Per Hilletofth

How to develop a differentiated supply chain strategy

– The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of supply chain (SC) design and operation by investigating how two case companies have developed and deployed differentiated SC strategies. This study primarily focuses on the operating part of the differentiated SC strategy, that is, how different manufacturing strategies – such as make‐to‐stock, assembly‐to‐order, and make‐to‐order – are used in contemporary manufacturing related SCs. However, this study also includes elements concerning supply and distribution parts., – This study employs a descriptive multiple case study approach. The case organizations originate from Sweden, but they have significant international presence. Empirical data have been collected mainly from in‐depth interviews with key persons representing senior and middle management in the case companies., – This research shows how two case companies have developed and deployed a differentiated SC strategy. The case study findings reveal that both the case companies already are employing several manufacturing strategies and also combine these with different distribution strategies. Up to now, the supply part of the differentiated SC strategy has been neglected but probably will be incorporated in the near future. This implies that one efficient way to develop a differentiated SC strategy could be to combine different supply, manufacturing and distribution strategies into various SC solutions. By combining relatively few strategies, it is possible to develop several differentiated SC solutions., – The research work is limited to Swedish companies, however, the case companies are in top three in their respective industries measured by sales, which provides ground for the generalization of the research., – This paper gives an insight to managers and practitioners in how to develop and deploy a differentiated SC strategy., – Several studies have discussed the appropriate SC strategy issue but failed to address the need to utilize several SC solutions concurrently. However, this paper contributes by discussing how to develop and deploy a differentiated SC strategy and how to manage these multiple SCs.

Hybrid simulation models - When, Why, How?

Agent-Based Modeling and Simulation (ABMS) and System Dynamics (SD) are two popular simulation paradigms. Despite their common goal, these simulation methods are rarely combined and there has been a very low amount of joint research in these fields. However, it seems to be advantageous to combine them to create more accurate hybrid models. In this research, the possible ways to combine these methods are studied. The authors have found five different situations where it will be useful to combine these methods. All of them have already been used in earlier studies, so modelers should use them as possible interfaces to combine the methodologies. By using hybrid simulation models it is possible to create more accurate and reliable Expert Systems (ES).

Demand chain management: a Swedish industrial case study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to increase the understanding of demand chain management (DCM) by investigating how it has been structured and executed in an international manufacturing company.Design/methodology/approach – The main emphasis has been on producing descriptive results and the applied research strategy has been an embedded single case study. The case organization originates from Sweden, but it has significant international presence. Empirical data have been collected mainly from in‐depth interviews with key persons representing senior management in the case company.Findings – This research shows that DCM is about developing synergies between the demand creation and the demand fulfillment processes. A completely implemented DCM approach should incorporate all the major demand creation and fulfillment processes. This kind of fully implemented approach probably does not exist in real life today but some companies have started to develop versions including some of the major processes, and...

Demand-supply chain management : Industrial survival recipe for new decade

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to enhance the current understanding and knowledge of the demand-supply chain management (DSCM) concept by determining its elements, benefits, and requirement ...

Coordinating new product development with supply chain management

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to form an understanding of how new product development (NPD) relates to supply chain management (SCM), why the two fields should be coordinated, and how this ...

Supply chain management in fashion and textile industry

In fashion and textile business, the demand changes rapidly due to fashion trends and a volatile market situation. This demand is unpredictable and could vary and change completely in a short time, creating high difficulties for supply chain. To create a leagil (lean and agile) supply chain is one observed way for a fashion and textile retailing company to optimise its performance and to remain competitive. One good example from such is fashion retailer Zara, which has adopted leagile approach and combined this with key success factors for fashion retailing. However, in this paper, we argue that the leagile approach is not a universal solution in the fashion and textile business. For some fashion and textile companies, the lean approach is more adequate. Case study findings and simulation results reveal that the lean and leagile approach could coexist as different strategy alternatives – simulation results favour leagile strategy, while five year profitability analysis shows lean apparel retailer H&M to have higher profitability than Zara.

Lean Six Sigma strategy in telecom manufacturing

The Lean Six Sigma strategy ensures flexible, robust, and efficient processes. However, to make them more agile in order to sustain in today’s highly competitive environment, something more is requ ...

Role of logistics outsourcing on supply chain strategy and management: Survey findings from Northern Europe

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of logistics outsourcing in Northern Europe through survey research. Research work intends to shed more light on logistics outsourc ...

Using Eurasian landbridge in logistics operations: building knowledge through case studies

This research concerns about the use of Eurasia as a landbridge for container traffic. We present case study findings concerning European-Asian transportation, and this reveals that the lead time a ...

Agent based decision support in the supply chain context

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the benefits and the barriers of agent based decision support (ABDS) systems in the supply chain context.Design/methodology/approach – Two ABDS systems have been developed and evaluated. The first system concerns a manufacturing supply chain while the second concerns a service supply chain. The systems are based on actual case companies.Findings – This research shows that the benefits of ABDS systems in the supply chain context include the possibility to increase versatility of system architecture, to improve supply chain visibility, to conduct experiments and what‐if analyses, to improve the understanding of the real system, and the possibility to improve communication within and between organizations in the supply chain. The barriers of ABDS systems in the supply chain context include the difficulty to access data from partners in the supply chain, the difficulty to access data on a higher level of granularity, and the difficulty to retrieve data fro...