Kuiper Leda can improve its supply chain operating efficiency by implementing a strategy that alleviates the problems it is currently having. One such strategy would be to integrate its supply chain. "Tighter coordination and collaboration of supply chain partners" is now possible through the use of the Internet and information technology, and it can integrate the company's information, synchronize its planning, enable it to coordinate its workflows, and make possible a new business model that enables it to use its assets more efficiently and penetrate new markets, as well as possibly creating new products (Harrison, Lee, & Neale, 2005, p. 125). Kuiper Leda currently has no such integration, and it tries to juggle its suppliers to balance its resources, but this has become increasingly difficult and fraught with problems. Without an integrated supply chain, it is more problematic to keep orders for materials aligned with production, as well as being harder to coordinate among suppliers.
Kuiper Leda has a great opportunity to make its supply chain more efficient by integrating it and bringing all of its suppliers on board with its system through the Internet. This will allow suppliers to see just where they are in the supply chain and will make it much easier for the company to coordinate with suppliers, and vice versa. Materials procurement in an integrated supply chain "can be tightly coupled so that efficiencies in terms of accuracy, time, and cost, can be achieved" (Harrison, Lee, & Neale, 2005, p. 125). In addition, "product development activities involving multiple companies can...be integrated to achieve similar efficiencies" (Harrison, Lee, & Neale, 2005, p. 125). Kuiper Leda faces a number of risks in its supply chain activities, and through integration there can be greater risk-sharing to help counteract the unexpected (Harrison, Lee, & Neale, 2005, p. 125). The company could also work with its partn...