Chapter 14: Supply Chain Integration Flashcards
Supply chain integration
The effective coordination of supply chain processes through the seamless flow of information up and down the supply chain
Provides visibility into the capacities and inventories of other members of the supply chain to aid in planning and scheduling and facilitate collaboration
Upstream
Moving away from end customers towards raw materials
Downstream
Moving towards end customers
Tier one suppliers
Immediate suppliers to company in consideration. (Tier 2 suppliers for company in consideration = tier 1 supplier for their tier 1 suppliers)
External causes of supply chain disruption
- environmental disruptions
- supply chain complexity
- loss of major accounts
- loss of supply (failure induced downtime)
- customer induced volume changes
- customer induced service and production mix changes
- late deliveries
- underfilled shipments
Why does a complex supply chain increase potential disruptions
Increased dependencies between entities and overall increased number of entities increase points of failure
Internal causes of supply chain disruptions
- internally generated shortages
- quality failures
- poor supply chain visibility
- engineering changes
- order batching
- new service or product introductions
- service or product promotions
- information errors
How does poor supply chain visibility cause supply chain disruptions?
Inhibits ability to properly plan if don’t know supplier stock availability or customer stock need
How does order batching create supply chain disruptions?
By offering inducements to place larger orders the variability of demand and shipping is increased as firms place single large orders and then do not order again for a long time
What elements affect the demand placed on upstream parts of the supply chain by downstream parts
- inventory policy
- inventory levels
- customer demand
- information accuracy
Bullwhip effect
The phenomenon in supply chains whereby ordering patterns experience increasing variance as you proceed upstream in the supply chain
(Slight changes in customer demand create extreme changes upstream)
When does a firm contribute to the bullwhip effect
If the variability of its orders to its suppliers exceeds the variability of the orders from its immediate customers
What happens when supply patterns do not match demand patterns
Inventory accumulates for some firms (who stop ordering) and shortages occur for others (who place expedited orders) which creates ordering variance upstream
Emphasizes the need for a process view of an integrated supply chain
SCOR model
Supply chain operations reference model
A framework that focuses on a basic supply chain of plan, source, make, deliver, and return processes repeated again and again along the supply chain
Return process in SCOR model
Includes both return of recyclable materials and return of defective products
Supply chain risk management
The practice of managing the risk of any factor or event that can materially disrupt a supply chain, whether within a single firm or across multiple firms
Operational risks
Threats to the effective flow of materials, services and products in a supply chain
Options to reduce operation risk to a supply chain
- strategic alignment of partners
- upstream and downstream supply chain integration
- visibility (particularly of end user demand)
- flexibility and redundancy
- short replenishment lead times
- small order lot sizes
- rationing supplies when shortage exist
- everyday low pricing (EDLP)
-cooperation and trustworthiness
Mapping
Integrating the supply chain as far upstream as possible (beyond 1st and 2nd tier suppliers) to identify risks of disruptions
How to reduce order lot sizes
Reduce costs of ordering, transporting, and receiving inventory to decrease need for large orders
How does everyday low pricing mitigate operational risks
Encourages stable demand (vs promotional or discount pricing) and discourages customers from buying excess at discounted pricing
Forward buying
When customers buy in excess to take advantage of discounted pricing
Financial risks to supply chains
Threats to financial flows of a supply chain (prices, costs, profits)
Low cost hopping
Moving to new low-cost source of supply
May be a short run benefit but makes supply chain integration hard
Hedging
A supply chain risk-management strategy used in limiting or offsetting the probability of loss from fluctuations in the prices of commodities or currencies
Production shifting
Reallocating production to different facilities in different regions based on what will improve financial flows (where exchange rates or commodity prices are favorable)
Requires flexible facilities
Futures contract
A contractual agreement, generally made on the trading floor of a futures exchange, to buy or sell a particular commodity or financial instrument at a predetermined price in the future
Often settled not for the actual commodity but for the cash difference
Who makes money on a futures contract if the price of the commodity goes up
The buyer (who can purchase the commodity at the agreed upon low price and sell it at the current higher market price)
Who makes money on a futures contract if the price of the commodity goes down
The seller (who can buy the commodity at the lower market price and sell to the buyer at the higher agreed on price)
Supplier relationship process focus
Interaction of the firm with upstream supplies
Nested processes within supplier relationship process
1) sourcing
2) design collaboration
3) negotiation
4) buying
5) information exchange
May be collected under “purchasing” or “procurement”
Purchasing
The activity that decides which suppliers to use, negotiates contracts, and determines whether to buy locally