A view of how the Internet can influence the way sawmills work with just-in-time : case studies of two different firms related to the forest industry

In recent years attention has been devoted to reveal spectacular Internet achievements in consumer markets. Meanwhile, the potential of the Internet in a business-to-business supply chain environment has been investigated through an insignificant number of studies. The purpose of this bachelor’s thesis is to study how the Internet can influence how sawmills work with Just-in-Time. In order to achieve this purpose, two case studies were conducted. The first case study involved the investigation of how a sawmill at Södra Timber AB works with Just-in-Time. The second involved an investigation at Nordpointer Information Systems AB and searched for an answer of how the Internet can be used when sawmills work with Just-in-Time. The required data was gathered through one telephone interview with each company. In order to reach the purpose of this thesis, two within-case analyses and a cross-case analysis were made. The outcome of this study shows that the Internet in various ways can influence how sawmills work with Just-in-Time. This specifically regards quality, inventory and transportation.Validerat; 20101217 (root