Food chain management sector

Ruteri JM, Xu Q (2009) Supply chain management and challenges facing the food industry sector in Tanzania. Int J Bus Manage 4(12) 70-80... 

In laboratory studies, the order processing process via the electronic supply chain management platform was compared with the traditional order processing in the sector. The results showed for both buyer and seller efficiency improvements for a basic direct order of a required input and a request for quote (RfQ) for a required input (see Calosso et al, 2003). These process types build on the extracted reference processes and are the most common order processing variants in the bottleneck of the agri-food network. 

Supply networks with small and medium sized enterprises are complex in many industry sectors and, as a consequence, often inefficient. This paper has taken the complex supply chain situation in the agri-food sector as example for complex supply chains in general. The agri-food sector is an example for an industry sector with complex supply chains due to its market structure, with a majority of SMEs, the specifics of the agri-food products, and the transaction processes. Electronic supply chain management is an option to improve efficiency and coordination in complex supply chains. Prerequisite for the realization of improvements with electronic supply chain functionalities in complex markets is the appropriate development and embeddedment of the solution according to the supply chain scenario. 

Lawrence, J.D. and M.L. Hayenga, 2002. The U.S. pork and beef sectors divergent organizational patterns, paradoxes and conflicts. In Paradoxes in Food Chains and Networks. Proceedings of the 5 International Conference on Chain and Network Management in Agribusiness and the Food Industry, Noordwijk, 6-8 June 2002, J.H. Trienekens, S.W.E Omta (eds.), Wageningen Academic Publishers, the Netherlands, pp. 512-521. National Bureau of Statistics, 2004. China statistical yearbook 2004. China Statistics Press. 

Food supply chains have specific properties that pose many constraints on managing the flow and quality of products. For example, products of food supply chains are perishable and may show considerable differences due to biologic variety even when genotypes and production processes are standardised. Food supply chains may consist of many, often small, actors, making collaboration and alignment more diflicult. In addition, margins in the food sector are small, especially in conventional food supply chains with mass products, requiring supply chain actors to improve efiiciency of their processes. 

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