An exploratory study on supply chain analytics applied to spare parts supply chain

Purpose Big data analytics (BDA) has created a buzz around the world. It has been hailed as the new paradigm which has the potential to unlock value from otherwise non-productive aspects of the business. BDA has found application in the field of logistics and supply chain management (LSCM) too. Army has a large supply chain of various commodities which can benefit from BDA. The purpose of this paper is to explore the use of BDA in spare parts supply chain of the army. Design/methodology/approach The paper conducts a literature review to explain the application of supply chain analytics (SCA) to army spare parts supply chain. The paper presents a proposed architecture to apply SCA in the context of army supply chain. Findings The paper identifies various data points applicable to the field of LSCM in army. It also presents the impact areas of SCA on this supply chain. The architecture is presented which can serve as a roadmap for implementing SCA. Originality/value The paper is novel in its attempt to explain the supply chain of army and then apply SCA to it. The paper brings out a proposed architecture which can be further investigated to work on a roadmap to apply SCA to army supply chain.