Supply Chain Risk in Eyeglass Manufacturing: An Empirical Case Study on Lens Inventory Management During Global Crises

Abstract

The eyeglass lens manufacturing industry has become increasingly vulnerable to supply chain risks due to overlapping global disruptions, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the Suez Canal blockage, the Russia–Ukraine conflict, Red Sea shipping insecurity, and recent U.S. import tariffs. These events have challenged inventory planning, supplier coordination, and cost control across the industry. This study aims to evaluate how five operational constructs—stock system, inventory optimization, standardized methodology, production capability, and logistics performance—influence inventory resilience during global crises. Using an empirical case study, data were collected from 215 supply chain professionals at a multinational lens manufacturer in Southeast Asia and analyzed via Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results show that inventory optimization (β = 0.93) is the most influential factor in mitigating supply–demand imbalances, followed by logistics performance and production capability. This study offers practical recommendations, including real-time demand tracking, modular production systems, and scalable logistics strategies, to enhance inventory resilience. These findings contribute to both theory and practice by providing a validated framework tailored to high-precision manufacturing under persistent global risk.