The Impact of Knowledge Management Processes on Agile Supply Chain (Case Study: Irankhodro Foundry Co.)

Knowledge and knowledge management is a major source of competition in each organization, so many companies believe that as soon as they can obtain and use their knowledge, they will be more successful in a competitive market. This can be carried out efficiently by systematic knowledge management processes. On the other hand, competition between companies has lost its importance and to provide the highest value to customers, competition between supply chains is approved. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of knowledge management processes on supply chain and main components of supply chain agility in Iran Khodro Foundry Co.; by a descriptive survey with hypothetical-deductive approach and with the help of 80 experts in the casting industry and the supply chain. Data collection was done by questionnaire and measurement reliability by Cornbrash’s alpha coefficient using SPSS software in which 0.9 results show that the questionnaire has the necessary reliability. The data analysis was done in two stages by structural equation modeling, confirmatory factor analysis and path analysis by Smart PLS software. The results of the structural model indicate that there is a significant positive relationship between knowledge management processes, an agile supply chain and principal components of agility of the supply chain (management of production costs, sensitivity to market, integration of processes, virtualization and web-based collaboration).

Keywords: knowledge, knowledge management, knowledge management processes, agility, agile supply chain