Erika Marsillac

Environmental impacts on reverse logistics and green supply chains: similarities and integration

Environmental and economic issues have significant impacts on reverse logistics and are thought to form one of the developmental cornerstones of green supply chains. Global competition requires firms to minimise their use of extraneous resources and develop sustainable supply chain practices. Recent, although limited, research has begun to identify that these sustainable supply chain practices, which include the reverse logistics factors, lead to more integrated supply chains, which ultimately can lead to improved economic performance. Therefore, value may be expected in determining (1) if any overlaps or intersections between the green supply chains and reverse logistics exist and (2) if so, if they can be integrated to provide a more comprehensive, sustainable system. This conceptual paper will explore the potential relationships between the green supply chains and the reverse logistics, specifically focusing on shared commonalities. A conceptual model, describing these relationships, will be presented for future empirical research.

Global supply chain adaptations to improve financial performance: Supply base establishment and logistics integration

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand and describe the conditions that compel and underscore global supply chain (SC) adaptations.Design/methodology/approach – Insights from contingency theory, Porters economic cluster theory and international factory mapping are used to analyze the SC adaptations that follow when an automotive firm moves from a domestic to a global SC.Findings – An automotive global SC adaptation includes market entry considerations, the establishment of a three‐stage flexible time‐ and production‐based supplier network plan, and the integration of logistics partners.Research limitations/implications – SC adaptations are an important consideration for any manufacturing expansion effort, especially international ones. Varying production levels impact supplier relationships and decisions and may result in varied supplier perspectives. Government regulations influence entry and routine decisions, while logistics issues and costs play an integral role in supplier perceptions ...

External knowledge acquisition and innovation: the role of supply chain network-oriented flexibility and organisational awareness

In today’s dynamic business environment, building flexibility into product innovation has become increasingly important. Applying an absorptive capacity lens, this paper develops and empirically tests an integrative model linking external knowledge acquisition (EKA) with supply chain and product innovation flexibilities, and examines the moderating effect of organisational awareness (OA) (a form of individual knowledge base) on these constructs. It is one of a select few papers that explores the effect of both internal capability and external knowledge on innovation flexibility, and discusses both supply chain and human resource development implications. Results indicate that supply chain network flexibility and information spanning flexibility play a mediating role between EKA and product innovation flexibility (PIF), illustrating the importance of flexible supply chain networks and information distribution structures in facilitating the transformation of external knowledge into innovation. The study provides further evidence that strong OA allows firms to leverage external knowledge and supply chain network capability to influence PIF and performance.

The role of modularity and integration in enhancing manufacturing performance: An absorptive capacity perspective

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the impacts of modularity‐based manufacturing practices (MBMP) and manufacturing system integration (MSI) on manufacturing performance (MP) using absorptive capacity as an important enabling factor.Design/methodology/approach – Constructs were developed through a comprehensive literature review. Structural equation modeling was used to test the research model and hypotheses based on a large sample of 303 US manufacturing firms.Findings – Both MBMP and MSI have significant impacts on MP. The positive effects of MBMP on MP are stronger than those of system integration. The absorptive capacity of a firm facilitates better use of modularity practices and system integration.Practical implications – More attention should be given to modularity practices in resource allocation planning. Also, system integration together with modularity practices can generate significantly higher MP.Originality/value – The paper is the first large‐scale empirical study to examine ...

Management of the Photovoltaic Supply Chain

The Photovoltaic (PV) Supply Chain (SC) has been infrequently examined in SC literature. The PVSC is unique in that it is heavily driven by government policy and dependent on subsidies, sensitive to inventory fluctuations, raw material shortages, and geo-political tensions, and does not fit into traditional SC models. These unique characteristics suggest it deserves more in-depth analysis. This paper describes and examines the PVSC, building a framework for improved management. Critical PVSC components are compared and contrasted with traditional SC typologies, so that research gaps and common PVSC problems are identified. Concluding suggestions for improved PVSC management are then presented.

Evaluating strategic remanufacturing supply chain decisions

Accurately evaluating strategic commitments to remanufacturing requires a comprehensive understanding and consideration of the simultaneous effect of uncertainty on supply and demand. This paper presents a model that supports improved remanufacturing decision-making under stochastic demand and supply components and various cost factor considerations. The model is formulated as a newsvendor model extension that considers the simultaneous effects of probabilistic supply and demand. This characterisation assesses the effects of critical operational constraints on several strategic performance measures including cost, revenue and profit. The paper employs a Monte Carlo approach to assess the performance and extent of engagement in strategic remanufacturing supply chain operations, and illustrates results via a case study application. Results indicate that the technique can assist decision-makers in strategically determining the potential of future engagements in remanufacturing activities, and extends research findings by theoretically examining strategic decision-making for remanufacturing activity.

Measuring the Environmental Impact of a Product

In today’s global marketplace, consumers and stakeholders increasingly expect manufacturers to develop environmentally friendly products and modify production processes in environmentally sustainable ways. Environmental sustainability has been defined as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations to meet their needs” (WCED, 1987). Sustainability issues can impact current and future production processes and are also used to develop continual process improvements to manage resources more efficiently.