Manufacturing Supply Chain Research Articles

Collaborative Development of Cross-border E-commerce and Agricultural Product Supply Chain: Opportunities, Challenges and Solutions

Abstract: The development of science and technology and the deepening of globalisation have opened up new directions for developing the agricultural industry. With the gradual expansion of the scope of Internet +, traditional trade has gradually evolved into e-commerce, and relatively simple domestic trade has gradually expanded into cross-border transactions. With the help of e-commerce platforms, sales channels can be expanded, and the share of agricultural exports can be increased. The development of cross-border e-commerce is highly valued and mutually supportive of the agricultural product supply chain (APSC), which promotes the international trade of agricultural products. Optimised APSC provide high-quality produce to meet consumer demand. Technological innovations such as big data and the Internet of Things (IoT) bring smart and efficient optimisation solutions to APSC, improving the efficiency of product distribution. This paper reviews the research on cross-border e-commerce and APSC by some scholars in recent years, summarises the current development of cross-border e-commerce, describes the problems of APSC, and proposes solutions. Reviewing and summarising the relevant research literature aims to help scholars understand the development of cross-border e-commerce and APSC more systematically and comprehensively, and to provide strong support for future research and practice.

Resilience assessment of the aircraft manufacturing core products supply chain: the international trade network perspective

Resilience assessment of the aircraft manufacturing core products supply chain: the international trade network perspective

Cross-border supply chain coordination of low-carbon agricultural products under the risk of supply uncertainty.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss how cross-border e-commerce enterprises can promote the sustainable development of the supply chain by optimizing the risk of supply disruption and product quality control mechanism of the cross-border supply chain of low-carbon agricultural products in the face of the problem of uneven quality and inventory shortage that prevails in the supply chain of low-carbon agricultural products under the framework of low-carbon economy. Methods: A two-level supply chain model consisting of a risk-averse cross-border e-commerce enterprise and two risk-neutral overseas suppliers is constructed to compare the optimal strategies and their coordination effects under the centralized and decentralized decision-making modes, and to deeply analyze the supply chain's operation mechanism. Further, the quality cost factor is introduced and an option contract model is designed to quantitatively analyze the impact of different decision-making scenarios and parameter changes on the overall supply chain performance. The results of the study show that under the coordination of option contract, the profit of cross-border e-commerce companies tends to decrease as the risk of supply disruption increases, while the profit of suppliers rises accordingly. Meanwhile, improving the quality of agricultural products can significantly improve the overall profitability of the supply chain. The cost-sharing mechanism is positively related to the profit of cross-border e-commerce companies, but negatively affects the profit of suppliers. In addition, the adjustment of the option price is directly associated with the increase of the specific supplier's profit and the decrease of the cross-border e-commerce enterprise's profit. Conclusion: By constructing and analyzing the option contract model considering the risk of supply disruption, this study effectively reveals the key influencing factors and their interactions in the cross-border supply chain of low-carbon agricultural products, and provides cross-border e-commerce enterprises with specific strategies to achieve coordination of the supply chain contract, improve product quality, and mitigate the risk of supply disruption, and then promote the sustainable development of the supply chain of low-carbon agricultural products.

Digital Transformation in the Health Product Supply Chain: A Framework for Analysis

ABSTRACT Well-functioning supply chains for medicines and other health products are vital for a health system’s goals of ensuring access, quality, and efficiency. However, in several countries the performance of government-run supply chains for health products remains subpar. The widespread adoption of digital technology presents new opportunities for enhancing the performance of the health product supply chain. This paper aims to provide a practical and systematic analysis of digital initiatives within health product supply chains. It provides examples of successful digital interventions in each of the Enable, Plan, Source, and Deliver categories of the Supply Chain Operations Reference model. The examples provide clear evidence that the use of digital technology in the health supply chain can improve access and affordability; in some instances, use of digital technology can lead to faster health product adoption and alter the overall architecture of decision making. While many digital interventions in the public sector supply chain target the collection of data and its analysis and use for reporting, the long-term effectiveness of digital solutions hinges on their ability to enhance the agency of supply chain actors. A thorough and systematic inquiry about the logic model of how a particular digital solution enhances agency and improves accountability is essential at the outset. In developing roadmaps to prioritize and sequence digital solutions in health supply chains, governments should start by asking where lack of information is the primary constraint impeding supply chain performance.

Blockchain in Supply Chain Management: Enhancing Transparency, Efficiency, and Trust

Supply chain management has become an area of focus as organizations around the world work to leverage blockchain technology to increase supply chain visibility, productivity, and reliability. As a novel approach to innovation, this paper aims at assessing whether or not blockchain technology could help overcome problems that have attributed lack of consensus between SCM and its stakeholders including, inadequate information flow, complex logistics, ad inadequate inter-organizational trust. As such, using scientific data I investigate how innovations built on the blockchain enhance efficiency, contain costs, and create instant permanent transparency, including in the supply chain. The research methods include a literature search and analysis, calculations of blockchain benefits in relation to the most important SCM indicators: transaction time, cost cutting, and transparency of suppliers. From our research, it can be suggested that advanced use of blockchain results in improved efficiency by around 20-25% of OM costs, while the error rate will be decreased up to 30%. In addition, by enhancing the history of each product, blockchains decrease fraud rates in high-risk sectors, including the pharmaceutical marketplace, by a half. These findings emphasize the positive impact that blockchain implements to alter the supply chain by promoting trust between the chain’s participants and allowing for secure transfer of necessary information. This research helps to complete the existing literature by giving concrete information about blockchain’s efficiency in the real business environment which could be useful for those companies and government agencies which are aiming to implement blockchain-based solutions in supply chain management. Finally, the ethical issues and implications related to the practical realization of blockchain in SCM are highlighted and analyzed with the help of corresponding recommendations.

Enhancing internal supply chain management in manufacturing through a simulation-based digital twin platform

Digital Twin (DT) technology is profoundly changing the manufacturing landscape and supply chain management with its ability to create real-time digital replicas of physical processes, allowing for enhanced monitoring and optimized decision-making. However, the analysis of scientific literature reveals that further efforts are needed to spread the use of Industry 4.0 technologies, in the specific context of Internal Supply Chains (ISCs). The main aim of this study is to design, develop test and validate a multi-plant Simulation-Based DT production planning platform for ISCs management. A modular architecture is adopted, and the focus is on a Simulation-Based Digital Twin module, which uses an object-oriented structure and enables what-if analyses, involving several scheduling rules and ISC configurations. The proposed solution ensures flexibility and scalability, two crucial features in a constantly evolving market environment. The platform is tested and validated through a case study, involving a corporate group in the Oil & Gas manufacturing sector, which needs to improve the ISC performance, under a Make-To-Order production strategy. The comparison with a baseline scenario, where the platform is not adopted, shows that the proposed approach can significantly reduce the average flow time, the average tardiness, the number of late orders. This study has important practical implications because enables proactive and smart decision-making, aimed at resource optimization and continuous improvement, through predictive analytics and scenario analysis.

Strategic Procurement Practices and Performance of Export Processing Zone Firms in Machakos County, Kenya.

Export Processing Zones (EPZs) were established in Kenya to boost industrialization, attract foreign investment, and drive economic growth. However, despite significant government efforts, the performance of EPZ firms has been below expectations. This study investigates whether strategic procurement practices could improve the performance of EPZ firms in Machakos County, Kenya. Strategic procurement, which aligns procurement with organizational goals and emphasizes long-term value creation, was the focus. The study specifically explored the impact of strategic sourcing, strategic partnerships, strategic inventory management, and strategic contract management on the performance of EPZ firms in Machakos County. Using a descriptive research design, all 99 EPZ firms in Machakos County were surveyed through a census approach. Data was collected via structured questionnaires, with a pilot study conducted to ensure content validity and clarity. Both qualitative and quantitative data were analyzed, with results presented in tables and charts. The findings showed that the four strategic procurement practices adopted improved the performance of export processing zone (EPZ) firms in Machakos County. Strategic sourcing for instance significantly improved the operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness of EPZ firms. Firms that developed strategic partnerships with suppliers experienced enhanced product quality and supply chain reliability. Effective inventory management practices led to reduced waste and better resource allocation, positively impacting overall performance. Proper contract management was associated with improved compliance and reduced legal disputes, contributing to better performance metrics. The study concluded that adopting strategic procurement practices substantially enhances the performance of EPZ firms in Machakos County. By aligning procurement strategies with organizational goals and focusing on long-term value, firms can achieve greater efficiency, reliability, and cost savings. Policymakers should promote the adoption of strategic procurement practices within EPZs to boost economic performance.

Sustainable additive manufacturing supply chains with a plithogenic stakeholder analysis: Waste reduction through digital transformation

The Additive Manufacturing (AM) industry is of paramount importance as means of personalized design capabilities by rapid prototyping, using exact amount of required materials avoiding waste, and applying Industry 4.0 technologies with digital transformation ability. The characteristics of AM are regarded as the prerequisites for sustainability in the manufacturing industry. However, there are limited papers discussing the stakeholders and sustainability objectives in a single comprehensive analysis. Hence, the purpose of this research is to identify the degree of each stakeholder to achieve the objective of sustainability in AM supply chain by proposing a novel Plithogenic Fuzzy MACTOR approach. Results reveal that the customers are in triggering position to shape entire AM supply chain as the demand generators. Workforce is a significant player in the AM supply chain by creating the design, manufacturing, marketing, and communicating to provide the collaborations in this business segment. Academia positions here a supportive role to enable the whole supply chain members in terms of delivering technological advancements, training people, and providing the workforce. The AM manufacturers and material / software / printer suppliers are the key players leading to the supply chain by producing the main business products. Thus, a practitioner can interpret its position in the AM supply chain and understand the requirements of sustainability points in detail. Besides, this study provides a theoretical contribution to the literature by extending the MACTOR analysis with Plithogenic sets via including a different uncertainty measure.

Blockchain-enabled supply chain finance model: a study of the dual-channel closed-loop supply chain of electronic products

Blockchain-enabled supply chain finance model: a study of the dual-channel closed-loop supply chain of electronic products

Construction of Cross-Border E-Commerce Supply Chain of Agricultural Food Products based on Blockchain Technology

The European Union has for several years been a critical export market and a significant source of imports for us, and the US has, in general, kept closed domestic players vis-à-vis the EU. However, given the variety of alternative market conditions and EU forms, the attractiveness of cross-border electronic commerce (CBEC) between China and the EU has fallen far short, and there is an urgency to create a harmonious and uniform environmental environment for the exchange of information to facilitate the convenience of cross border electronic commerce. This study examines the CBEC of agricultural goods and its cooperative management technique inside the logistical supply chain. It details the complete transaction model and fundamental components and presents a theoretical framework for the CBEC distribution network. The Block Chain can effectively bridge the obstacles to CBEC in Chinese and European countries by providing a valuable source of benefits from decentralization, trust, anti-counterfeiting, consensus, innovative procurement, and extraordinary techniques, which will provide the basis for building an Embedded Provider Platform for Electronic Commerce, Risk Management System for Deposit Risk Management, Supply Chain (SC) Management System, Cross Border Logistic System, Customs Supervisory Computer, etc. The paper examines how blockchain science can assemble CBEC SC computing devices for agricultural goods between global places in Central Europe. Firstly, it expounds on the theory and characteristics of the blockchain. Then, the paper introduces the troubles that arise in the CBEC supply chain. Then, the thesis proposes a blockchain-based CBEC SC structure, analyzes the aspects and relations among each other, and provides a framework for developing a China-European blockchain cross-border electronic Commerce. The test findings indicate that the system satisfies the criteria for tracking agricultural items and enhances fresh farm commodities' quality and security.

Dynamic pollution management strategies and coordination in aquatic product supply chain under eco-compensation: Perspective of extreme weather crisis

The ecological compensation mechanism emerges as a solution to reduce pollution for aquatic product supply chain. To comprehend the dynamic pollution management strategies and coordination under the ecological compensation mechanism, this study develops a stochastic differential game between farmers and firms from the perspective of extreme weather crisis. The subjects’ optimal decisions are explored in three cases including cooperative case, noncooperative case, and land transfer-cost sharing contract case. Then we simulate theoretical results and illustrate a case study to demonstrate the applicability of ecological compensation collaboration. The results indicate that the extreme weather crisis changes the evolutionary trend and steady state of pollution accumulation. Moreover, the land transfer-cost sharing contract could realize the Pareto improvement in high-risk environment especially after the crisis. But its coordination relies on the ecological compensation coefficient, which gets larger with the interval of [4.9,6.3] after the crisis, compared to the range of [4,5.4] before the crisis. Notably, the contract and ecological compensation mechanism exhibit a complementary relationship in response to the crisis. The findings could provide new inspirations for aquatic product supply chain to balance production and environmental protection.

Optimizing Supply Chain Design under Demand Uncertainty with Quantity Discount Policy

In typical business situations, sellers usually offer discount schemes to buyers to increase overall profitability. This study aims to design a supply chain network under uncertainty of demand by integrating an all-unit quantity discount policy. The objective is to maximize the profit of the entire supply chain. The proposed model is formulated as a mixed integer nonlinear programming model, which is subsequently linearized into a mixed integer linear programming model and hence able to obtain a global solution. Numerical examples in the manufacturing supply chain where customer demand follows normal distributions are used to assess the effect of quantity discount policies. Key findings demonstrate that the integration of quantity discount policies significantly reduces total supply chain costs and improves inventory management under demand uncertainty, and decision makers need to decide a balance level between service levels and profits.

Supply Chain Efficiency and Agricultural Product Sales: A Comparative Study of 2022 and 2023 Trends in USA

This comparative study analyzes supply chain efficiency and agricultural product sales trends in the USA between 2022 and 2023. Utilizing a comprehensive dataset of agricultural products—including livestock, fruits, and dairy—the study examines key metrics such as units shipped, units sold, and units on hand across various product categories. By evaluating these variables, the research highlights changes in supply chain performance and market dynamics over the two-year period. The study focuses on identifying shifts in product demand, sales performance, and supply chain efficiency, offering insights into how agricultural producers adapted to market conditions. Results indicate that while some categories, such as fruits, experienced consistent sales growth, others faced fluctuations due to supply chain disruptions and changing consumer preferences. This analysis not only underscores the importance of efficient supply chains but also opens avenues for predictive analysis, providing actionable recommendations for improving supply chain practices in the agricultural sector. The findings are particularly relevant for industry practitioners aiming to enhance supply chain resilience and optimize product sales performance.

A System Dynamics Supply Chain Analysis for the Sustainability Transition of European Rolled Aluminum Products

This research presents a system dynamics model to study the interaction among demand and supply evolutions, government regulations, sustainable adoption trends, investments in different decarbonization technologies, and environmental requirements for the European Aluminum Rolled Product Supply Chain (ARPSC). It allows stakeholders to assess the quantitative impact of investing in decarbonization technologies on supply chain sustainability. Investing in decarbonization technologies reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The most substantial GHG emission reductions can be achieved if upstream ARPSC actors invest according to an aggressive investment strategy between 2031 and 2040. However, even with an aggressive investment strategy, investing in decarbonization technologies alone is likely to be insufficient to achieve the European Green Deal goals. Furthermore, barriers to investment in decarbonization technologies and a low rate of progress in doubling the European Union’s circularity rate may put extra stress on achieving the European Green Deal goals for the European ARPSC. Instead, ARPSC actors will additionally need to optimize the recycling of aluminum rolled products and adopt strategies for resource sufficiency, e.g., by sharing cars and using packaging multiple times.

LINI HULU PRODUKSI SAWIT INDONESIA: PERSPEKTIF RANTAI PASOK

Smallholder oil palm plantations are still facing the challenge of solidity in increasing their collective action to influence the supply chain of the national and global palm oil industry. This study aims to analyze the upstream system of smallholder palm oil production in building the sustainability of the supply chain of the national palm oil industry from a supply chain perspective. The data collection method combines an empirical study approach and literacy. An empirical study was carried out to search for institutional portraits of farmers. Furthermore, the search for commodity flows and palm oil agro-industry actors was carried out using a supply chain scheme framework. Based on the discussion, it is concluded that the disclosure of the flow of information related to the volume, price, and supply value differs according to the stakeholders involved. The supply chain of upstream palm oil production starts from the production line of oil palm plantations to the fabrication of CPO/PKO and the fabrication of their derivatives. Oil palm farmers are the weakest parties in accessing prices, volumes, and purchasing capacity information. Independent and plasma oil palm plantation smallholders are the most vulnerable to problems of uncertainty, transparency, transaction costs, and institutions, as well as the determination of an undisclosed price share between the cooperative as an intermediary and the core company. The downstream supply chain of palm oil agroindustry (olein, biodiesel, and chemical industry) is dominated by stakeholders affiliating with national private plantation companies within the framework of vertical supply synergies. CPO/ PKO palm derivative processed agroindustry, which has no vertical affiliation with national plantation companies on the upstream side, was the weakest actor in dealing with uncertainty in the supply of raw materials.

Supply chain network equilibrium with outsourcing for fresh agricultural products under stochastic demands

Abstract Accepted by: M. Zied Babai This paper examines a supply chain network focusing on the distribution of fresh agricultural products, incorporating outsourcing and stochastic demands considerations. Initially, we establish a generalized Nash equilibrium model with stochastic demands among fresh produce firms. Subsequently, we transform this model into a mixed complementarity system using the Karush–Kuhn–Tucker conditions. Utilizing the Fischer–Burmeister function, we further convert the mixed complementarity system into a set of nonlinear equations, amenable to solution via GAMS software. We conduct numerical experiments and perform sensitivity analysis on key parameters. Our findings suggest that higher subsidy rates incentivize firms towards production outsourcing, particularly benefiting low-income farmers, thereby potentially increasing profits. Moreover, market fluctuations play a pivotal role in ensuring the stability and profitability of firms, with moderate fluctuations presenting opportunities for fresh enterprises to adapt, innovate and capitalize on evolving market conditions. These results offer valuable insights for effective management of fresh produce supply chains.

Research on the Game Model of Green Technology Investment in a Two-Echelon Manufacturing Supply Chain Under Carbon Tax Regulation

Using a Stackelberg game model, this research examines the impact of government-imposed carbon taxes on the sustainability of a two-echelon supply chain. The analysis focuses on the interactions between upstream suppliers and downstream manufacturers, taking into account how manufacturers’ carbon emissions influence market demand, as well as how sustainability levels and price affect this demand. The results show that a centralized system has a lesser potential for total profit development in the supply chain than a decentralized system. To encourage investment in green technologies throughout the supply chain, this paper proposes two coordination mechanisms: a green subsidy and a two-part tariff contract. Numerical study reveals that a win–win scenario for the supply chain requires suppliers to share part of the costs. Furthermore, under a two-part tariff contract, successfully managing fixed costs can result in total profit levels comparable to those in a centralized system. The research also makes strategy recommendations, such as differentiating carbon levies, improving supply chain coordination, and assessing fixed costs. These aim to provide theoretical and practical implications for supply chain management in order to assist businesses and policymakers in effectively responding to the problems of climate change.

ФОРМУВАННЯ ЛОГІСТИЧНОЇ ПІДСИСТЕМИ ДИСТРИБУЦІЇ ПРОДУКЦІЇ

The article highlights the transformational trends of the market environment, under which the product distribution model is gaining more and more importance. The explanation for this is the need for manufacturers and sellers to adapt to the needs of consumers and increase the efficiency of their satisfaction, to build systems of distribution and exchange of goods, to develop integrative inter-industry and inter-sectoral connections, to improve the quality of institutional relations. It was concluded that the issue of product distribution and the formation of its logistics subsystem is the object of numerous scientific studies, the main emphasis of which is given to the processes of marketing, technical-technological, information-communication and other support, while adhering to the interests of all market participants – manufacturers, sellers, consumers. The functional aspects of the formation of the logistics subsystem of product distribution have been determined. The distribution system unites a number of product supply chains and thereby qualitatively responds to changes in consumer preferences and ensures a high degree of their satisfaction. The establishment of product distribution has clear signs of creating a complete management system using mechanisms and approaches that primarily take into account technological and information and communication transformations. The characteristics of the fundamental differences of the logistics subsystem from other elements of enterprise management in the context of the features of product distribution are given. The speed of movement of products from the producer to the consumer, while often bypassing the retailer, becomes a decisive factor in establishing stable commodity-money relations. Accordingly, the formation of the logistics subsystem should take into account the numerous features of product distribution and become part of the general mechanism of enterprise management.

Challenges of blockchain adoption for manufacturing supply chain to achieve sustainability: A case of rubber industry

Global market competitiveness and standards are pushing the manufacturing supply chain to adopt sustainable approaches to enhance quality, reduce waste, improve environmental practices, and optimize product costs. Blockchain technology has emerged as a promising tool for improving supply chain transparency and manufacturing sustainability. However, various challenges to the mainstream use of blockchain must be identified and addressed. In this regard, the study aims to identify and comprehend the challenges of adopting blockchain technology in the manufacturing sector to improve sustainable standards. To bridge this gap, the study used a three-step procedure. First, through a comprehensive literature review, 19 potential challenges were identified. Then, with the experts' discussion, a total of 18 challenges were finalized. In the second phase, data was collected from 15 professionals with industrial backgrounds. Lastly, the collected data was analyzed using Combined Compromise Solution methodologies and the Fuzzy-Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (fuzzy DEMATEL). This hybrid methodology prioritizes the challenges in blockchain adoption and categorizes them into causal groups. This improves the decision-making process by evaluating how the mutual impact of challenges in blockchain adoption affects achieving sustainability in the manufacturing supply chain. The outcomes of the presented work are validated through a sensitivity analysis of the outranked dimensions of blockchain adoption challenges. Results show that 'High Initial Investment Cost' and 'Lack of Digital Skills’ are the top challenges in its adoption. The findings of this work provide a roadmap to make the manufacturing supply chain sustainable and accomplish sustainability.

Development of a flexible produce supply chain food safety risk model: Comparing tradeoffs between improved process controls and additional product testing for leafy greens as a test case

The produce industry needs a tool to evaluate food safety interventions and prioritize investments and future research. A model was developedin R for a generic produce supply chain and made accessible via Shiny. Microbial contamination events, increases, reductions, and testing can be modeled. The output for each lot was the risk of one, 300-gram sample testing positive, described by two industry-relevant risk metrics, the overall risk of a positive test (proxy for recall risk) and the number of lots with the highest risk (>1 in 10 chance) of testing positive (proxy for public health risk). A leafy green supply chain contaminated with Shiga-toxin-producing Escherichia coli was modeled with a mean of 1 pathogen cell per pound (µ=1 CFU/lb or -2.65 Log(CFU/g)) under high (σ=0.8 Log(CFU/g)) and low (σ=0.2 Log(CFU/g)) variability. Baseline risk of a positive test in the low-variability scenario (1 in 20,000) was lower than for high-variability (1 in 4,500), showing rare high-level contamination drives risk. To evaluate tradeoffs, we modeled two well-studied, frequently used interventions: additional product testing (8 of 375-gram tests/lot) and improved process controls (additional -0.87±0.32 Log(CFU/g) reduction). Improved process controls better reduced recall risk (to 1 in 115,000 and 1 in 26,000 for low- and high-variability, respectively), compared to additional product testing (to 1 in 21,000 and 1 in 11,000 for low- and high-variability, respectively). For low variability contamination, no highest risk lots existed. Under high variability contamination, both interventions removed all highest risk lots (about 0.05% of total). Yet, additional product testing rejected more lower-risk lots (about 1% of total), suggesting meaningful food waste tradeoffs. This model evaluates tradeoffs between interventions using industry-relevant risk metrics to support decision-making and can be adapted to assess other commodities, process stages, and less-studied interventions.