A comparative analysis of service supply chain performance using analytic hierarchy process methodology

The study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the service supply chain (SSC) of small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) and to offer insights to improve its supply chain performance. The study employs mixed methods, to analyse the data collected from SMEs. The findings highlight several key metrics of effective supply chain management in a service firm such as utilisation and flexibility of service capacity, inventory, order lead times, relationships between the organisation, its suppliers and customers, the importance of effective demand forecasting and inventory management as valuable attributes to improve the supply chain performance of service firms. Inventory lead time is presented as a fundamental metric useful in determining the service supply chain performance of SMEs.