Stockout propagation and amplification in supply chain inventory systems

We investigate the existence and magnitude of stockout propagation and stockout amplification in the context of supply chain inventory systems. Stockout amplification is a stage-to-stage increase in overall stockout rates. Stockout propagation is the tendency for stockout at one node to instigate a stockout at a neighbouring node and is conceptually related to the idea of cascading failures in physical systems, such as electrical power grids. We study these concepts in both upstream (‘supply side’) and downstream (‘demand side’) directions in the context of normal operating conditions for an adaptive R, S (periodic, order-up-to) inventory policy. We build a simulation model of a 5-stage serial supply chain that experiences normally distributed customer demands and gamma distributed lead times. We find that stockout propagation exists, but contrary to conventional wisdom, it occurs in the upstream direction. There is little indication that stockout propagation is occurring to any significant degree in the downstream direction. We also find stockout amplification occurring in the upstream direction in scenarios where more aggressively adaptive inventory parameter updating is performed. We discuss implications of this work in the areas of supply chain inventory modelling, ordering decisions, safety stock determination, and the use of adaptive inventory policies.     

Modelling and solving spare parts supply chain network design problems

Spare parts are key operational assets in order to minimise unexpected equipment downtimes that may significantly impact a company’s results. The spare parts supply chain network supports the entire spare parts operations management and it is essential to achieve the planned goals. However, most of the traditional literature on spare parts management has not focused on the underlying supply chain network. Thus, this paper studies the integration of supply chain network design and control with traditional spare parts management. In particular, a generic network optimisation modelling structure is proposed, with simultaneous optimisation of warehouse locations and inventory control decisions, allowing minimising the total costs associated with the spare parts supply chain network. The generic model is specified based on three inventory control policies widely employed in the industry, which are suitable for managing a great variety of spare parts, i.e. (s, Q), (R, s, S) and (S-1, S). Furthermore, a solution approach is proposed based on Generalised Benders Decomposition. Finally, numerical results from a real-world application case in the process industry are shown and discussed.     

On the Bullwhip Avoidance Phase: supply chain collaboration and order smoothing

This paper provides an assessment of the impact of collaboration and smoothing replenishment rules on supply chain operational performance and customer service level. Three supply chain configurations (i.e. Traditional, Information Exchange and Synchronised) in which orders are generated by smoothing (S, R) inventory control policies are studied for different proportional controllers. A supply chain stress test is performed through a sudden and intense change in demand. A structured and extended supply chain assessment framework is adopted. The main conclusions of this paper are the following. (i) The impact of Supply Chain Collaboration on overall supply chain performance is greater than that of order smoothing. Order smoothing mitigates the bullwhip effect, but it may have a negative impact on customer service. Supply Chain Collaboration mitigates the bullwhip effect, provides inventory stability, limits lumpy orders and enhances customer service level. (ii) The negative effect on customer service level of order smoothing is almost eliminated in synchronised supply chains.     

Inventory management in a lateral collaborative manufacturing supply chain: a simulation study

Due to global competition, firms are seeking more effective supply chain (SC) collaboration in order to provide quality products with less cost, at the right time and in the right quantity. The present study examines manufacturing SC collaboration on the basis of holding cost, backorder cost and ordering cost. The types of collaboration examined are vertical, horizontal and lateral collaboration. This research emphasises lateral collaboration by determining the impact of inventory policies ((s, S) and (s, Q) inventory policies) on SC performance. For better understanding, a conceptual model is provided that is supported by a numerical example. As the study of SCs is complex in nature, a simulation approach has been employed to show the impact of lateral collaboration on performance measures such as the total cost, which is the sum of several cost components: inventory holding cost, backorder cost and ordering cost. The research is based on two manufacturing SCs where the manufacturer is taken as the collaborative node. To allow more clarity, a separate study on each cost component has been conducted. The laterally collaborative SC was simulated on ARENA 9.0, a simulation package. The results show that the efficacy of lateral collaboration outperforms horizontal collaboration due to having the individual SC members at more liberty to make decisions.     

The role of spot market in a decentralised supply chain under random yield

We consider a decentralised supply chain with demand uncertainty, wherein a manufacturer sells a single product that consists of two components to the end consumer through an independent distributor. Assume that one component has a random yield, the manufacturer may rely on the spot market to replenish any shortage components after the random yield is realised. We identify the optimal product order, component production and replenishment decisions under two different situations. One is the traditional arrangement that the distributor decides the product procurement quantity and the manufacturer chooses the production quantity. The other is vendor-managed inventory (VMI) arrangement in which the manufacturer is responsible for both the order and the production decisions. The results show that the role of spot market can effectively offset the negative effects from production yield’s, market demand’s and component spot price’s variances. Consequently, the spot market leads to the cooperation between the manufacturer and the distributor, and improves the channel’s overall performance, in particular under the VMI arrangement when the wholesale price is sufficiently high.     

Consignment and vendor managed inventory in single-vendor multiple buyers supply chains

In this paper we model a consignment (CS) and vendor-managed inventory (VMI) policy for a single vendor and multiple buyers supply chain with known demand. We study three vendor–buyers partnerships: (i) the vendor and the buyers act independently, (ii) the vendor enters in a vendor-managed inventory consignment (VMI&CS) partnership with the buyers and (iii) the vendor and the buyer belong to a vertically integrated firm where a single decision maker decides about the ordering policies. We use relationships (i) and (ii) to study the benefits of the VMI&CS agreement. We provide analytical and numerical results. We find that such an agreement is more beneficial when the vendor has a flexible capacity. It is also more attractive to buyers when they have significant order costs and the vendor's setup cost is not large. Finally we find that under VMI&CS the vendor will tend to make more frequent shipments with smaller lots.     

基于VMI的医院供应管理

医院大部分药品及相关用品属于易逝品,针对该类产品的特点,将VMI(Vender Managed Inventory)方法引入到医院供应管理研究中,通过建立两级供应链库存定量模型(即供应商-医院关系模型),比较实施VMI方法前后,医院、供应商以及供应链总库存成本的变化情况.通过定量比较证实,实施VMI方法可以有效降低医院及供应链总库存成本,供应商的库存成本虽有所升高,但是可以通过转移支付方法,使供应商与医院达到利益均衡点,从而降低供应链总库存成本,获得pareto均衡.     

Approximation of the probability distribution of the customer waiting time under an (r,s, q) inventory policy in discrete time

We study a single-item periodic review (r, s, q) inventory policy. Customer demands arrive on a discrete (e.g. daily) time axis. The replenishment lead times are discrete random variables. This is the time model underlying the majority of the Advanced Planning Software systems used for supply chain management in industrial practice. We present an approximation of the probability distribution of the customer waiting time, which is a customer-oriented performance criterion that captures supplier–customer relationships of adjacent nodes in supply chains. The quality of the approximation is demonstrated with the help of a simulation experiment.     

跨境VMI供货模式下生产-库存联合优化研究

研究基于跨境VMI(vendor managed inventory)供货模式下的生产-库存联合优化问题。以一个实际案例企业作为应用背景,比较了VMI供货模式和传统的供货模式在海运和空运2种运输方式下的不同特点及其对决策的影响。研究结果表明,对于案例企业而言,采用VMI供货模式的库存管理是可行的,考虑目前公司采用2种可选的运输模式,选择海运的总成本最低。通过对资金费用率、库存费用比率和缺货费用率进行灵敏度分析,探讨了不同环境变量对最优决策的影响。研究结果对跨境供应链多国生产型企业改善跨境物资采购和生产-库存决策有一定参考价值。     

供应链上游段VMI模式的共赢条件

选取上游层面VMI模式各参与者为研究对象.考虑实施上游层面VMI模式后,订货(配送)主动权的转移导致订货(配送)策略的不同,以及制造商对各零部件需求速率的不同导致其对各零部件的订货周期也不一致的情况.通过建立数学模型,对实施上游层面VMI模式前后各企业的经济效益进行比较,探讨实施VMI且制造商销售价格不变时,各供应商是否存在合理的销售价格涨幅区间,该区间的价格既能弥补供应商因管理制造商零部件库存多消耗的成本,也能使各制造商和供应商的经济效益都有所提高,实现共赢,为各企业更加长久的合作提供理论依据.     

供应链虚拟库存决策的仿真

在供应链延迟策略和供应商管理库存（VMI）策略研究的基础上,建立了供应链延迟策略下的仿真模型,再引入虚拟库存,通过计算机仿真,探讨了虚拟库存实施前后供应链绩效的变化情况。研究结果表明,与一般的供应商管理库存相比,虚拟库存的引入使得供应链总成本和企业的服务水平均有所增加。     

Analyzing the effect of inventory policies on the nonstationary performance with transfer functions

In this paper we apply transfer function methods to analyze the performance of supply chains in response to nonstationary demand and, in particular, we investigate how various inventory policies and demand forecasting parameters affect supply chain responsiveness. In a single-echelon inventory system we investigate the performance of a common base stock policy. Specifically, we describe the order and inventory trajectories using discrete transfer functions, and we derive closed-form analytical expressions for the transient behavior in response to a step change in demand. We introduce performance measures commonly used to analyze nonstationary performance and derive closed-form expressions for these measures. Next, we study the performance of a two-echelon supply chain under installation stock and echelon stock policies. We explicate the performance tradeoff in response to stationary versus nonstationary demand, and show that the transient response of orders and inventory levels can be either underdamped or overdamped depending on the exponential smoothing parameter. We show that the echelon stock policy is more responsive than the installation stock policy when both policies have similar stationary performances.     

Decision support system for vendor managed inventory supply chain: a case study

Vendor-managed inventory (VMI) is a widely used collaborative inventory management policy in which manufacturers manages the inventory of retailers and takes responsibility for making decisions related to the timing and extent of inventory replenishment. VMI partnerships help organisations to reduce demand variability, inventory holding and distribution costs. This study provides empirical evidence that significant economic benefits can be achieved with the use of a genetic algorithm (GA)-based decision support system (DSS) in a VMI supply chain. A two-stage serial supply chain in which retailers and their supplier are operating VMI in an uncertain demand environment is studied. Performance was measured in terms of cost, profit, stockouts and service levels. The results generated from GA-based model were compared to traditional alternatives. The study found that the GA-based approach outperformed traditional methods and its use can be economically justified in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).     

供应链管理中VMI系统的研究

通过分析VMI和RMI在概念原理上的本质差异,讨论了VMI在管理思想、决策方式、预测体系、补货模式、延迟策略方面的优越性和先进性。在此基础上,详细描述了VMI工作流程中的八个关键环节,并结合实际指出实施VMI的步骤和注意事项,最后总结了VMI在实践中给供应商、零售商以及供应链整体带来的收益和竞争优势。     

Equilibrium analysis of distribution channel structures under power imbalance and asymmetric information

This paper investigates the problem of channel choice game in two power-imbalanced supply chains consisting of the leader supply chain and the follower supply chain. We assume that there exists symmetric and asymmetric cost information between the two supply chains, and that the two chains as well as the two members in each chain follow the Stackelberg game setting. We analyse four competition scenarios: both chains are decentralised, where individual members of both supply chains maximise their own profits by independently selecting their price policies; both chains are integrated, where manufacturers and retailers coordinate their decisions to maximise supply chain profits; the leader chain is decentralised and the follower integrated; the leader is integrated and the follower decentralised. The primary objective of this paper is to investigate the influence of power imbalance, information asymmetries, and the degree of product substitutability under channel choice equilibrium. We find that, in contrast to earlier literature where all manufacturers share equal or balanced decision-making power, an integrated distribution channel is the dominant strategy for the leader under symmetric and asymmetric information Stackelberg game. As the degree of product substitutability increases, the follower will gradually switch from integrated distribution channel to decentralised distribution channel; the follower can gain from constructing a decentralised distribution channel as the prediction accuracy of the leader increases.     

Joint hybrid repair and remanufacturing systems and supply control

The control of a stochastic manufacturing system that executes capital asset repairs and remanufacturing in an integrated system is examined. The remanufacturing resources respond to planned returns of worn-out equipment at the end of their expected life and unplanned returns triggered by major equipment failures. Remanufacturing operations for planned demand can be executed at different rates and costs corresponding to different replacement and repair modes. The replacement components inventory is provided by an upstream supply with random lead times. The objective is to determine a control policy for both the supply and remanufacturing activities that minimises the average repair/replacement, acquisition and inventory/shortage total cost over an infinite horizon. We propose a suboptimal joint remanufacturing and supply control policy, composed of a multi-hedging point policy (MHPP) for the remanufacturing stage and an (s, Q) policy for the replacement parts supply. The MHPP is based on two inventory thresholds that trigger the use of predefined remanufacturing modes. Control policy parameters are obtained combining analytical modelling, simulation experiments and response surface methodology. The effects of the distribution, mean and variability of the lead time are tested and a sensitivity analysis of cost parameters is conducted to validate the proposed control policy. We also show that our policy leads to a significant cost reduction as compared to a combination of a hedging point policy (HPP) and an (s, Q) policy.     

Vendor-managed inventory: a review based on dimensions

Vendor-managed inventory (VMI) represents the methodology through which the upstream stage of a supply chain (vendor) takes responsibility for managing the inventories at the downstream stage (customer) based on previously agreed limits. VMI is another method by which supply chains can be managed, and, owing to centralised decision-making and constant information sharing, the benefits are much higher than in traditional supply chain case. However, there exists a lack of research that identifies the dimensions of VMI, benefits of VMI, methods, and levels used in the VMI environment. The focus of this paper is to explore the existing literature on VMI, to categorise it according to the criteria evaluated, and to present a systematic review. In this study, we have classified the review into three categories such as dimension-based, methodology-based, and level-based. From the thorough literature review, we have identified six dimensions of VMI: namely, inventory, transportation, manufacturing, general benefits, coordination/collaboration, and information sharing. In addition, there are, three methodological classifications: modelling, simulation, and case studies. Finally, we will consider the level-based classification. Based on the review, several recommendations that improve the performance of VMI are presented.     

Multi-echelon inventory control: an adjusted normal demand model for implementation in practice

This paper presents an approximation model for coordinated control of one-warehouse multiple-retailer inventory systems, where all locations use continuous review (R, nQ) policies. The motivation stems from close collaboration with a supply chain management software company, Syncron International, and one of their customers. A core objective has been to develop an accurate method for determining near-optimal reorder points that can be directly applied to real-life systems. The approach is based on decomposing the complex multi-echelon problem into N?+?1 single-echelon problems, using a near-optimal-induced backorder cost at the central warehouse. Important extensions made compared to earlier work include the addition of procedures to adjust for lead-time variability, and for undershooting the reorder point when customers’ order sizes vary. The result is a flexible model that is computationally and conceptually simple enough to be implemented in practice. A numerical study, including real data from the case company, illustrates that the new model outperforms existing methods in the literature. Compared to the current methods used by the case company, it offers significant improvements in both service-level fulfilment and system-wide inventory holding costs. Implementations of the model into the Syncron software are in progress.     

基于供应链管理的企业库存优化效果模拟与分析

利用供应链管理的思想,通过对供应链上的企业库存进行优化模拟与分析,揭示了供应链内部信息共享、加快信息流动、缩短订货周期、供应商管理库存(VMI)等是影响供应链管理优化效果的核心因素;通过比较应用供应链管理前后企业库存的变化,说明了供应链管理可以有效平抑库存,缩短供货周期,降低企业成本,提高企业核心竞争力。     

Comparing different coordination scenarios in a three-level supply chain system

The consignment stock (CS) policy, independently or coupled with vendor managed inventory (VMI), has been practised by businesses and shown to be profitable. It helps to reduce or eliminate out-of-stock instances caused by fluctuations in demand. CS brings several benefits to collaborating parties. Unlike the two-level supply chain models in the literature, this paper considers a three-level supply chain that consists of a supplier, a vendor and a buyer with CS policy agreements. The paper also examines four coordination scenarios (a combination of traditional and CS) in conjunction with a payment scheme between adjacent parties. Nine coordination cases (models) are provided. A sensitivity analysis is performed to study the effects of some parameters on the performance of the developed models. Most of the results showed that a combination of traditional and CS policies returned a higher total system profit.