Design of emergency response manufacturing networks: a decision-making framework

Abstract

In times of large-scale crises, seemingly streamlined supply chains could become prone to unforeseen disruptions, leading to interruption in the provision of vital supplies. This could lead to severe consequences if such interruptions include vital products, such as lifesaving medical supplies or healthcare workers’ protective gear. Shortages of vital supplies could occur due to unexpected sharp spike in demand, where manufacturers are unable to produce the necessary quantities required to meet the unusual demand. They could also be the result of a disruption in the product’s supply chain, originating in another country, or even continent, worse affected by the crisis. In either case, localized production, enabled by efforts and resources of local establishments and individuals, could provide a contingency means to produce such vital products to serve local needs, temporarily. Motivated by the growing availability of advanced manufacturing technologies, in particular additive manufacturing (AM), this paper aims to develop a decision-making framework for the design of AM enabled local manufacturing networks in times of crises. The framework consists of complementing interrelated optimization and simulation models that operate iteratively in an uncertain environment, until a local production network, producing the desired performance targets, emerges. Finally, a case study inspired by the shortages of medical supplies, and healthcare workers’ personal protective equipment (PPE), during the worldwide 2020 outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus is employed to demonstrate the applicability of the framework.