IJPDLM 30,7/8 566 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, Vol. 30 No. 7/8, 2000, pp. 566-597. # MCB University Press, 0960-0035 Supply chain implications of concurrent engineering C.J. Anumba, C.E. Siemieniuch and M.A. Sinclair Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK Keywords Supply chain, Information systems, Organizational design, Simultaneous engineering Abstract One way in which the manufacturing and construction industries are moving is to adopt the philosophy of concurrent engineering (CE), better utilising the expertise of other companies in the supply chain. This paper draws on the results of several previous studies to discuss from a conceptual rather than an empiric point of view some ergonomics issues involved in CE from the perspective of supply chains. It outlines some generic attributes, and discusses some concepts of federated control systems within supply chains. The implications of these for information flows and the management of distributed knowledge within supply chains are then discussed. A key issue that arises from this is the need for trust in individuals external to the company if the CE philosophy is to work effectively. The paper then discusses the implications of this for the design of roles within the CE workgroup, concluding that the principles of socio- technical design for roles are appropriate for the design of these roles, ensuring that they have the right attributes for trustworthiness. This provides a link between these principles and business needs that is not often present in discussions of role design. Examples are drawn mainly from manufacturing and the implications for construction supply chains highlighted, as appropriate. 1 Introduction This paper draws on findings from a number of projects carried out in the manufacturing domain. It conflates some of the findings from each to discuss how organisational structures and the definition of roles in the construction industry might be influenced and designed by consideration of the needs of the supply chain, insofar as parallels can be drawn with manufacturing. We take a systems ergonomics viewpoint in this paper, with emphasis on the human and organisational aspects. Manufacturing projects which have contributed to this paper are described briefly in Table I; the references at the end of the paper provides sources for more detail. The construction context has been informed by research work in a suite of projects under the banner of ``Concurrent lifecycle design and construction (CLDC)'' (Anumba and Evbuomwan, 1997; Evbuomwan and Anumba, 1998; Kamara et al., 1999; Yang and Anumba, 1999). In all of the manufacturing projects in Table I, important aspects for investigation within the supply chain context were assessment of the organisational context, the requirement for tools, and the usability issues involved. The methodology adopted for these investigations was user-centred, and ethnomethodological in approach. Over all the manufacturing projects, some 250 face-to-face interviews were carried out as part of the methodology; interviews occurred in each of the companies, in secluded circumstances. It was arranged that two interviewers would be present with each interviewee; the semi-structured interviews were tape-recorded and lasted typically for 40-60 The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at http://www.emerald-library.com