Jorge E. Hernández

Collaborative forecasting in networked manufacturing enterprises

Purpose – This paper seeks to propose an overall model of collaborative forecasting for networked manufacturing enterprises.Design/methodology/approach – Contributions by several authors to collaborative forecasting have been analysed from different viewpoints. A collaborative‐forecasting model for networked manufacturing enterprises has been proposed and validated by means of a simulation study.Findings – This model significantly reduces the inventory levels of the whole network and improves customer service.Research limitations/implications – Simulation experiments were done with the enterprise network herein described. Future research will include the simulation of more complex enterprise network scenarios with different characteristics.Practical implications – The model can be implemented node‐to‐node, since not all the companies in the network have to participate, thus facilitating implementation and propagation throughout the network.Originality/value – The paper proposes a new structured planning a...

A conceptual model for the production and transport planning process: An application to the automobile sector

This paper provides a conceptual foundation for understanding the production and transport planning process in the automobile sector context. To achieve this, a reference conceptual modelling methodology has been applied. Firstly, the main concepts related to the conceptual models are addressed. Then, a methodology for the identification and analysis of the inputs, outputs, processes and sub-processes of production and transport planning processes is used. Finally, a conceptual model that describes the main flows - products, information and decisions related to the production and transport planning process - in the automobile sector is developed.

Improving the business processes of a bank

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze the business processes of a bank by considering a graphical and a descriptive view in order to find critical processes and to improve them.Design/methodology/approach – A methodology with which the business processes are modeled based on the flow diagram (FD) and integrated definitions (IDEF0) techniques.Findings – Detects the descriptive and graphical view of the main critical business processes of a bank. Allows to propose correct and effective improvements to them and considers different views and degrees of detail.Research limitations/implications – This study considers a static view of the processes. A future line of research includes the simulation of the critical business processes of the bank detected with the modeling techniques herein proposed.Practical implications – The business process modeling techniques apply to one subsidiary of a bank company, and can thus be extended to all subsidiaries to compare their performance and to app...

A reference model for conceptual modelling of production planning processes

Production planning consists in the simultaneous determination of the production, inventory and capacity levels of a company on a finite planning horizon with the objective of minimising the total costs generated by production plans. This article mainly focuses on proposing a reference model for conceptual modelling of production planning processes. Firstly, a methodology for the identification and analysis of inputs, outputs, processes and subprocesses for the conceptual modelling of production planning processes is described. Then, this methodology is applied to develop a general conceptual model which can be used as a reference model by planners and researchers who need to model their own production planning processes.

Decision Support Systems – Collaborative Models and Approaches in Real Environments

The Competition in the global economy is intensifying the implementation of web-based collaboration platforms to improve the personalized interaction between clients and producers. Agility in the orderproduction-delivery cycle is a key element for industrial enterprises as a means to meet the requirements of this paradigm. Agile/Virtual Enterprise based scenarios are characterized by large product variety dependent on product specific requirements of individual customers. Therefore, to enable an enriched network based tool for Virtual Enterprise specification and configuration, there is a need to define a collaborative environment for dynamically enable candidate business partners to integrate it. In this paper, we propose a web platform and describe its main functionalities for interactive multi-site production network integration.

Supporting the collaborative decision-making process in an automotive supply chain with a multi-agent system

Collaborative initiatives such as collaborative design, collaborative planning and forecasting, and open collective innovation are increasingly accepted as approaches that can effectively support decision-making (DM) processes in a range of different industries. However, justifying and demonstrating the benefits of collaborative solutions remains a challenge and has been under-researched. Demonstrating the feasibility of implementing collaborative solutions as opposed to traditional, linear and transactional solutions is even less evident. The purpose of this paper is to conceive a collaborative solution that supports the multi-level DM process in a real, tree-based automotive supply chain environment. The hypothesis presented posits that by sharing information collaboratively, improvements in terms of the profit and service levels will be found within the supply chain and at every supply chain node.

A Web-Based Decision Support System for Supply Chain Operations Management Towards an Integrated Framework

Operations management deals with the design and management of products, processes, services and supply chains. Supply chains integration and manufacturing operations management can benefit highly from the use of web-based technologies by ensuring a smooth connectivity and interoperability between software components, especially in a real-time basis by reinforcing the use of multi-agents combined with web service based technologies. The more the accurate and dynamic is the update of the information in a company, the more the enhancement of the manufacturing decision-making process will be over the whole company’s performance. Moreover, web-based technologies combined with multi-agents provide gains in agility and flexibility for building versatile supply chain management systems. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to present and propose an integrated web-based framework to cover the main integration requirement from a system point of view, this within the main purpose of supporting the supply chain management and operation in supply chain environments. For this purpose, an automotive supply chain industry is considered to illustrate the applicability of this proposed framework.

The application of a knowledge-based reference framework to support the provision of requisite variety and customisation across collaborative networks

The research described in this paper demonstrates how individual operational capabilities and the collective knowledge and expertise of a collaborative customer–supplier network can be harnessed to manage the challenges associated with the provision of a requisite level of product variety and customisation. It concerns the discussion and application of a previously published approach to the classification of collaborative networks, the justification of the extension to this approach and the use of the approach as a knowledge-based reference framework to demonstrate how product variety and customisation can be supported across different forms of collaborative customer–supplier networks. In addition, explanations are provided on how collaborative networks can be classified, on how their adaptive capabilities can be established, and on the characteristics and attributes that particular types of network require in order to handle their commitment to the provision of variety and customisation.

A reference architecture for the collaborative planning modelling process in multi-tier supply chain networks: a Zachman-based approach

A prominent and contemporary challenge for supply chain (SC) managers concerns the coordination of the efforts of the nodes of the SC in order to mitigate unpredictable market behaviour and satisfy variable customer demand. A productive response to this challenge is to share pertinent market-related information, on a timely basis, in order to effectively manage the decision-making associated with the SC production and transportation planning processes. This paper analyses the most well-known reference modelling languages and frameworks in the collaborative SC field and proposes a novel reference architecture, based upon the Zachman Framework (ZF), for supporting collaborative planning (CP) in multi-level, SC networks. The architecture is applied to an automotive SC configuration, where, under a collaborative and decentralised approach, improvements in the service levels for each node were observed. The architecture was shown to provide the base discipline for the organisation of the processes required to manage the CP activity.

An integer linear programming model to support customer-driven material planning in synchronised, multi-tier supply chains

This paper describes an integer linear programming model conceived as an alternative to a traditional material requirements planning (MRP) system for extending the concept of supply chain synchronisation upstream in a multi-tier supply chain. In this model, we assume there is an incumbent application for transmitting original equipment manufacturer (OEM) requirements to first-, second- and third-tier suppliers. The proposed model is regarded as being embedded within a web-enabled, multi-tier, supply chain information system that provides the application for transmitting the production requirements. The principal motivation for having second- and third-tier suppliers that are synchronised with OEM and first-tier activity is the significant inventory, lead time and responsiveness gains that can potentially be achieved. Here, inventory is considered as a whole across a supply chain, and stock-outs are prohibited for the first-tier supplier. For illustration purposes, an example based on a real, automotive case study is provided. The model results proved better in terms of inventory and bullwhip reduction than those found in a previous simulation-based approach. Also, a comparison of the proposed case results with those of a conventional MRP application is provided.