We study the benefits of coordinated decision making in a supply chain consisting of a manufacturer, a distributor, and several retailers. The distributor bundles finished goods produced by the manufacturer and delivers them to the retailers to meet their demands. The distributor is responsible for managing finished goods inventory. An optimal production schedule of the manufacturer, if imposed...

In this paper, the problem of lot sizing, scheduling and delivery of several items in a two-stage supply chain over a finite planning horizon is studied. Single supplier via a flexible flow line production system (FFL), produces several items and delivers them directly to an assembly facility. Based on basic period (BP) strategy, a new mixed zero-one nonlinear programming model has been develop...

When a supply chain is established supply chain management (SCM) needs supporting tools for the tasks of operative planning, scheduling, and coordination. These tasks have to be performed not only on the level of the enterprises involved but also within their established business entities (e.g. plants, areas, resource groups, resources) in which the high level schedules have to be put into oper...

Manufacturing planning and control (MPC) systems play a vital internal role in manufacturing organizations, helping to develop overall and detailed material and capacity plans and schedules. When elements of a manufacturing organization’s planning and scheduling are made known to supply chain partners, the linked companies can improve their respective supply chain performances. This paper revie...

A key to agility in today’s dynamic high-mix production environments is the ability to (1) effectively coordinate production across multiple facilities, whether internal or external to the company, and (2) quickly and accurately evaluate new product/subcomponent designs and strategic business decisions (e.g., make-or-buy or supplier selection decisions) with regard to capacity and material requ...

Mathematical modeling of supply chain operations has proven to be one of the most complex tasks in the field of operations management and operations research. Despite the abundance of several modeling proposals in the literature; for vast majority of them, no effective universal application is conceived. This issue renders the proposed mathematical models inapplicable due largely to the fact th...

Due to diversified and frequently changing demands from customers, technological advances and global competition, manufacturers rely on collaboration with their business partners to share costs, risks and expertise. How to take advantage of advancement of technologies to effectively support operations and create competitive advantage is critical for manufacturers to survive. To respond to these...