Luiz Felipe Scavarda

Economic assessment of biodiesel production from waste frying oils

Waste frying oils (WFO) can be a good source for the production of biodiesel because this raw material is not part of the food chain, is low cost and can be used in a way that resolves environmental problems (i.e. WFO is no longer thrown into the sewage network). The goal of this article is to propose a method to evaluate the costs of biodiesel production from WFO to develop an economic assessment of this alternative. This method embraces a logistics perspective, as the cost of collection of oil from commercial producers and its delivery to biodiesel depots or plants can be relevant and is an issue that has been little explored in the academic literature. To determine the logistics cost, a mathematical programming model is proposed to solve the vehicle routing problem (VRP), which was applied in an important urban center in Brazil (Rio de Janeiro), a relevant and potential center for biodiesel production and consumption. Eighty-one biodiesel cost scenarios were compared with information on the commercialization of biodiesel in Brazil. The results obtained demonstrate the economic viability of biodiesel production from WFO in the urban center studied and the relevance of logistics in the total biodiesel production cost.

Managing product variety in emerging markets

Purpose – The need for an efficient provision of product variety has been widely established as a means of competing in the marketplace, yet previous studies into the management of product variety have commonly analysed products in isolated developed markets. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how firms manage their product variety in emerging markets. This paper aims to investigate the rationale underlying the restriction of variety in such settings, and define general mechanisms by which firms can adapt their product variety when operating in both emerging and developed markets simultaneously.Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses the case of a global vehicle manufacturer that offers common products across developed and emerging markets to illustrate the difference between them in terms of product variety, and examine the process that underlies its management. The paper utilises a combination of data collection techniques.Findings – The paper shows empirically how product variety (in part...

Conducting systematic literature review in operations management

Abstract Systematic literature review (SLR) is a well-known research method. However, there is a paucity of detailed SLR guidelines in operations management (OM). The recent interest in SLR in OM has not been followed by the same rigour observed in disciplines as medical sciences and public policy. There are no OM-specific SLR protocols, detailed step-by-step methods and reporting procedures. Therefore, this paper provides a step-by-step approach to SLR for OM scholars and an overview of SLR’s evolution as a research method in OM and the resulting progression of themes. The step-by-step approach aims to serve as a guideline sufficiently broad to avoid skipping any significant step, but still being easy to be understood and applied. The paper describes procedures for rigourous SLR, reveals a growing use of literature review in OM, specially for qualitative SLR and traditional narrative reviews, assesses contemporary and emerging themes in OM, and provides a research agenda.

Collaborative planning, forecasting and replenishment: a literature review

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic review of the literature on Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFR). The review emphasises the descriptors of CPFR implementation and models, as well as the impact of CPFR and other supply chain collaboration (SCC) initiatives on supply chain (SC) performance. Design/methodology/approach - – The systematic review includes 50 full-text papers retrieved from four databases: Emerald, EBSCO, ScienceDirect and Wiley. Rigorous and verifiable keywords, review steps and selection criteria were applied to the database and inter-coders agreement was systematically checked. Findings - – There is no consensus regarding the breadth and scope of CPFR configurations. CPFR is context-dependent and varies according to the configuration of the SC. Trust, information-communication technology and the quality of information sharing are main enablers and inhibitors of implementation. Practical implications - – Practitioners will benefit from insights related to the choice of SCC configurations (e.g. number of partners, nature of products and spatial complexity), the importance of trust and empowerment for SCC and the need to outweigh carefully the costs and benefits of specific SCC before implementation. Originality/value - – CPFR, which is considered by many to be the most advanced and the most comprehensive SCC process and has a direct impact upon SC performance. Nonetheless, efforts to synthesise the overall state of the art in CPFR have been rather limited to date. As an effort to fill this gap, this paper provides a better understanding of the role of CPFR as a determinant of SC performance. As an effort to contribute to complete the cycle of theory building based on the literature review, seven propositions for CPFR research are put forward.

Comparação entre as tendências e estratégias da indústria automotiva no Brasil e na Europa

A industria automotiva esta passando por transformacoes que vem provocando a diversificacao e segmentacao do mercado, a reducao do ciclo de vida de modelos de veiculos e a oferta de variedades de atributos desses modelos para os clientes. Este artigo tem por objetivos analisar essas tendencias e avaliar as principais estrategias desenvolvidas e implementadas pelas montadoras de veiculos nos mercados brasileiro e europeu, para fazer face a estas tendencias. Os resultados obtidos no Brasil pelos autores deste artigo foram analisados tendo como base a metodologia cientifica adotada em uma pesquisa similar desenvolvida na Europa. Os resultados mostram como as estrategias de plataformas, de configuracao tardia e de pacotes de opcionais estao sendo implementadas pelas montadoras, permitindo uma comparacao entre os dois mercados examinados.

Implementing finite capacity production scheduling: lessons from a practical case

Many studies that have addressed the production scheduling problem refer to modelling and developing a solution. However, the academic literature presents a research–practice gap in this area with a lack of studies examining the implementation of production scheduling solutions in real contexts. This paper presents the lessons learned from the empirical findings of an action research on a successful implementation of computational simulators for finite capacity scheduling that were designed to help production schedulers in a large production plant of a global multinational motorcycle manufacturer. Although modelling the problem was important and required effort from the researchers, the main challenge revealed from the research was the model’s implementation on the shop floor. Issues regarding human, organisational and technological aspects were highlighted throughout the implementation process and proved essential for the solution to be effective.

Modelo de análise de cadeias de suprimentos: fundamentos e aplicação às cadeias de cilindros de GNV

In recent years, Supply Chain Management has created opportunities and challenges for competition in the world of business. As a result, chain configuration analysis has become an increasingly important theme which allows one to identify potential opportunities for improved management and decision-making in the various links in supply chains. In this context, this article presents a model which is used here to analyze supply chains based on key dimensions. The model was validated through a case study conducted in different supply chains of a large Brazilian Compressed Natural Gas cylinder manufacturer.

Supply chain risk: empirical research in the automotive industry

Supply chain risk management (SCRM) has become a popular topic over the past decade. It is not a surprise that the automotive industry has been a motivating arena for research within this field; however, the few existing empirical studies reveal that SCRM practices within this industry are still in their infancy. Because the identification of risks can be viewed as the trigger for SCRM, attempts to develop a risk profile for this industry that could serve as a guide to start the SCRM process are needed. This research identifies the main risks along the automotive supply chain by investigating their manifestation in three supply chains in Brazil and offers an initial risk profile for the Brazilian automotive industry. Although the importance of SCRM has been recognised by all analysed companies, the research findings underline the lack of preparedness regarding either identifying risk or considering risk-mitigation strategies and risk assessment. In this context, this study identifies the main risk in which a supply chain can be exposed, through the analysis of real-life manifested risks along different supply chains, as a way to help the supply chain start a SCRM process.

SUPPLY CHAIN RESILIENCE ANALYSIS: A BRAZILIAN AUTOMOTIVE CASE

Resiliencia en la cadena de suministros y flexibilidad son temas de estudio que han tenido una creciente atencion. Sin embargo, la literatura academica necesita estudios empiricos sobre resiliencia en las cadenas de suministros capaces de investigar los componentes interorganizacionales de flexibilidad a lo largo de sus diferentes eslabones. De esta manera, este articulo analiza la falta de flexibilidades en tres cadenas de suministros de la industria automovilistica brasilena que limitan su resiliencia y, por lo tanto, su capacidad de atender a los cambios de demanda en el mercado. Para este fin se adopta un abordaje multieslabones. Los resultados del estudio identificaron la falta de flexibilidad en diferentes eslabones de las cadenas de suministros que inhiben su resiliencia. Los resultados tambien senalan que una misma cadena puede tener flexibilidad para ser resiliente en uno de sus productos, pero no para otro, lo que sugiere nuevos frentes de investigacion. Finalmente, se deben ser concebir cadenas de suministros flexibles proveyendo resiliencia para tratar con obstaculos como cambios significativos de demanda.Supply chain (SC) resilience and flexibility are important research topics receiving growing attention. However, the academic literature needs empirical studies on SC resilience capable of investigating the inter-organizational components of flexibility along different tiers. Therefore, this paper analyzes the main lack of flexibilities in three Brazilian automotive SCs that limit their resilience and therefore their capacity to better support and meet the demand changes in the marketplace. A multi-tier case study approach is adopted. Research findings identify lack of flexibilities in different tiers that inhibit the SC resilience as well as manufacturing and SC flexibilities that build SC resilience. The findings also highlight that the same SC may have the flexibility to be resilient for one of its products but not for another product, what sheds new lights on the academic literature. Finally, flexible SCs should be designed to increase SC resilience to cope with mishaps as significant demand changes.

Outsourcing from the perspectives of TCE and RBV: a multiple case study

The theories of transaction cost economics (TCE) and the resource-based view (RBV) have been applied in studies of outsourcing. The research presented in this study was conducted to gain an understanding of why firms outsource their value chain activities, using a combined TCE and RBV perspective. The research assesses how six instant coffee firms in Brazil perceive the rationale for their outsourcing processes. The authors conclude that the two theories should be used together to determine a firm’s frontiers, and they offer a mechanism for combining them. The results, relevant to both academics and practitioners, reveal that outsourcing should be defined at two stages: an initial strategic stage in which the activities that should be performed internally are identified, based on RBV, and a second stage in which the activities that can be performed externally are examined and those that should be outsourced are identified on the basis of both TCE and RBV. Insights relevant to practitioners include the importance of the executive leadership role in defining a firm’s outsourcing strategy and the need for constant vigilance to prevent opportunism in relationships with trading partners.