Integrating Supply Chain and Production Chain: a Genesis in the Ethanol Industry

Abstract

Although frequently used interchangeably, the concepts of supply chain and production chain are considered in this study as two distinct and complementary theoretical frameworks for the conception of a data-mapping model titled SCMap – Supply Chain Map. The model’s objective is to identify and assess real chains of companies and products. An application in the agribusiness sector, starting with a specific sugarcane processing plant and the biofuel ethanol is performed. The SCMap establishes a structured and integrated manner of linking products and companies, considering three different categories of relationships: (1) between companies – supply chain approach; (2) between products – production chain approach, and; (3) between companies and products – regarding commercial practices in the corporate environment. Grounded on Graph Theory and Social Network Analysis – SNA, the software UCINET and NetDraw application are used to draw the maps and quantitatively assess the centrality of each company and product relative to the whole chain.