A methodology for planning sustainable supply chain initiatives


Book Description

This publication presents a methodology for planning sustainable supply chain initiatives, consisting of three scopes, each with its appropriate mechanism and background theory. The first one “Acting In” structures organizational practices in a “Framework for Managing Sustainable Supply Chain Practices”. The second scope “Acting Out” compares practices from 32 recognized sustainability leaders from five different industries through a “Benchmarks Practices Bank”. The third scope “Acting Beyond” supports defining and managing a portfolio of sustainable supply chain practices through a “Practices Portfolio Planning Matrix” which provides a list of opportunities for the exchange of knowledge between Germany and Brazil. The methodology significantly supports supply chain decision makers in planning initiatives and visualizing collaboration opportunities within a firm, industry and shared value chain perfective. As companies become more global, challenges also become greater, thus, a more systematic and holistic approach can lead the way for developing more innovative solutions. In der folgenden Doktorarbeit wird eine Methodologie zur Planung von Nachhaltigkeitsinitiativen im Bereich Supply Chain entwickelt, die aus drei Haupthandlungsfeldern besteht und für welche jeweils der theoretische Hintergrund, sowie geeignete Mechanismen aufgezeigt werden. Der erste Bereich, das sog. „Acting In“, strukturiert organisatorische Tätigkeiten und integriert diese in einen Rahmen, dem „Framework for Managing Sustainable Supply Chain Practices“. Der zweite Bereich - „Acting Out“ - vergleicht verschiedene Verfahren von 32 anerkannten, im Bereich Nachhaltigkeit führenden Unternehmen mit Hilfe der Datenbank “Benchmarks Practices Bank”. „Acting Beyond“ - der dritte Bereich - hilft dabei ein Portfolio mit nachhaltigen Maßnahmen im Supply Chain Bereich zu definieren. Hierfür wird die “Practices Portfolio Planning Matrix” eingeführt, welche gleichzeitig interessante Möglichkeiten zum Wissensaustausch zwischen Deutschland und Brasilien aufzeigt. Die erarbeitete Methodik ist sowohl für die Forschung, als auch für die Anwender im Supply Chain Bereich von großer Bedeutung. Die hier entwickelten Mechanismen unterstützen die Entscheider in den Unternehmen bei der Planung von Nachhaltigkeitsinitiativen im Supply Chain Bereich und verdeutlichen Kooperationsmöglichkeiten auf verschiedenen Ebenen: innerbetrieblich, auf derselben Wertschöpfungsstufe und über die gesamte Wertschöpfungskette hinweg. Da die Unternehmen immer globaler agieren, werden die Herausforderungen größer. Daher kann eine systematischere, ganzheitlichere Herangehensweise ein Ansatz sein, wenn es um die Entwicklung von innovativen Lösungen geht.




Sustainable Supply Chain Management


Book Description

This book focuses on the need to develop sustainable supply chains - economically, environmentally and socially. This book is not about a wish list of impractical choices, but the reality of decisions faced by all those involved in supply chain management today. Our definition of sustainable supply chains is not restricted to so-called "green" supply chains, but recognises that in order to be truly sustainable, supply chains must operate within a realistic financial structure, as well as contribute value to our society. Supply chains are not sustainable unless they are realistically funded and valued. Thus, a real definition of sustainable supply chain management must take account of all relevant economic, social and environmental issues. This book contains examples from a wide range of real-life case studies, and synthesizes the learnings from these many different situations to provide the fundamental building blocks at the centre of successful logistics and supply chain management.




Applications of Contemporary Management Approaches in Supply Chains


Book Description

In today's rapidly changing business environment, strong influence of globalization and information technologies drives practitioners and researchers of modern supply chain management, who are interested in applying different contemporary management paradigms and approaches, to supply chain process. This book intends to provide a guide to researchers, graduate students and practitioners by incorporating every aspect of management paradigms into overall supply chain functions such as procurement, warehousing, manufacturing, transportation and disposal. More specifically, this book aims to present recent approaches and ideas including experiences and applications in the field of supply chains, which may give a reference point and useful information for new research and to those allied, affiliated with and peripheral to the field of supply chains and its management.




Sustainable Food Supply Chains


Book Description

Sustainable Food Supply Chains: Planning, Design, and Control through Interdisciplinary Methodologies provides integrated and practicable solutions that aid planners and entrepreneurs in the design and optimization of food production-distribution systems and operations and drives change toward sustainable food ecosystems. With synthesized coverage of the academic literature, this book integrates the quantitative models and tools that address each step of food supply chain operations to provide readers with easy access to support-decision quantitative and practicable methods. Broken into three parts, the book begins with an introduction and problem statement. The second part presents quantitative models and tools as an integrated framework for the food supply chain system and operations design. The book concludes with the presentation of case studies and applications focused on specific food chains. Sustainable Food Supply Chains: Planning, Design, and Control through Interdisciplinary Methodologies will be an indispensable resource for food scientists, practitioners and graduate students studying food systems and other related disciplines. - Contains quantitative models and tools that address the interconnected areas of the food supply chain - Synthesizes academic literature related to sustainable food supply chains - Deals with interdisciplinary fields of research (Industrial Systems Engineering, Food Science, Packaging Science, Decision Science, Logistics and Facility Management, Supply Chain Management, Agriculture and Land-use Planning) that dominate food supply chain systems and operations - Includes case studies and applications




Supply Chain 4.0


Book Description

Supply Chain 4.0 has introduced automation into logistics and supply chain processes, exploiting predictive analytics to better match supply with demand, optimizing operations and using the latest technologies for the last mile delivery such as drones and autonomous robots. Supply Chain 4.0 presents new methods, techniques, and information systems that support the coordination and optimization of logistics processes, reduction of operational costs as well as the emergence of entirely new services and business processes. This edited collection includes contributions from leading international researchers from academia and industry. It considers the latest technologies and operational research methods available to support smart, integrated, and sustainable logistics practices focusing on automation, big data, Internet of Things, and decision support systems for transportation and logistics. It also highlights market requirements and includes case studies of cutting-edge applications from innovators in the logistics industry.




Quantitative Models for Reverse Logistics


Book Description

Economic, marketing, and legislative considerations are increasingly leading companies to take back and recover their products after use. From a logistics perspective, these initiatives give rise to new goods flows from the user back to the producer. The management of these goods flows opposite to the traditional supply chain flows is addressed in the recently emerged field of Reverse Logistics. This monograph considers quantitative models that support decision making in Reverse Logistics. To this end, several recent case studies are reviewed. Moreover, first hand insight from a study on used electronic equipment is reported on. On this basis, logistics issues arising in the management of "reverse" goods flows are identified. Moreover, differences between Reverse Logistics and more traditional logistics contexts are highlighted. Finally, attention is paid to capturing the characteristics of Reverse Logistics in appropriate quantitative models.




Design Is The Problem


Book Description

Design makes a tremendous impact on the produced world in terms of usability, resources, understanding, and priorities. What we produce, how we serve customers and other stakeholders, and even how we understand how the world works is all affected by the design of models and solutions. Designers have an unprecedented opportunity to use their skills to make meaningful, sustainable change in the world—if they know how to focus their skills, time, and agendas. In Design is the Problem: The Future of Design Must be Sustainable, Nathan Shedroff examines how the endemic culture of design often creates unsustainable solutions, and shows how designers can bake sustainability into their design processes in order to produce more sustainable solutions.




Supply Chain Management


Book Description




Conceptualizing and capturing digital transformation’s customer value – a logistics and supply chain management perspective


Book Description

This thesis aims to add knowledge that contributes to answering the question of how digital transformation technologies can contribute to increasing customer value in logistics and supply chain management (L&SCM), and how manufacturing companies can mindfully use them. The output of the thesis is an architectural framework that proposes performance components, approaches and methodologies that can help in capturing this customer value. To build the basis for such a framework, this research first deduces and presents the underlying definition of digital transformation and describes its potential for, as well as current barriers for its application in, L&SCM. The study uses a systematic literature review to identify nine underlying digital transformation technology bundles. These are: auto-identification technologies; information and communication technologies; the cloud; cyber physical systems; analytics; distributed ledger; automation technologies; augmented and virtual reality; and additive manufacturing. These technologies served as inputs for a nominal group technique workshop aiming to conceptualize the dimensions of customer value based on the technologies. The derived dimensions are information disclosure, time, product/production, service/assistance, quality, choice options, and planning. Based on these findings, this thesis presents an impact assessment for customer-based L&SCM performance. The three-plus-one customer value propositions are availability, servitization, co-creation, and cognition as enhancement. Expert interviews provide the data for the architectural framework for capturing customer value based on digital transformation technologies in L&SCM. The six dimensions covered are the customer value proposition; the value portfolio; scope of collaboration; human resource management and organization; performance management; as well as the (re-)adjusting value assessment. The main scientific contribution lies in conceptualizing the customer value for L&SCM based on digital transformation technologies whereas the architectural framework constitutes the main practical contributions. Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, die Frage zu beantworten, wie digitale Transformationstechnologien dazu beitragen und bewusst eingesetzt werden können, um den Kundennutzen in Logistik und Supply Chain Management (L&SCM) von produzierenden Unternehmen zu erhöhen. Das Ergebnis ist ein architektonischer Rahmen, der Leistungskomponenten, Ansätze und Methoden vorschlägt, wie dieser Kundenmehrwert erfasst und umgesetzt werden kann. Um die Grundlage für das Framework zu schaffen, leitet diese Arbeit zunächst die zugrunde liegende Definition für digitale Transformation ab und beschreibt deren Potentiale sowie die aktuellen Barrieren für L&SCM. Die relevanten neun digitalen Transformationstechnologiebündel werden auf Basis einer systematischen Literaturanalyse identifiziert. Es handelt sich um Technologien zur automatischen Identifizierung, Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologien, Cloud, cyberphysikalische Systeme, Analytics, Distributed Ledger, Automatisierungstechnologien, Augmented und Virtual Reality sowie Additive Fertigung. Diese Technologien dienen als Input für einen Nominal Group Technique-Workshop, der darauf abzielt, die Dimensionen des Kundennutzens auf der Grundlage dieser Technologien zu konzeptualisieren. Die abgeleiteten Dimensionen sind Informationsverfügbarkeit, Zeit, Produkt/Produktion, Service und Assistenzsysteme, Qualität, Auswahlmöglichkeiten und Planung. Auf der Grundlage dieser Ergebnisse wird ein Einflussmodell für kundenorientierte L&SCM Leistungen vorgestellt. Die drei plus eins Kundenwertversprechen sind Verfügbarkeit, Service, Ko-Kreation und Kognition als Zusatzkomponente bzw. Erweiterung. Experteninterviews dienen als Datenbasis für das architektonische Framework zur Erfassung des Kundennutzens auf der Grundlage digitaler Transformationstechnologien in L&SCM. Die sechs abgedeckten Dimensionen sind das Kundenwertversprechen, das Wertportfolio, Kollaboration, Personalmanagement und Organisation, Leistungsmanagement sowie die Erfassung und Bewertung des Kundenwertes. Der wichtigste wissenschaftliche Beitrag liegt in der Konzeption des Kundennutzens für L&SCM auf der Grundlage digitaler Transformationstechnologien, während der wichtigste praktische Beitrag in dem architektonischen Framework zu sehen ist.




Development of an assessment tool to control supply chain volatility


Book Description

This doctoral thesis seeks to contribute to research on supply chain volatility by three individual research studies. The goal of the thesis is to develop an assessment tool that enables supply chain managers to critically evaluate the current state of chain volatility of a product’s supply chain. Building on a systematic literature review and insights from two group exercises with supply chain managers, the thesis develops a conceptualization of the dimensions and sources of supply chain volatility. Based on that, the impact of supply chain volatility sources is assessed by applying a Analytic Hierarchy Process and strategies dealing with the most important sources are developed. Subsequently, the supply chain volatility assessment tool is developed that is based on a performance benchmark among 87 manufacturing firms. Additionally a supply chain volatility management framework is proposed that outlines the main management areas and antecedents of successful supply chain volatility management. Diese Doktorarbeit zielt darauf ab, durch drei einzelne Studien einen Beitrag zur Erforschung von Volatilität in Logistiknetzen zu leisten. Das Ziel der Arbeit ist die Entwicklung eines Bewertungsinstruments, das es Supply Chain Managern ermöglicht, den aktuellen Zustand der Volatilität einer Lieferkette eines Produkts kritisch zu bewerten. Aufbauend auf einer systematischen Literaturrecherche und den Erkenntnissen aus zwei Workshops mit Supply Chain Managern entwickelt die Arbeit eine Konzeptualisierung der Dimensionen und Quellen von Volatilität in Logistiknetzen. Basierend darauf werden die Auswirkungen der Quellen von Volatilität in der Lieferkette durch Anwendung eines analytischen Hierarchieprozesses bewertet und Strategien für den Umgang mit den wichtigsten Quellen entwickelt. Anschließend wird das Tool zur Bewertung der Volatilität in Logistiknetzen entwickelt, das auf einem Performance-Benchmark unter 87 produzierenden Unternehmen basiert. Zusätzlich wird ein Gestaltungsmodell für Volatilitätsmanagement vorgeschlagen, welches die wichtigsten Managementbereiche und Erfolgsfaktoren eines erfolgreichen Volatilitätsmanagements beschreibt.