Reconfigurable supply chain

In the context of this book which advocates the importance of reconfigurable supply chains, there are just seven papers that explicitly address the problem of dynamic supply chain reconfiguration. 

Section 4.2 introduces the concept of reconfigurable supply chains. It is followed by a description of multiple perspectives on supply chain configuration decisionmaking, presented in the form of supply chain configuration problem taxonomy. Finally, an integrated framework supporting supply chain reconfigurability is presented. 

Reconfigurability is a required property to ensure supply chain agility and to enable service-oriented supply chains. For the purposes of this book, a reconfigurable supply chain is defined as ... 

The reconfigurable supply chain is a supply chain possessing flexibility of altering its configuration with relatively minor resource requirements and without losing its operational efficiency in response to changing customer demands and operating enviroimient. 

The problem of reconfigurable supply chains has three main aspects ... 

The main difficulties characteristic of reconfigurable supply chains and obstacles hampering their development are. 

Use of public communication channels. Reconfigurable supply chain management information systems use public communication chaimels and the Internet, in particular, extensively. These communication channels offer a substantially higher degree of flexibility and lower costs while modem technologies can provide an adequate level of security. 

Traditional data warehouses operate on a premise that decision-making data needs are known in advance and that these data can be gathered and structured in advance. However, that is not always the case, especially for supply chain reconfiguration during the execution phase. For instance, suppliers in Southeast Asia are characterized by different attributes than substitute suppliers in South America. The on-demand approach provides data as necessary for a particular decision-making situation and is more suitable for agile and reconfigurable supply chains. 

From the information technology perspective, reconfigurable supply chain should possess ability of ... 

Chapter 4. Reconfigurable Supply Chains An Integrated Framework... 

The purpose of this chapter is to describe reconfigurable supply chains, their need, and their advantages. Then, we lay out an integrated framework for their implementation that maps problems and issues with suggested methods and techniques (either published in the literature or those laid out in later chapters). Basically, it lays the foundation for methodology in Chap. 5 and solutions described in Part 11 of the book. 

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