Solving Supply Chain Challenges through Internet of Things Technologies

This thesis addresses the supply chain challenges which can be solved using Internet of Things technologies. The use of IoT devices in the supply chain area makes it possible to reduce costs caused by ineffectively managed processes which involve a high amount of involved actors, especially within the areas of transportation and tracking of goods. Due to the known concepts of using RFIDs, the main purpose of this study is to examine how the researched information on the general understanding of the use of IoT Technologies in the supply chain area be specifically applied to a case study of an item tracking system for a telecommunications providers supply chain process of receiving goods in a store. The literature review and document analysis show different frameworks, approaches, and benefits of considering IoT technologies in the supply chain area. The applied case study identifies the readiness for a company to adopt IoT technologies, analyses business process to identify risks and challenges, evaluates the most suitable technology for the situation, furthermore it developed a high-level IoT technology integration into the case company’s system environment and finally collects relevant, financial, technical and process related data delivering the monetary and non-monetary benefits of the solution. This research solution shows the various advantages of implementing IoT technologies based on RFID, and how it can bring future value to a company’s supply chain.