Affiliations: [a] National Technical University of Athens, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sector of Industrial Management and Operational Research, 15780 Zografos, Athens, Greece | [b] National Technical University of Athens, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sector of Industrial Management and Operational Research, 15780 Zografos, Athens, Greece Tel.: 2107722384; Fax: 2107723571: E-mail: staponis@central.ntua.gr | [c] National Technical University of Athens, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sector of Industrial Management and Operational Research, 15780 Zografos, Athens, Greece. Tel.: 2107723572; Fax: 2107723571; E-mail: itat@central.ntua.gr
Abstract: The modern competitive markets rely heavily on the concept of globalization. In this respect, the virtual enterprise approach and a holistic view of an enterprise's supply chain come into play. Nowadays, a company is as reliable and efficient as the weakest link in its supply chain. An unhampered product and information flow among the supply chain nodes and a capability for backtracking are required, raising the need for Enterprise Application Integration (EAI), Business-to-Business (B2B) integration and interoperability in between the intra-enterprise and trans-enterprise heterogeneous information systems. This paper suggests how the increasingly important role of South and East Asian markets in the globalization era can be amplified by the use of the latest EAI technologies that facilitate the bonding of even the most diverse information systems. In turn, European markets already adopting such technologies can benefit and forge closely-knit relationships with their South and East Asian counterparts.
