EDI as a strategic device in the consumer goods industry: an empirical study

This paper analyses the different methods used in the management of EDI Technology in the Spanish consumer goods industry. This empirical study confirms that EDI systems have reached a high development level and can be used for handling invoices and deliveries and are beginning to be used to attain new relationships. The use of EDI is different according to the activity that each company along the distribution Channel carries out. Inter-firm differences in EDI use are not adequately explained by the installation date or by the company size. In this study, the heterogeneity in EDI management appears to be intrinsic to EDI characteristics. EDI is a flexible device that can be used either to empower networking or to strengthen vertical relationships along the supply chain.