Supply chain analysis

Abstract

When starting an improvement process one has to have a clear picture of the structure of the existing supply chain and the way it works. Consequently a detailed analysis of operations and processes constituting the supply chain is necessary. Tools are needed that support an adequate description, modeling and evaluation of supply chains. In Sect. 2.1 several issues regarding supply chain analysis are discussed. Then, Sect. 2.2 presents modeling concepts and tools with a focus on those designed to analyze (supply chain) processes. The well known SCOR-model is introduced in this section. Building on these concepts (key) performance measures are presented in order to assess supply chain excellence (Sect. 2.3). Inventories are often built up at the interface between partners. As a seamless integration of partners is crucial to overall supply chain performance, a thorough analysis of these interfaces (i. e. inventories) is very important. Consequently, Sect. 2.4 gives an overview on inventories and introduces a standardized analysis methodology. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.