Title: Modelling the supply chain swap problem in the petroleum industry

Authors: Raed Al-Husain, Tiravat Assavapokee, Basheer Khumawala

Addresses: College of Business Administration, Kuwait University, Kuwait, P.O. Box 5486, 13055, Safat, Kuwait. ' Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Houston, E206 Engineering Bldg 2, Houston, TX 77204-4008, USA. ' Department of Decision and Information Sciences, University of Houston, 334 Melcher Hall, Room 270D, Houston, TX 77204-6021, USA

Abstract: This paper is motivated by the need for developing well-structured methodologies and mechanisms that enable an efficient coordination of swap/exchange transactions among same-level supply chain partners in the petroleum and energy industries. A mathematical model that can capture the complexity in the swap transactions between two companies is presented. The model is then applied to a real case study from the petrochemicals industry, and the solutions of the model are evaluated and their performances are compared to those of current industry practices.

Keywords: supply chain management; SCM; logistics; mathematical modelling; swap practice; petroleum industry; exchange transactions; energy industry.

DOI: 10.1504/IJADS.2008.021223

International Journal of Applied Decision Sciences, 2008 Vol.1 No.3, pp.261 - 281

Published online: 13 Nov 2008 *

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