Supply Chain Analytics and Competitive Advantage:An Empirical Study of the Indian Automobile Industry

The present study empirically evaluates the role played by three components of the supply chain analytics, namely, Demand and Inventory Management Analytics, Procurement Analytics, and Logistics Analytics, to achieve competitive advantage in the Indian automobile industry. Using questionnaire, cross-sectional data were collected from 104 first line supply chain managers of 65 automobile firms in Bangalore, India. The responses were recorded using the Likert scale, and later analysed using the SPSS software. The findings of the study revealed that although some of the requirements of the three components are met in the organisation, the performance of the three components of supply chain analytics was not sufficient to enhance the organisation's competitive advantage. Organisations should focus on suppliers as they are the most important link in the supply chain. Further, the results also suggest that the automobile firms need to put in place an internal check to comply with the Supply Chain Analytics. The Indian automobile firms have a long way to go in attaining efficiency and a competitive edge.