Supply chain management: some sectoral dissimilarities in the Indian manufacturing industry

Purpose - To explore the dissimilarities, if any, in supply chain practices among different sectors of Indian manufacturing industry through development and testing of some hypotheses. Design/methodology/approach - A questionnaire-based survey was conducted on four sectors of the Indian manufacturing industry. These are Auto, Engineering, Process and FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) sector. Statistical tests such as t-tests and regression analysis were conducted to test the hypotheses. Findings - It is observed from this study that the companies in the auto sector significantly differ from those in the other sectors in the adoption of SCM practices. Engineering and auto sectors have some similarities in certain aspects of SCM. Research limitations/implications - Though the survey covers many companies, which together constitute many supply chains, it would be interesting to consider a few supply chains in their totality in further research on the topic. Practical implications - The analysis reveals that there are few fundamental differences in the operation and working of different sectors and these might be the cause of the observed dissimilarities in their supply chain practices. Originality/value - This paper fulfills the gap of identifying and testing the dissimilarities among some sectors in their SCM practices. The analysis would be useful for the practicing managers in developing strategies for their supply chains.