A Telecommunications Approach in Systems for Effective Logistics and Supply Chains

Supply Chain Management (SCM) is a multidisciplinary field. The marketing and organizational aspects, aiming at competitiveness, productivity and efficiency commonly call more directly the attention of entrepreneurs, managers and organizations in this area. However, to achieve these goals, several support systems are needed especially Information Systems. Treated as a problem of Information Technology (IT), these systems do not attract much attention of the supply chain managers. Usually, these systems need to collect information stored in various databases in different companies and formats and geographically scattered. To be successful, information systems need the support of efficient telecommunication systems that enable this collection of information with the agility needed in the modern world of business. This chapter highlights the telecommunications systems that support SCM, its features and limitations. It also shows the technological environment, innovations in telecommunications that are already available and future technologies that could directly impact this type of management.