Simulation system design for critical-node detection and robustness analysis of supply chains

Abstract

ABSTRACT A well-developed manufacturer requires a stable supply chain network that is robust to crises. In this study, a simulation system was developed to build a specialised supply chain model and analyse the critical nodes and risks. It makes three major theoretical contributions to literature. First, a novel supply chain model and cascading failure model are developed with adjustable power-law degree distributions for companies to identify suitable models. Second, a novel approach to the critical-node detection problem, considering cascading failure, is proposed. Finally, based on the proposed algorithm, supply chain vulnerability is analysed under two types of attacks.