Showing papers by "Virgilio Cruz-Machado published in 2011"

Integrating Lean, Agile, Resilience and Green Paradigms in Supply Chain Management (LARG_SCM)

Abstract: 1.1 What is the problem? Different management paradigms, such as the lean, agile, resilience and green have been adopted for the management of supply chains. The lean supply chain is a paradigm based on cost reduction and flexibility, focused on processes improvements, through the reduction or elimination of the all “wastes”, i.e., non-value adding operations (Womack et al., 1991). It embraces all the processes through the product life cycle, starting with the product design to the product selling, from the customer order to the delivery (Anand & Kodali, 2008). The agile supply chain paradigm intends to create the ability to respond rapidly and cost effectively to unpredictable changes in markets and increasing levels of environmental turbulence, both in terms of volume and variety (Agarwal et al., 2007). However, when organizations are subject to eventual disruptions, caused by sudden and unforeseen events (like economic and politic crisis or environmental catastrophes), the lean practices may have contributed to rupture conditions (Azevedo et al., 2008). In a global economy, with supply chains crossing several countries and continents, from raw material to final product, those events (even if they happen in a remote place) can create large-scale disruptions (Craighead et al., 2007). These disruptions are propagated throughout the supply chain, causing severe negative effects in supply chains leading to unfulfilled orders. So, it seems that what can be good from the competitive point of view, can cause a disaster on crisis situations; it may be worst if the organizations can not be resilient and robust enough to recover the loosed competitiveness. In actual competitive market, it is necessary that supply chains become more resilient to disruption events (Sheffi & Rice, 2005; Tang, 2006). Other pertinent issue in supply chain management is the environmental sustainability. The green supply chain management is as an important organizational philosophy to achieve corporate profit and market share objectives by reducing environmental risks and impacts while improving ecological efficiency of these organizations and their partners (Rao & Holt, 2005; Zhu et al., 2008). As a synergistic joining of environmental and supply chain management, the competitive and global dimensions of these two topics cannot go unnoticed by organizations.

A proposal of LARG Supply Chain Management Practices and a Performance Measurement System

Abstract: Supply chains (SC) in an attempt to be more competitive, are adopting new management paradigm. Among these paradigms there are four that deserve particular mention because of their importance to better SC performance: lean, agile, resilient and green. The main objective of this paper is to propose a conceptual model for a lean, agile, resilience and green SC, with the purpose of improving their operational, economic and environmental performance. In this attempt a set of SC management practices, which were named LARG practices, and several performance measures are suggested. This model is based in the literature review about the four SC management paradigms and also SC performance measurement. Among the suggested LARG practices the ones influencing more the SC performance are the just in time and also the supplier relationships. Also the SC performance measures with more LARG practices influencing them are the inventory levels and the time, that is, the SC's operational performance is the most affected.

A model for evaluating Lean, Agile, Resilient and Green practices interoperability in supply chains

Abstract: Due to market pressures and increased competition, companies were led to adopt collaborative working practices by creating communication networks and integrated material and product flows. Supply Chain Management is one key to success in this sector, being one recent and powerful operations strategy tool that led to success in many enterprises all over the world. However, it is not affordable to conduct SCM's newest methodologies like Lean, Agile, Resilient and Green being subject to problems of interoperability. This paper presents a model to evaluate the overall business interoperability and establish what measures can reduce interoperability problems in the SC.

Green and Lean Paradigms Influence on Sustainable Business Development of Manufacturing Supply Chains

Abstract: Green and lean paradigms have been adopted in a supply chain management context, but nearly always separately and with little understanding of their influence on supply chain performance and sustainable business development. This paper proposes a theoretical framework about the influence of green and lean practices on sustainable business development in a supply chain context. Green and lean upstream supply chain practices, supply chain attributes and a performance measurement system, based on the balanced scorecard, are suggested. An exploratory case study was conducted at a Portuguese automotive supply chain to test qualitatively the validity of the proposed theoretical framework.

An information model in lean, agile, resilient and green supply chains

Abstract: Currently the competition is between supply chains rather than between companies. The demands of customers in a market increasingly volatile and turbulent, in conjunction with environmental responsibilities, make supply chains develop strategies to be more flexible, agile, which eliminate processes that add no value and respond to environmental issues, making the supply chains more competitive. This paper presents and discusses an information model to support current integrated paradigms of supply chain management — lean, agile, resilient and green. The information model will provide all the necessary information for decision-makers take the right decisions at the right time and thus optimizing the supply chain performance integrating lean, agile, resilient and green demands.

GResilient index to assess the greenness and resilience of the automotive supply chain

Abstract: Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to suggest an Index entitled GResilient Index to assess the greenness and resilience of the automotive companies and corresponding supply chain. Design/methodology/approach: An integrated assessment model is proposed based on Green and Resilient practices. These practices are weighted according to their importance to the automotive supply chain competitiveness. The Delphi technique is used to obtain the weights for the focused supply chain paradigms and corresponding practices. The model is then tested using a case study approach in the automotive supply chain. Findings: The case study results confirmed the applicability of this Index in a real-world supply chain. The results show that the Resilient supply chain management paradigm is the one considered as the one that more contributes for the automotive supply chain competitiveness. Research limitations/implications: The proposed Index was developed in the automotive sector context therefore it could not be adjusted to a different one. Future research could consider other aggregation methods for the Index construction. Practical implications: Supply chain participants will be able to evaluate the performance of their companies or supply chain in terms of Green and Resilient paradigms. Also, the Index can be effectively employed for functional benchmarking among competing companies and supply chains.

A framework for evaluating lean implementation appropriateness

Abstract: This paper focus on the key variables that limit the penetration ability of Lean's methodologies in industrial contexts, and thus should be considered prior to any Lean implementation. Based on a extensive literature review and experts focus group, it is presented aframework that organizes the main criteria to be considered and suggest a decision-making process in order to determine whether Lean methodologies should be implemented or not. The framework encompasses a holistic view that includes both a strategic and an operational dimension to be considered with a certain relative weight. The objective is to guide any decision maker through a process of evaluating whether Lean Management practices suit or not his organization's industrial context.