This paper analyses the integration process that firms follow to implement Supply Chain Management (SCM). This study has been inspired in the integration model proposed by Stevens (1989). He suggests that companies internally integrate first and then extend integration to other supply chain...

The authors present basis of simulation usage in managerial decisionsupport focusing on the supply chain processes. In the beginning the need for simulationis presented, then advantages and disadvantages of simulation experiments and thesimulation tools juxtaposition. Finally the chances of...

Firstly, it is briefly introduced that Guangxi characteristic economic agricultural products are currently characterized by typical regional features and strong competitiveness. Then, Guilin is taken as an example, the problems existing in constructing the supply chain and brand of Guilin...

Purpose The customer order decoupling point (CODP) concept addresses the issue of customer engagement in the manufacturing process. This has traditionally been applied to material flows, but has more recently been applied to engineering activities. This later subject becomes of particular...

Managing inventory levels in the aggregate is a common concern of senior management. A generalized formula (turnover curve) developed in previous research that mimics practical inventory control is used to audit inventory control performance of inventories in the aggregate and at multiple...

In an era of global sourcing, the firm’s success often hinges on the most appropriate selection of its suppliers. Supplier selection is sometimes very complicated, owing to a variety of uncontrollable and unpredictable factors which affect the decision. Describes a multiple attribute utility...

Current studies indicate that buyers can improve lead‐time performance and reduce total inventory‐system costs by splitting orders between two suppliers. These studies, however, treat transportation only implicitly as an element of the cost of placing an order. This is an important...

The concepts of supply‐chain design and management have come to the fore, owing to the ever‐increasing complexity of the systems driving buyer‐supplier relations in both industrial and consumer‐based markets. The unprecedented levels of supply‐chain management complexity are partly...

The development of enterprise resource planning (ERP) packages has created an opportunity to re‐engineer supply chains within and beyond the organizational scope. Most notably, SAP R/3 has been widely implemented to create value‐oriented supply chains that enable a high level of integration,...

Discusses a recent practical experience of reconfiguring a logistics system in Europe. Begins by outlining the changing market boundaries and asserts that, whilst the trend is towards global manufacturing and a simplification of the supply chain and standardization of products, conflicts are...