Supply chain elements

However, many companies cannot pick and choose when they must implement change. David Ritter, of the Boston Consulting Group encourages IT managers to be prepared for the call to implement new systems. His 12-step process, summarized below, specifically addresses processes and systems for material acquisition that are an important supply chain element. 

ATP Execution Scope A supply chain network consists of supply network, manufacturing network and distribution network. ATP execution scope refers to the extent of the supply chain elements included within an ATP model or system s domain of interest. Distribution ATP (d-ATP) considers a distribution network including distribution centers and retailers across a supply chain Make ATP (m-ATP) considers both the distribution network and the manufacturing network and Supply Chain ATP (sc-ATP) considers the entire supply chain including distribution network, manufacturing network and supplier network. 

In this chapter, we have discussed the opportunities for companies to harness the potential of the Internet by coordinating web-based activities with their traditional operations. We have focused on three critical supply chain elements procurement, pricing and distribution/fulfillment. Most of the academic research in this area is quite recent, and hence much of the research we discuss is currently contained in working papers. We have selected to discuss several important papers that have come to our attention, but certainly can t claim to have produced an exhaustive survey of research in this nascent field. Like our colleagues in industry, academic researchers are still in the early stages of understanding the full impact of the Internet. We believe that issues of coordination between traditional and internet supply chains will continue to provide a fertile area for academic research. 

The case specific instances of the domain level represent individual supply chain elements such as particular products or suppliers. The supply chain can include a large number of individual elements and only the most important elements are represented separately. In this case, instances are explicitly modeled to represent assembly plants and the frame factory because one of the supply chain configuration decisions is about establishing links among the plants and distribution centers. 

The case specific instances of the domain level represent individual supply chain elements such as particular products or suppliers. The supply chain can include a large number of individual elements and only the most important elements are represented separately. In this case, instances are explicitly modeled for supplier SI, product HDDl, customers in Latvia and Romania and all five distribution centers the company operates. The associations among the instances show that the HDDl product is supplied by the SI supplier, the HDDl product is intended for customers in Romania and that the product is delivered to the customer fi-om the RIX distribution center via the AMS distribution center. The link between the AMS and the RIX distribution centers is represented using the generic link concept. The link between SI and AMS is represented using the Air Link object because deliveries are made by air only. 

In an effort to ensure a more responsive supply chain and achieve higher levels of customer satisfaction, supply chain managers often seek to minimize the time between order placement and finished product delivery (to the customer.) This requirement is addressed in the tactical submodel by including the additional objective of minimizing total weighted transit time, which is defined here as the time required to ship one unit of raw material/final product from one supply chain element to another multiplied by the number of units to be shipped, summed over all raw materials types, suppliers, plants, warehouses, markets, and time periods. Hence, the corresponding goal constraint is expressed as... 

All data related to purchase, production, holding, and shipment costs for raw and finished materials demand forecasts and plant and warehouse capacities and costs are presented in Tables 4.1 through 4.4. Because raw material, production, holding, and shipping costs vary over periods, routes, and supply chain elements, Table 4.1 presents only the ranges of these costs. Data related to plant costs and capacities are shown in Table 4.2. Each unit of finished product has a sale price of 450, and managers have chosen to limit strategic submodel production to 99% of maximum site capacity. Other inputs... 

Aside from market conditions, supply, and demand, four elements (Fig. 12.15) strongly impact the successful commercialization and diffusion of a printed (or other) technology platform into the market (1) standards, (2) awareness, (3) supply chain, and (4) quality control/assurance. Each of these elements is typically addressed prior to commercialization, although these elements are not a prerequisite for success. 

Managing the supply chain generally comprises three elements of activity ... 

Hypothesis (9) It is frequently only a small step from a net to a felt. Cooperation is a eonstitutive element of the ability to be innovative (beyond the enterprise). Horizontal co-operation between a few actors at one stage of the supply chain, however, may also be used to constitute blockade cartels, which are detrimental to innovation. 

The total control of the whole supply chain, from discovery research and raw-material sourcing all the way to postlaunch monitoring of patients, has been a key element of the conventional business model for the pharmaceutical industry, particularly big pharma. In view of the challenges facing the industry, the question arises as to whether this business model is sustainable in the long run. 

An effective and compliant stability program will ensure that drug products developed for human use are safe, efficacious, and will meet a certain standard of quality (i.e., remain within its approved shelf life specification when exposed to various storage conditions). As the product may experience extreme temperatures and/or humidity as it moves through the supply chain from manufacturer to pharmacy to consumer, it is imperative to determine what effect these conditions will have on product quality. A number of systems are implemented to guarantee that the stability program is carried out with these principles in mind. The elements of an effective stability program include ... 

In order to connect remote energy resources new supply chains are needed. Quite often this implies the constructions of new main pipelines through transit countries, with increased reliability. The reliability of main pipelines is connected to various risks that may cause failure, or promote the termination of system functioning. The fundamentals among them are the following main risk elements ... 

Following the rationale of Shi and Gregory (1998, p. 199) that a company should first optimize the elements of a supply chain under its own control, issues related to the inter-organizational integration and coordination of supply chains will generally not be covered in this work. For an overview of specific inter-organizational supply chain management tasks... 

According to Fleischmann and Meyr (2003, p. 457) adequate planning systems for supply chain management require two major elements ... 

Key Supply Chain Management Elements and Opportunities for the Chemical Industry 283... 

Many companies, both within the chemical industry and in other sectors, have recognized benefits from involving their suppliers and customers in various aspects of their business. The area of supply chain management (SCM) has become a critical element in the overall business strategy of improved productivity, reduced costs, and better control of the quality and potential risks associated with raw materials and intermediates. Proactive management of supplier environmental performance, as practiced by Hewlett Packard, can lead to product and process simplification, improved resource efficiency, product quality enhancement, reduced liability, and customer perception of the company as an industry leader. 

Distribution is an important activity in the integrated supply-chain management of pharmaceutical products. Various people and entities are generally responsible for the handling, storage and distribution of such products. In some cases, however, a person or entity is only involved in and responsible for certain elements of the distribution process. This document sets out appropriate steps to assist in fulfilling the responsibilities involved in the different aspects of the distribution process. The guidelines are intended to apply to all steps in the distribution/supply chain. The relevant sections should be considered by various role players as applicable to their particular role in the distribution process. The document does not specifically cover... 

Finally, deactivation of the catalyst by poisoning elements should be mentioned. Precious metal based catalysts are poisoned by sulfur oxides which mainly originate from the combustion of sulfur-containing fuel constituents, by phosphorus and zinc which mainly originate from some additives in the engine lubricating oil, and by silicium which was sometimes present in some engine seals (Table 21). Also, traces of lead, present in the fuel because of contamination of the fuel supply chain, made an important contribution to the deactivation of the catalyst in the past. 

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