In-transit interventions using real-time data in Australian berry supply chains
ISSN: 1754-2731
Article publication date: 3 May 2022
Issue publication date: 7 March 2023
Abstract
Purpose
The objective of this paper is to contribute to Australian berry supply chains with a relevant identification regarding the possible data driven interventions that stakeholders can take while the berries are in transit.
Design/methodology/approach
An exploratory series of semi-structured interviews was conducted through six Australian experts in the industry with more than 20 years of experience in Australian berry supply chains and the Australian perishable food industry, to identify key possible in-transit interventions that could be implemented in the Australian berry industry.
Findings
The analysis of the interviews revealed a total of 18 possible in-transit interventions. An important finding is that in-transit interventions are made possible by the use of real-time data gathered through IoT devices such as Active Radio Frequency Identification, Time and Temperature Indicators interacting with Wireless Sensor Networks. Another key finding is that Australian berry growers and retailers do possess the technologies and the resources necessary to make in-transit interventions possible, however they have yet applied these technologies to operational decision-making and interventions based on the product, rather focussing on supply chain transactions and events.
Research limitations/implications
Since the research focusses on an Australian context, its findings may or may not be applicable to other countries. The research is exploratory in nature, and its findings should be verified by future research, in particular to test whether the in-transit interventions proposed here can be implemented in a cost-efficient way.
Originality/value
To the authors' knowledge, this publication is the first known academic article to provide a clear understanding of the Australian berry industry from a supply chain and logistics perspective, and the first to explore possible data driven in-transit interventions in perishable food supply chains.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This research is funded by Deakin University through the Postgraduate Research Scholarship, iMOVE CRC and supported by the Cooperative Research Centres Programme, an Australian Government initiative. The authors personally thank Patricia McLean and Renae Leeson for reviewing the publication before the journal submission.
Ethics Clearance: A low-risk ethics application for this project was approved on 10 March 2020 by the Human Ethics Advisory Group (HEAG) of the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment (SEBE) at Deakin University.
Citation
Rendon-Benavides, R., Perez-Franco, R., Elphick-Darling, R., Plà-Aragonés, L.M., Gonzalez Aleu, F., Verduzco-Garza, T. and Rodriguez-Parral, A.V. (2023), "In-transit interventions using real-time data in Australian berry supply chains", The TQM Journal, Vol. 35 No. 3, pp. 759-777. https://doi.org/10.1108/TQM-11-2021-0319
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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