Enhancing Export Delivery Performance: Strategic Interventions for Overcoming Late Deliveries in Malaysia’s Food Trading Company

Abstract

The present study focuses on a prominent food trading company in Malaysia, which boasts a strong market presence and a commitment to quality in diverse Southeast Asian markets. Despite its strong market presence, the food trading company struggles with significant delays in delivering its export items, adversely impacting customer satisfaction and competitive advantage. The identified delivery performance discrepancies in certain Southeast Asian countries highlight a critical area for investigation. Thus, this study aims to identify the underlying causes of these late deliveries and propose strategic solutions to enhance delivery efficiency. Employing a qualitative case study methodology, the investigation involves semi-structured interviews with ten experienced company employees selected through a purposive sampling technique. The analysis followed a rigorous qualitative data analysis procedure, including data reduction, data display, drawing, and verifying conclusions. The findings reveal four primary causes of late delivery: 1) INACCURATE INFORMATION, 2) INEFFICIENT PRODUCTION PROCESS, 3) TRANSPORTATION SCHEDULING, and 4) LIMITATION OF THE SYSTEM. To address the causes, the study recommends INTEGRATING SYSTEM INFORMATION to resolve the issues of INACCURATE INFORMATION and LIMITATION OF THE SYSTEM, alongside RESOURCING ALTERNATIVE SHIPPING AGENTS as a strategic approach to overcome INEFFICIENT PRODUCTION PROCESS and TRANSPORTATION SCHEDULLING. The findings advocate that the top management of the food trading company to embrace system integration and establish partnerships with reliable transportation agencies to address immediate late delivery concerns. Implementing these strategies will not only address issues of late deliveries but also enhance its export delivery performance, ensure customer satisfaction, and maintain its international market leadership.