A simulation-based performance investigation of downstream operations in the Indian Surimi Supply Chain using environmental value stream mapping

Abstract

The consumption of surimi made from fish has begun to see a continuous rise in demand owing to vast availability, low pricing and copious protein content. Despite visible improvements in processing and distribution trends of Indian surimi, the downstream operations of the surimi supply chain in specific lacks performance due to prolonged delays, extended waiting times and diminishing fish quality. The rising fossil fuel prices, associated emissions and increased focus on energy utilization for organizational sustainability have made this inefficiency a supply chain concern. This has indeed created a room to adjust the existing supply chain design. This work integrates the principles of lean and carries out an environmental analysis observing the utilization of water, energy and raw materials along the supply chain followed by the identification and elimination of wastes. This article aims in eliciting sustainability in downstream operations in the Indian surimi supply chain by identifying and optimizing supply chain operations using Value Stream Mapping (VSM). VSM is used as a tracking tool to capture the existing downstream operations of the surimi supply chain and propose different alternatives. Performance analysis was carried out along sustainability for different supply chain integration scenarios namely No vertical integration, Partial vertical integration and Complete vertical integration using value stream mapping and discrete event simulation model developed. It was observed that the supply chain with complete vertical integration would provide better performance in comparison to other supply chain design alternatives considered. The supply chain with complete vertical integration will reduce 74.52% of lead time, 79.68% of emissions and 81.66% of energy consumption compared to the current state. Therefore, creating a surimi supply chain with cleaner downstream operations that will lead to sustainability enhancement.