPjPqyTabuJQ&bvm=bv.43148975,d.dGI&cad=rjt
Sharp Corp. (2010). Annual Report 2010. Retrieved 5 Mar, 2013, from http://www.sharp-world.com/corporate/ir/library/annual/pdf/annual_2010.pdf
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