Supply chain implementation

To date, the philosophy has been implemented in industrial enterprises. The surprisingly simple logic of it and the intra-corporate supply chains implemented show that the same successes are possible in other industries and administrations. The only prerequisite is that the services to be rendered by the enterprise can be described. 

In Chapter 10 we discussed the Plan-Do-Check-Act approach to implementing supply chain projects. We also described at some length the role of top management in implementation. However, the reality is that the "doers" who implement new supply chain processes will come from one or more functional departments. So an important part of the task under current discussion, Implementing Collaborative Relationships, is marshalling these resources. A major obstacle is that improvement team must learn new skills to be effective. In addition to hammers, they must become proficient with saws, wrenches, and other tools of the trade. This chapter provides a guide to participation in our five supply chain implementation tasks ... 

Kiefer, A. W., Novack, R. A. (1999). An empirical analysis of warehouse measurement systems in the context of supply chain implementation. Transportation Journal, 38(3), 18-27. 

The text summarises the activities and outcome of the Organic HACCP project (www.organichaccp.org) that was completed in 2005, how a database of critical control points (CCPs) was developed for some representative supply chains and how this was used to define a set of recommendations that were then developed into leaflets with advice to producers, processors, retailers or consumers, respectively. The chapter will thus explain how companies at every step of the production chain can utilise the concepts to improve customer satisfaction in a cost-effective manner. Finally, it will describe an example of implementation in a group of collaborating companies and suggest where additional activities are needed in order to develop the concept further. 

From the consumer s perspective, cost is an important characteristic of the food and the best buy is the product that is considered to have the best ratio of quality and price. So consumers should welcome any measure that will improve quality at no extra cost or reduce the cost at no reduction in quality. In principle, using a CCP-based system at the level of a supply chain is supposed to do just that, since it will ensure that the controls are taking place at the steps where they can be implemented most effectively, thus eliminating superfluous double or triple testing of the same thing, or unnecessary waste when food is discarded because its safety is uncertain. 

Here, it can bee seen that system modules are not directly matched to process structures defined in the Supply Chain Planning Matrix. Also, the asymmetry between market facing parts of procurement and sales are not intuitive. However, APS extend the perspective on business applications extending the classical tasks of ERP and transactional systems to a management and planning level. With APS implemented in multiple industries and validated specifically in the process industry (Schaub/Zeier 2003) or also for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) (Friedrich 2000), importance will further grow. 

Dickersbach JT (2004) Supply Chain Management with APO Structures, Modelling Approaches and Implementation Peculiarities, Springer, Berlin et al. 

Fig. 14.3 shows schematically how the hydrogen infrastructure options - comprising the whole supply chain of hydrogen from production (central or onsite), via transport and distribution to the (implementation of) refuelling stations - are modelled in MOREHyS. It has to be noted, that from the point of view of model implementation, transport refers to the transportation of hydrogen between different areas, while distribution is defined as the transportation of hydrogen within the... 

United Parcel Service (UPS) is another company epitomizing innovation. UPS has become entrepreneurial by (1) implementing a new higher-margin service, (2) managing its customers supply chains, and (3) providing financial services to small businesses. UPS is not only... 

Lack of risk communication along the supply chain (manufacturers-trade-users), which would however be indispensable, for example, for implementing the Responsible Care scheme of the chemicals industry. 

The state provides to industry a harmonised framework for determining, evaluating and communicating risks in the European market (REACH). This also includes a form of standardisation for procedures, responsibilities and time frames in the chain, and options for state sanctions. This increases the market potential and innovation incentives for demonstrably application-safe chemical products. At the same time the basis is created for efficiency gains by employing universal IT solutions in the European market. However, the required framework also means that implementation is left to the industry and the market in many areas in order to leave enough scope for diversified solutions that are specific to the different supply chains. Simply the announcement of the REACH system has improved vertical communication in the supply chains and supported the consolidation of substance and application knowledge. 

The political requirement within Europe, that the industry should be responsible for the assessment of the 30,000 substances currently on the market and their applications is in line with the voluntary commitment of responsible care by the chemicals industry. Implementation of this -commitment has so far failed because many users of chemical products have not complied with it. The REACH system proposed by the EU Commission would create a regulative framework for structuring responsibility and information flow along the supply chain, in a binding marmer for the first time. The commercial institutions should respond to this state initiative. 

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 ... 

There are different ways in which an ICS can be implemented, however. The example above is illustrative of an endogenous form of ICS where producers are actively involved in ICS management. At the other end of the spectrum is an exporter-led model, whereby a buyer organises producers and controls the ICS through the implementation of external guidelines to regulate the supply chain and outsourced farmers (Pyburn 2004). Further research is needed to better understand the impacts and dynamics of these different expressions of ICS. 

For the networking systems of natural gas supply chains, the modular systems provide the designers and the process planners with a different (and independent) toolkit without restricting the application area. This is conceived as a new high-level tool for the representation of engineering knowledge and support that can be useful for the reduction of time and cost of the development and implementation of integrated distribution systems. 

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