A bi-objective model for a multi-echelon supply chain design considering efficiency and customer satisfaction: a case study in plastic parts industry

2017 ◽  
Vol 95 (9-12) ◽  
pp. 3631-3649 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seyed Babak Ebrahimi
Author(s):  
Dick Verbeek

This case study has been developed to facilitate discussion about current supply chain management issues and potential solutions. The scenario presented in this case is very representative of the pressures experienced by supply chain managers. Namely, the need to reduce costs while maintaining quality and customer service. This case presents some unusual challenges and constraints that are unique to the cruise line industry. These constraints can provide an opportunity to explore new supply chain paradigms.


Author(s):  
Rubén Medina-Serrano ◽  
Reyes Gonzalez ◽  
Jose Gasco ◽  
Juan Llopis

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore sustainability and collaboration in supply chain (SC) management designs and to develop a sustainable supply chain design (SCD) model. Design/methodology/approach First, a literature review of the principal theories and SC management approaches is discussed. Second, the development of a sustainable SCD model is described and explained. Third, the results and the operationalization of the model, which incorporates sustainable procurement elements based on the results of interviews from a case study, are outlined. Findings A framework is proposed to provide managers, practitioners and academics with a practical solution to make sustainable SC decisions in a more structured and consistent manner. Originality/value The paper presents a currently discussed problem about the design of differentiated supply chains to avoid or offset the effects of allocation issues in the electronic marketplace. Although past literature reviews provide valuable results, they were based upon the assessment of supply chain decisions failing to consider the sustainable corporate social responsibility and the interaction criteria. The findings from this study highlight the importance of addressing supply chain decisions in a structured manner and prioritize the development of dynamic capabilities to improve the firm’s ability to reconfigure internal and external competences to address rapidly changing environments and reinforce a collaborative SC management system with third parties.


2020 ◽  
Vol 295 (1) ◽  
pp. 257-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. G. Mogale ◽  
Sri Krishna Kumar ◽  
Manoj Kumar Tiwari

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (11) ◽  
pp. 1685-1693
Author(s):  
Zahra Seyedghorban ◽  
Danny Samson ◽  
Hossein Tahernejad

PurposeThis research aims at investigating the common practical problem of how procurement can be transformed from tactical and administrative to becoming an organizational strategic partner and indeed a competitive weapon, using modern technologies in particular. We investigated how procurement can be reinvented, from being digitized to digitalized to digitally integrated, ultimately contributing in business terms beyond supply chain effectiveness but also to profit generation.Design/methodology/approachA case study approach was designed to investigate three firms, each at very different stages of digital maturity in procurement. Interviews with managers, investigation of processes and documentary materials and in-depth follow-up discussions were conducted.FindingsThe iterative digitalization transformation discovered encompasses complexities rooted in organizational structure, supply chain design and the management of the technology for employees' uptake. There are both operations and strategy implications as a result. This initial research phase led to mapping a model of digital maturity as well as identifying its underlying constructs.Originality/valueThis research discovered that the implementation of digital technologies can lead the procurement function of the supply chain to completely grow out of its administrative and clerical shell into a strategic, consultative, value-adding and potentially revenue-generating function, thereby contributing to the well-being of not only the supply chain but also the entire organization.


Author(s):  
Nikhil S. Gurjar ◽  
S. D. Jog

The present work is a case study conducted on the Indian operations of a leading white goods manufacturer in the world, with a focus on the alignment and planning of the primary movements in the distribution resource planning cycle/manufacturing cycle. The present system at the company is analyzed for the three components viz. supply chain design, supply chain planning and supply chain operations. The characterization of the present system is based on high-implied demand uncertainties, high forecast errors, provisions for mixed order matching, seasonality of demands, end of month peak characterization and the irregular flow of information. The initial analysis is based on a simple queuing model that incorporates the theory of constraints to evaluate the criticality of the information flow in the system. This model is then extended to incorporate other parameters required in the strategic alignment of the system with the corporate objectives. The current initiatives in the company are then developed further into a strategic plan that incorporates considerations of new product launches, decreasing product life cycles, fragmentation of supply chain ownership, globalization and other difficulties in execution.


2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 341-352 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Graham ◽  
Rashid Mehmood ◽  
Eve Coles

Purpose – The purpose of this technical viewpoint is to provide a commentary of how we went about using logistics prototyping as a method to engage citizens, science fiction (SF) writers and small- to medium- sized enterprises (SME’s). Six urban logistic prototypes built on the themes of future cities, community resilience and urban supply chain management (SCM) are summarized, together with details of the data collection procedure and the methodological challenges encountered. Our investigation aimed to explore the potential of logistics prototyping to develop “user-driven” and “SME” approaches to future city design and urban supply chain decision-making. Design/methodology/approach – This Boston field experiment was a case study investigation conducted between May and August 2013. Qualitative data was collected using a “mixed-method” approach combining together focus groups (MIT faculty), scenarios, prototyping workshops, interviews and document analysis. These story-creators could use the prototype method as a way of testing their hypotheses, theories and constrained speculations with regard to specified future city and urban supply chain scenarios. Findings – This viewpoint suggests that the prototyping method allows for unique individual perspectives on future city planning and urban supply chain design. This work also attempts to demonstrate that prototyping can create sufficiently cogent environments for future city and urban SCM theories to be both detected and analysed therein. Although this is an experimental field of the SCM theory building, more conventional theories could also be “tested” in the same manner. Research limitations/implications – By embedding logistics prototyping within a mixed method approach, we might be criticized as constraining its capability to map out the future – that its potential to be flexible and imaginative are held back by the equal weighting given to the more conventional component. In basing our case study within one city then this might be seen as limiting the complexity of the empirical context – however, the situation within different cities is inherently complex. Case studies also attract criticism on the grounds of not being representative; in this situation, they might be criticized as imperfect indicators of what transpires in other situations. However, this technical viewpoint suggests that in spite of its limitations, prototyping facilitates an imaginative and creative approach to theory generation and concept building. Practical implications – The methodology allows everyday citizens and SME’s to develop user-driven foresight and planning scenarios with city strategists’ and urban logistic designers. It facilitates much broader stakeholder involvement in city and urban supply chain policymaking, than current “quantitative” approaches. Social implications – Logistics fiction prototyping provides a democratic approach to future city planning and urban supply chain design. It involves collectively imagining socio-technical futures and second-order sociological effects through the writing of SF narratives or building “design fictions”. Originality/value – Decision-making in future cities and urban SCM is often a notable challenge, balancing the varying needs and claims of multiple stakeholders, while negotiating an acceptable trade-off between their competing claims. Engagement with stakeholders and active encouragement of stakeholder participation in the supply chain aspects of future cities is increasingly a feature of twenty-first century social decision-making. This viewpoint suggests that the prototyping method allows for unique individual perspectives on future city planning and urban supply chain design. This work also attempts to demonstrate that prototyping can create sufficiently cogent environments for future city and the urban SCM theories to be both detected and analysed therein. Although this is an experimental field of SCM theory building, more conventional theories could also be “tested” in the same manner.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 113-124
Author(s):  
Paidamoyo Madondo ◽  
Sibongile Manzini

The exploration sought to analyse the effects of procurement procedures on customer satisfaction through a case study of United Refineries Limited. As the industry in Zimbabwe had been enlarging in size and intricacy, so too did the challenges met across the procurement sector. Instances of such challenges comprised inter alia varying customer preferences, the requirement for ecological practices and the need to sustain relationships in the supply chain. The study was based on the network theory which highlighted that businesses in a network cannot create procurement procedures at liberty and independently without involving others in the network. The investigation assessed the effect of procurement procedures on customer satisfaction through the utilisation of the descriptive design. The research population comprised of 107 employees and 25 customers aggregated based on daily walk-ins. The sample was 84 respondents for employees and 20 for customers in terms of which judgmental sampling was utilised. The results showed that the majority of customers were not satisfied with procurement procedures given the incidence of malpractices such as bureaucracy and red-tape which fought against the effectiveness of procurement procedures which led to dissatisfaction as well as substantial discrepancies in procurement procedures. It was concluded that the strategic significance and the latent forthcoming influence of procurement procedures at United Refineries was impossible to ignore. There existed room for improvement in procurement procedures to bring about customer satisfaction. Recommendations included, training, supplier development and supplier streamlining.


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