Title: Logical approach for evaluation of supply chain alternatives

Authors: P. Parthiban, M. Punniyamoorthy, K. Ganesh, N.L. Parthasarathi, Subramaniam Arunachalam

Addresses: Department of Production Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, Tamilnadu, India. ' Department of Management Studies, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli 6200 15, Tamilnadu, India. ' Manufacturing Industry Practice, Tata Consultancy Services Limited, Mumbai. ' Department of Production Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, Tamilnadu, India. ' School of Computing and Technology, University of East London, UK

Abstract: The supply chain of manufacturing industry has been under constant pressure to improve competitiveness, and supply chain network design is generally seen as one of the important means of resolution. The design or redesign of supply chain network entails taking decisions on a range of strategic issues, including the selection of suppliers, choosing the transportation link/node, location and selection of warehouses, etc. Total cost to serve is often used as the major factor in evaluation of supply chain network design, whereas enough attention in including the importance of customers for the evaluation of network remains challenging. The purpose of this study is to propose a logical approach by which the importance of customer weightage can be included in the evaluation of supply chain network design. The logical approach uses the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique for evaluation. The logical approach is demonstrated with a numerical example.

Keywords: logistics networks; warehouses; distribution; decision support systems; DSS; analytical hierarchy process; AHP; supply chain alternatives; supply chain management; SCM; decision making; evaluation; network design; customer input.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMDM.2008.017200

International Journal of Management and Decision Making, 2008 Vol.9 No.2, pp.204 - 223

Published online: 18 Feb 2008 *

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