Warehouse Automation Systems on Supply Chain Efficiency in Fast-Moving Consumer Goods Companies in Rwanda: A Case Study of BRALIRWA Plc
Uwase Anitha and Gitahi Njenga
Mount Kigali University, Rwanda
Email: uwaseanitha22@gmail.com
Abstract: Warehouse automation offers opportunities to improve supply chain efficiency, yet evidence concerning specific technologies in Rwanda’s beverage industry remains limited. This study examined the associations of automated storage and retrieval systems, robotic picking and packing, and warehouse management systems with perceived supply chain efficiency at BRALIRWA Plc, Rwanda. Guided by the Technology Acceptance Model, lean thinking, and the resource-based view, the study adopted a descriptive and correlational survey design. The target population comprised 206 employees across nine departments at the Kigali office. The study reported a sample of 136 employees selected through stratified random sampling, of whom 132 returned usable questionnaires, representing a 97.1% response rate. Data were collected using structured five-point Likert questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics and separate simple linear regressions in SPSS version 26. The reported results indicated significant positive associations between perceived supply chain efficiency and automated storage and retrieval systems (β = .986, R² = .973), robotic picking and packing (β = .947, R² = .896), and warehouse management systems (β = .852, R² = .726), all p < .001. Each model represented an unadjusted association rather than an independent technological contribution. The study concluded that favorable assessments of these technologies were associated with favorable assessments of order fulfillment, inventory accuracy, and operational costcontrol. It recommended strengthening system reliability, operator training, and information integration while monitoring operational indicators.
