Logistics information systems : An analysis of software solutions for supply chain co‐ordination

Purpose – To review the development of software applications and their functionalities/benefits in relation to supply chain management and present scenarios on future development. Design/methodology/approach – A range of recently published academic and non‐academic pieces of work that can be classified as pertinent to the area in question. These sources employ both theoretical and practical views on the topic of supply chain co‐ordination software and related functionalities and resulted benefits. Findings – There is a significant overlap regarding the functionalities of software applications and the trend of convergence is about to intensify. At the same time the need for real time information will become crucial, putting emphasis on flexible IT‐systems that can deal with large amounts of data and are easy to interconnect. In turn this will lead to the growing importance of system integration software and the process of creating standards. Research limitations/implications – As a result of continuous development and convergence of IT‐solutions and turbulent business environment more applied research will be needed in the area of product configuration, RFID‐technology, standards in relation to interoperability of software applications (EAI technologies). This scrutiny is based only on written resources and no consultants or manager interviews were employed. Therefore the views of companies are not presented on the issues covered. Practical implications – The selection of the appropriate software solutions for a company will need more time, expertise and money and the role of suppliers of software packages will become more significant. Originality/value – This scrutiny stipulates the way the functionalities of software applications evolve with overlap one another and thus helps both researchers and companies to gain a clearer view on the development of supply chain software applications.