Decoupling Point Research Articles

Reorganizing city logistics to reduce urban movements – Experiences with hubs and decoupling inner and outer urban transport

To realize a more sustainable city logistics system the focus should go beyond reducing emissions only. Next to zero emission vehicles, reduction of urban logistics trips is required in light of several urban, environmental and economic challenges. This contribution focuses on the role of hubs and decoupling points, where logistics flows to and from a city are decoupled from the flows in a city, to optimize the city logistics. For six distinctive hubs or decoupling point concepts, we examine the potential under current market and legal conditions. By decomposing city logistics in subsegments and urban logistics trip structures, we estimate the realistic trip reduction potential of decouple points in the current city logistics conditions.

Assessing the Role of Supply Chain E-Integration in Agility Oriented and Lean Oriented Supply Chain: A De-Coupling Point

Agility oriented supply chain and lean oriented supply chain are both increasing topics in today’s world. It is not quite clear whether agility of the supply chain is going to be benefited through “e-integration” or not. We followed the opinion of Stevenson et al.(2007) that, the agility oriented and lean oriented supply chain practices are de-coupling point, further investigate the impact of supply chain e-integration on supply chain agile practices and lean practices. Based on Data obtained from Chinese manufacturing firms, the analysis reveals that supply chain e-integration partially has a negative impact on agility oriented supply chain practices and all e-integration dimensions have positive effects on lean oriented supply chain practices. This study deepens the application of RDT in supply chain strategy selection.

Simulation Optimization of Manufacturing Takt Time for a Leagile Supply Chain with a De-coupling Point

Simulation Optimization of Manufacturing Takt Time for a Leagile Supply Chain with a De-coupling Point

Development of a connectivity map for measurement of total supply chain value

Organisations intend to optimise their supply chain (SC) by following the most suitable SC strategies that serve their business interest to gain a competitive advantage. This paper reviews the literature to extract the relationship between leagile attributes and SC drivers to estimate total supply chain value (TSCV). As a result, three leagile attributes efficiency & flexibility (E&F), decoupling point (DP) and virtual network (VN) along with four main SC drivers consisting of production, distribution, inventory and information have been deployed. Effects of leagile attributes to the SC drivers are evaluated to measure TSCV using four performance metrics i.e., cost, quality, service and lead time. This research developed a conceptual connectivity map to measure the average value of each driver at a micro-level (upstream/downstream) to evaluate TSCV at the macro-level for SC optimisation. The proposed connectivity map would support supply chain managers to implement the leagile strategy by measuring TSCV.

Introducing a New Supply Chain Management Concept by Hybridizing TOPSIS, IoT and Cloud Computing

Supply Chain Management (SCM) is becoming more complex day by day. Functional silos on demand and supply fronts of products are required to be addressed to implement the de-coupling point in preferences of consumers involved in a supply chain for optimization of operational efficiency, and nowadays, it has become a challenge. Again, ‘Amazon Effect’ has forced others to reset their strategies for optimizing their effectiveness. For the optimization of operational efficiency, three technologies have been used in the present work. TOPSIS, one of the Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) Techniques, has been applied to provide preferences of consumers of different criteria against different attributes (products). For tracking the products on transit, Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) method can be employed in SCM to collect and share data of event(s) or ‘Things’ for a broad range through the Internet of Things (IoT) application. Finally, Cloud Computing has been proposed to be applied for managing Big Data that will be generated during this entire process of SCM. The optimization method of a quick or agile SCM based on TOPSIS, IoT and Cloud Computing is discussed in detail in this work to benefit industries.

Time-coursed transcriptome analysis identifies key expressional regulation in growth cessation and dormancy induced by short days in Paulownia

Maintaining the viability of the apical shoot is critical for continued vertical growth in plants. Terminal shoot of tree species Paulownia cannot regrow in subsequent years. The short day (SD) treatment leads to apical growth cessation and dormancy. To understand the molecular basis of this, we further conducted global RNA-Seq based transcriptomic analysis in apical shoots to check regulation of gene expression. We obtained ~219 million paired-end 125-bp Illumina reads from five time-courses and de novo assembled them to yield 49,054 unigenes. Compared with the untreated control, we identified 1540 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) which were found to involve in 116 metabolic pathways. Expression of 87% of DEGs exhibited switch-on or switch-off pattern, indicating key roles in growth cessation. Most DEGs were enriched in the biological process of gene ontology categories and at later treatment stages. The pathways of auxin and circadian network were most affected and the expression of associated DEGs was characterised. During SD induction, auxin genes IAA, ARF and SAURs were down-regulated and circadian genes including PIF3 and PRR5 were up-regulated. PEPC in photosynthesis was constitutively upregulated, suggesting a still high CO2 concentrating activity; however, the converting CO2 to G3P in the Calvin cycle is low, supported by reduced expression of GAPDH encoding the catalysing enzyme for this step. This indicates a de-coupling point in the carbon fixation. The results help elucidate the molecular mechanisms for SD inducing dormancy and cessation in apical shoots.

New Framework to Optimize Leagile Supply Chain Design

The literature of Leagile supply chain (LASC) is lacking of the concurrence between supply chain (SC) design and product design, and missing the placement of decoupling point (DP) in the SC design. Therefore, the paper aims at presenting a novel framework to optimise LASC design while fulfilling the aforementioned gaps. The first step utilises Lean tools to identify the optimal architecture of product families through the so-called Leagile bill-of-material in product design. This phrase intends to reduce the storage keeping unit of components (leaner) while increasing their combining ability in a wider range of new products (more agile). Meanwhile, the second stage outlines the preliminary configuration of the future supply chain and transforms it into the Lean system. Next, the supplier network of this chain is matched with the product structure. The last step formulates the issue in one mathematical model to define the optimal LASC’s configuration, which includes positioning the best DP in various delivery lead time. In discussing the obtained solutions, the article complements to the theoretical basis by examining the locations of DP corresponding to the product’s complexity. The whole framework is illustrated by one specific example and solved by Priority Generic Algorithm Meta-Heuristic, programed with MATLAB.

Presenting a model for decoupling points in supply chain networks

The decoupling point (DP) is gaining attention as a significant factor in design and management of supply chains. The DP divides the part of the supply chain oriented towards customer orders from the part which is based on forecast planning and it can be stated that DP separates production process from lean production system to agile system. So, we can use the advantages of both production systems. Position of the decoupling point is a key factor that influences the design and management of a supply chain. In this study, we describe determination of decoupling point as a multiobjective decision making (MODM) problem, and our objectives are minimisation of production cost and production delivery time and maximisation of customer satisfaction. We use NSGA II for determining Pareto optimal solution to extract some solution concepts. Finally, a numerical example is applied to validate applicability and feasibility of the proposed model and performance of the developed algorithm.

Presenting a model for decoupling points in supply chain networks

The decoupling point (DP) is gaining attention as a significant factor in design and management of supply chains. The DP divides the part of the supply chain oriented towards customer orders from the part which is based on forecast planning and it can be stated that DP separates production process from lean production system to agile system. So, we can use the advantages of both production systems. Position of the decoupling point is a key factor that influences the design and management of a supply chain. In this study, we describe determination of decoupling point as a multiobjective decision making (MODM) problem, and our objectives are minimisation of production cost and production delivery time and maximisation of customer satisfaction. We use NSGA II for determining Pareto optimal solution to extract some solution concepts. Finally, a numerical example is applied to validate applicability and feasibility of the proposed model and performance of the developed algorithm.

Assessing the benefits of labelling postponement in an export-focused winery

Supporting wine production operations in an increasingly global market has grown ever more challenging. Export-focused wineries supply many foreign clients, often requiring different labels for the same kind of wine. Order forecasts tend to be highly inaccurate, and wineries must be able to quickly react to changes, making lot-sizing an important consideration. One tool to reduce product misallocation is postponing product differentiation, where the natural decoupling point for premium wine is the labelling process. However, the double handling involved incurs additional costs and time penalties. We analyse the performance impact of postponing the labelling of bottled wines by developing a multi-stage mixed-integer stochastic programming model with full recourse for demand scenarios. The underlying data and policies are based on an unnamed Chilean export-focused winery. The model supports lot-sizing under several winery production policies. We experiment with different levels of capacity tightness, demand variability and demand correlation between wines, optimising for reducing order backlogs, inventory levels and line set-ups. While we find that some amount of postponement will always be recommended, the exact mix and degree depend on these external factors. Postponement has the most benefits when production capacity is moderately tight, demand variability is high and wines have negatively correlated demands.

Leagile manufacturing: a review paper

Leagile manufacturing is one of the recent dominant research areas in the field of operations management in the current scenario. However, there is a lack of research focusing on leagile in manufacturing industries. The leagile system combines the advantages of both lean as well as agile system. The purpose of the paper is to make the industries and academicians aware of the leagile concept and its tools so as to meet the fluctuating needs of customers in short duration of time. It provides industries to remove all different types of wastes and at the same time concurrently meeting the changing needs of customers and hence helps in achieving better customer satisfaction. Both lean and agile systems can be incorporated simultaneously in the system by proper positioning of de-coupling point in the supply chain. In the upstream of the supply chain, lean system is adopted while in downstream, agile system is best suited.

Role of decoupling point in examining manufacturing flexibility: an empirical study for different business strategies

Manufacturing flexibility has been the subject of scholarly debate for decades. The literature investigated the relationship between manufacturing flexibility (MF) and business strategy realisation. However, scholars are yet to establish the relationship between these two constructs as mediated by the position of decoupling point (DP), which plays a key role in the design and management of supply chains. To address this gap, this paper develops a theoretical model grounded in strategic choice theory, which investigates the direct relation between MF and the position of DP, as well as the indirect relation between MF and business strategy as mediated by the position of DP. Based on a sample of 257 responses from a survey with Indian organisations, we test the model using structural equation modelling. The findings reveal that the level of MF varies with the position of DP within supply chains. This position of DP differs in different types of business strategies and accordingly affects their MF.

Positioning the decoupling point along a supply chain: a case study

In today's business world where the supply chains compete with one another, companies need to match their products with different supply chain (SC) strategies in order to increase their market shares, deliver the mass customised products that their customers demand at the right time and adapt to the rapid changes in the market. This paper contributes to the literature by demonstrating how products and supply chain strategies matching can be matched and how the decoupling point can be positioned along a leagile supply chain. To this end, a case study was conducted in a furniture components manufacturing company. First the products of the company were classified and matched with lean, agile or leagile supply chain strategies. With a view to determining the decoupling point of a leagile strategy, fuzzy Dematel method was applied to identify the relationships between the criteria, Dematel-based ANP (DANP) was applied to determine the weight of the criteria, fuzzy TOPSIS was applied to identify the best decoupling point (DP) and 0-1 goal programming (ZOGP) method was applied to identify the optimum alternative solution set under the constraints. This study aims to present a road map for the decision makers by using a case study as an example.

Understanding the barriers in implementing leagile manufacturing system

The concept of lean manufacturing and agile manufacturing is not new nowadays, but the combination of the two i.e., lean as well as agile has been emerging as a new concept. Both lean and agile concepts are separated by a strategic point called de-coupling point, upstream of which there is a level schedule and at the same time, downstream, the system is agile so as to met volatile needs of customers. There are many advantages of implementing leagile manufacturing system like reduced cost, reduced lead time, improved quality, better customer satisfaction, increased sales and profitability, etc. So it is necessary to understand the barriers in implementing leagile system and also to what extent. Researchers have used different techniques like graph theory, technique of order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), analytic hierarchy process (AHP), analytic network process (ANP), interpretive structural modelling (ISM), etc. In this paper ISM technique is used to understand the barriers in implementation of leagile manufacturing system. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted to rank these barriers. ISM approach has been used for converging some key barriers and managerial implications. Also, driving and dependent power of these barriers have been found out by using MICMAC analysis.

Understanding the barriers in implementing Leagile manufacturing system

The concept of lean manufacturing and agile manufacturing is not new nowadays, but the combination of the two i.e., lean as well as agile has been emerging as a new concept. Both lean and agile concepts are separated by a strategic point called de-coupling point, upstream of which there is a level schedule and at the same time, downstream, the system is agile so as to met volatile needs of customers. There are many advantages of implementing leagile manufacturing system like reduced cost, reduced lead time, improved quality, better customer satisfaction, increased sales and profitability, etc. So it is necessary to understand the barriers in implementing leagile system and also to what extent. Researchers have used different techniques like graph theory, technique of order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), analytic hierarchy process (AHP), analytic network process (ANP), interpretive structural modelling (ISM), etc. In this paper ISM technique is used to understand the barriers in implementation of leagile manufacturing system. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted to rank these barriers. ISM approach has been used for converging some key barriers and managerial implications. Also, driving and dependent power of these barriers have been found out by using MICMAC analysis.

Differentiation and customer decoupling points: An integrated design approach for mass customization

Mass customization draws a twofold benefit: cost reduction, inherited from mass production techniques, and good response to customer requirements, inherited from customization. Two main decisions, relevant to design and manufacturing, are required for the proper implementation of mass customization. First, product features should be split between standard and customizable ones. This will position the product differentiation points. Second, processes should be split between make-to-stock and make-to-order. This will position the customer-order decoupling point. Most often, these two decisions are made separately. In this article, the authors advocate that both decisions should be made simultaneously. They propose an integrated method for design for mass customization. It is based on simultaneously evaluating the impact of these two criteria on enterprise and customer value through the modeling and simulation of value networks. A real case study on Alpina footwear industries is simulated and analyzed. The computational results highlight the joint impact of the two decisions on the overall performance. These two levers should then be considered, simultaneously, when designing the mass customization strategy.

Positioning a Decoupling Point in a Semiconductor Supply Chain under Demand and Lead Time Uncertainty

Most of high-tech industries are facing unpredictable demand, short product lifecycles, and globally-spreading logistics. To surmount such a challenging environment, semiconductor industry practices have found the “push-pull strategy”, which is a hybrid approach of make-to-stock and make-to-order, as an effective solution. The position of a “decoupling point”, which is the boundary between make-to-stock and make-to-order, is one of the critical elements that influence a successful implementation of the push-pull strategy. This research addresses this issue by investigating the positioning of a decoupling point in a semiconductor supply chain based on the qualitative framework and simulation analysis. Several guidelines on how the decoupling point should be positioned under demand and lead time uncertainty are presented.

Manufacturing lot sizing as a source of the Bullwhip Effect: a case study of electronics and furniture supply chains

The information distortion problem, known as the Bullwhip Effect, is a well-known and continuous concern for manufacturing-related supply chains. One of the main causes of the Bullwhip Effect identified in the literature is the order batching, where actors for example, favour larger lot sizes in their operations as compared to actual customer orders. It is usually explained that this type of behaviour is triggered by rational decisions made in a local context, where the actor tries to minimise own total operational costs. However, we argue in this paper that lot-sizing decisions of an upstream member may also cause order batching at the downstream level of the supply chain, and thus be a major source of the Bullwhip Effect. Therefore, the members of the supply chain seem not only to be locally opportunistic, but also their decisions are based on variables identified in the supply chain level, and most often decisions are made knowing the abilities of upstream manufacturing. We base our research findings on two case studies carried out in the local furniture and international electronics supply chain. On the basis of these two case studies, we argue that production decoupling (make-to-stock versus assembly-to-order) point as well as transfer batching plays a vital role in the management of the Bullwhip Effect.

Decoupling for supply chain competitiveness [material flow decoupling

The material flow decoupling point (DCP) in a product delivery pipeline is where items are stored as a deliberate but carefully crafted part of the supply strategy. It is relevant to a wide range of products, especially where modularisation is an integral part in achieving mass customisation. Hand-in-hand with the idea of the DCP is the associated concepts of product design-for-modularisation, and manufacturing and/or logistics postponement. The DCP is an essential feature of modern delivery pipelines. It enables companies to remain competitive throughout the product lifecycle, when active switching between pipelines is mandatory if profit margins are to be maintained. The DCP is also a critical component in pipelines delivering high variety at economic cost. So, it is not surprising that the modern electronic products market sector was one leader in this field, which included Phillips (Holland), Dell (Ireland), and Hewlett-Packard (USA).

Criticality in self-dual sine-Gordon models

We discuss the nature of criticality in the β 2=2 πN self-dual extension of the sine-Gordon model. This field theory is related to the two-dimensional classical XY model with a N-fold degenerate symmetry-breaking field. We briefly overview the already studied cases N=2,4 and analyze in detail the case N=3 where a single phase transition in the three-state Potts universality class is expected to occur. The Z 3 infrared critical properties of the β 2=6 π self-dual sine-Gordon model are derived using two non-perturbative approaches. On one hand, we map the model onto an integrable deformation of the Z 4 parafermion theory. The latter is known to flow to a massless Z 3 infrared fixed point. Another route is based on the connection with a chirally asymmetric, su(2) 4⊗su(2) 1 Wess–Zumino–Novikov–Witten model with anisotropic current–current interaction, where we explore the existence of a decoupling (Toulouse) point.