Small and Medium scale Enterprises (SMEs) in Sri Lanka play a major role in the Sri Lankan economy. As per the Sri Lankan government statistics, around 80% of businesses come under the category of SMEs and contribute to over 50% of the Sri Lankan Gross Domestic Production (GDP). These SMEs belong to different sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, construction and services. In the manufacturing sector, 96% of industrial units are SMEs. With the use of proper supply chain management (SCM), manufacturing SMEs can survive market conditions and compete even with large scale manufacturing companies. Use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) applications help companies to execute the SCM strategy more effectively. However, the use of ICT applications in the SCM among manufacturing SMEs is an area which needs attention in the Sri Lankan context. Suitable ICT applications can transform the traditional SCM function to gain a distinct edge over competitors. Therefore, this research identifies to which extent manufacturing SMEs are currently using ICT applications in the SCM and, furthermore, explores the main reasons for the lack of ICT application usage in SCM, providing suggestions to improve this situation.

Sudusinghe, J.I., & Samarasekera, N.A. (2016). Use of information & communication technology applications in supply chain management: the case of small and medium scale manufacturing enterprises in Sri Lanka [Extended Abstract]. In T.L. Gunaruwan (Ed.), Proceedings of 1st International Conference on Research for Transport and Logistics Industry 2016 (pp. 171-173). Sri Lanka Society of Transport and Logistics. https://slstl.lk/r4tli-2016/