The “Law of Industrial Dynamics” is a well‐known phenomenon which leads to significant swings in demand as orders are passed down along a supply chain. Large fluctuations in demand result for the manufacturer leading to policies which counteract the objectives of materials logistics...

Purpose – The concept of the customer order decoupling point (CODP) has been used in many different contexts as an important structural concept for the traditional forward supply chain. The CODP is rarely explicitly applied in reverse supply chain management and the purpose of this paper is to...

There is little published work regarding value and waste in UK housebuilding supply chains. In this paper, we review the current status of research in supply chains generally and housebuilding supply chains specifically. The “wastes” and “values” within housebuilding supply chains are...

Purpose – This paper aims to develop a framework that rationalises transport flexibility into different types. In this way the role of the flexibility types in delivering specific strategic logistics outcomes can be determined. Design/methodology/approach – The authors undertake a synthesis...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to verify a transport uncertainty triad model taking a supply chain perspective, and determine which different forms of uncertainty impact on transport operations. The aim is to qualitatively evaluate the different types of uncertainty impacting on...

The issues underlying the appropriate matching of pipelines to marketplace needs under conditions of demand volatility and price pressure are examined. The authors describe a scenario where the philosophy of “one size fits all” does not apply to pipeline design, implementation, and control....

Successful re‐engineering programs to improve supply chain performance possess three important attributes: a vision which clearly identifies future goals; a framework with clearly defined stages forming a route map; and, a toolkit which provides a means for enhancing the individual processes...

A review of electronics product based supply chains is presented. This naturally leads to the development of a “reference framework” for electronic products supply chains. It is used as a foundation for the analysis of a typical supply chain for a personal computer. Attention is focused on...

The use of pipeline feedback to ensure good control of material flow systems has been developed over the years on a pragmatic basis. More recently, the mechanism by which the improved control is achieved has been the subject of theoretical analysis. In turn, this has led to recommendations for...