Investigating the Supply Chain of Required Tools for Silk Carpet Weaving in the Rural Areas of the Zanjan Townshi

Abstract1
The effectiveness of the supply chain of every activity, including handmade
carpet depends on varied resources. Finance, information and physical inputs are
considered as resources required for handmade carpet production and it is essential
to be investigated in order to understand carpet weavers’ problems to access them.
The purpose of this research is to study the supply chain of tools used by silk carpet
weavers in the rural areas of the Zanjan Township in the Zanjan Province, located
in the north west of Iran. The study utilized a qualitative approach, consisting of an
exploratory-explanatory case study. Participants, who were selected using a
snowball sampling technique, consisted of the specialists of the provincial
Commerce Department and the Union of Rural Handmade Carpet, and input sellers
in the cities of Zanjan, Qom and Kashan. Results showed that the supply of
weaving tools was different in terms of production approaches. The tools such as
scissors, hooks and skewers were produced outside the Zanjan City. In the self-
production approach, the tools were provided by rural carpet weavers through
buying from the silk carpet market center in the city. This center mostly provided
these tools through manufacturers outside the province. In the self-production
approach, the carpet production frame and other components were mostly supplied
from the carpenters and welders working in the Zanjan City. So the rural producers
accessed these inputs with low dependency on middlemen. On the other hand, in
the entrepreneurial production approach, the investors or employers outside the
rural areas were responsible for supplying all tools and their costs were reimbursed
from the rural producers after the production of carpets.