Abstract
Purpose: Transportation disruptions in the South African automotive sector cause significant operational challenges for Just-In-Time (JIT) manufacturers. This study investigates the perceived impact of these disruptions on supply chain processes within the automotive component manufacturing industry in the Western Cape. It aims to identify the causes of transportation disruptions, evaluate the contingency strategies adopted by organisations, and analyse their effects on delivery lead time variability, order fulfilment, and inventory management.
Design/Methodology/Approach: The study adopts an interpretivist philosophical approach and applies a deductive research methodology within a qualitative case study design. Data were gathered through open-ended questionnaires distributed electronically and personal semi-structured interviews conducted with 21 participants across nine organisations. The participants comprised two transport suppliers, one raw material supplier, one manufacturer, and five automotive component suppliers, all operating within the Western Cape automotive industry. Purposive sampling is used to select participants who have experience in supply chain and transport disruptions. Thematic analysis, as developed by Braun and Clarke (2006), was used to process the data and generate four themes aligned with the research questions.
Findings: Transportation disruptions significantly impact the supply chain (SC) processes, with 81.8% of participants viewing Just-In-Time (JIT) as an unsuitable model during such events. Key disruption causes included port congestion at Durban, Cape Town, and Coega; rail freight capacity collapse; deteriorating road infrastructure; labour strikes; load-shedding impacts; and international incidents like the Red Sea crisis. This resulted in increased delivery lead time variability, failed order fulfilment, and inventory management breakdowns. While 72.7% of organisations had contingency plans, their responses were mainly reactive, relying on emergency sourcing at high costs, unplanned overtime, and air freight when sea freight was slow or unavailable.
Research Limitations: This study is limited to the Western Cape and is based on a purposive sample of 21 participants. As a result, the findings cannot be statistically...