Exploratory analysis of a systemic approach to study supply chain integration potential in the UK offshore wind industry

Danilova, Julija

Abstract

Emphasis has been placed on supply chain management (SCM) and supply chain integration (SCI) within the offshore wind (OSW) industry in the United Kingdom (UK). The UK government has shown an interest in developing a technologically advanced, skilful, and competitive domestic supply chain with the potential to support future OSW developments around the UK coast. The need to develop a more cost-effective and collaborative OSW supply chain has introduced the concept of SCI into discussions of the OSW industry. Notwithstanding the importance of SCM and SCI in the UK OSW industry, and despite the widespread use of these terms within the industry, little has been done to explain these concepts in relation to the context of OSW. The purpose of this thesis is to address this limitation by providing more detailed description of the OSW supply chain from a theoretical standpoint by empirically exploring SCI in the OSW industry to build a greater understanding of the nature and potential of SCI in the OSW. This research focuses on the development and construction phases of ‘fixed bottom’ OSW farms in the UK. Based on the existing SCM and project-based SCM literature, this thesis provides discussion of the OSW supply chain. The thesis also explores the literature on SCI and systems thinking to form a foundation for an empirical study of SCI in the OSW industry. It applies a systems thinking approach called the Viable System Model (VSM) to qualitatively explore the nature and potential of SCI in the OSW supply chain. This research draws upon Espinosa and Walker’s (2017) suggested ‘methodology to support self-transformation’ as a guideline for the application of the VSM, and conducts interviews with representatives of the OSW supply chain for the collection of primary data. The thesis proposes two SCI strategies based on the VSM; the ‘viable SCI strategy’ and the ‘strategic cluster integration strategy’, which demonstrate the potential of SCI within the OSW industry, including what improvements could be made to facilitate the performance of the whole supply chain. The research findings provide insights into the current nature of SCI within the OSW industry, ultimately suggesting that SCI is largely dependent upon the different approaches taken by OSW project developers when managing supply chains. In addition, this research identifies several facilitating and inhibiting factors of SCI. This thesis contributes to the existing body of knowledge by introducing a VSM inspired framework for the analysis of SCI within project-based environments. Furthermore, it proposes SCI strategies to show how OSW supply chains can be integrated and what improvements could be achieved as a result.

Citation

Danilova, J. Exploratory analysis of a systemic approach to study supply chain integration potential in the UK offshore wind industry. (Thesis). University of Hull. https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4223078

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Apr 8, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 23, 2023
• Keywords: Business
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4223078
• Additional Information: Business School, The University of Hull
• Award Date: May 1, 2020