Operations and Supply Chain Analysis of the Smartphone Industry: Comparing Apple and Huawei

Abstract

The smartphone market is characterized by intense competition and is also one of the fastest-growing businesses, with many international players jostling for a share of the pie. However, establishing supply chains with efficient, end-to-end processes that ensure resource availability, production efficiency, and product delivery is getting more challenging. This paper explores the operations and supply chain strategy of smartphone companies with a specific focus on Apple and Huawei, both formidable telecommunication companies and market leaders in the smartphone industry. Both are forward-thinking enterprises that have leveraged integrated supply chain solutions and automation by implementing innovative technologies that have effectively disrupted the conventional logistics operations. In this paper, the strategies that these companies have adopted to maintain competitiveness will be examined. The findings are relevant to smartphone companies keen on disrupting the existing logistics effectively by using integrated supply chain technologies.