Early challenges of implementing an e-commerce system in a medical supply company: A case experience from a knowledge transfer partnership (KTP)

Peacocks Medical Group Limited is a leading supplier in the orthotics market in the UK. Until recently the company relied on a well-established part electronic and part paper-based supply chain system, but the increasingly competitive nature of the market has made the company look into further electronically enabling its processes, in order to maintain its competitive advantages and also reduce operational costs and lead times. The case study presents the early experience of their transition to the new system, with particular focus on the analysis and pilot stages, and the impact it has had so far on the stakeholders and the company itself. The case highlights many of the typical problems that such projects may have at their initiation that often hinder progression and lead to failure. Suggestions of possible ways to address these issues in the context of Peacocks’ commercial environment are also considered.