IMPACT OF INTELLIGENT INVENTORY SYSTEM ON IMPROVEMENT OF REVERSE LOGISTICS: A CASE OF SAUDI MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY

Abstract

The Saudi manufacturing industry is undergoing rapid change, and its practitioners are employing technology-driven process management solutions. Recent research has focused on constructing an efficient and sustainable reverse logistics supply chain, particularly in light of the two-year supply chain disruption caused by the pandemic. However, reverse logistics involves numerous stakeholders and intricate processes, making managing and guaranteeing customer satisfaction challenging. To address these issues, researchers advocate implementing artificial intelligence-based inventory management systems, which are more automated and enable adaptable supply chain management. This study adopted a semi-structured interview approach to collect data from 5 experts in the field to investigate the impact of intelligent inventory systems on reverse logistics in the Saudi Arabian manufacturing industry. The study's findings indicate that reverse logistics faces several challenges; however, using an intelligent inventory system improves the operational and warehousing activity of the reverse logistics system and encourages adequate resource replacement in the event of resource unavailability. In addition to the limitations of the researcher, several theoretical and practical implications of this study have been outlined