Title: Lean manufacturing within critical healthcare supply chain: an exploratory study through value chain simulation

Authors: Matteo Mario Savino; Antonio Mazza; Barbara Marchetti

Addresses: Department of Engineering, University of Sannio, Piazza Roma 21, 82100 Benevento, Italy ' Department of Engineering, University of Sannio, Piazza Roma 21, 82100 Benevento, Italy ' Facoltà di Ingegneria, Università degli Studi eCampus, Novedrate, Italy

Abstract: Modern goals of supply chain management (SCM) are related to the integration of logistic features with customers and product management, the so called value chain management (VCM). The present work is focused on the implementation of lean principles and value chain concepts into SCM, within a firm supplying power generators for hospitals and humanitarian camps. The aim is to realise a simulation environment to improve firm's strategies and performance analysis to reduce costs and improve the levels of service and sustainability of the supply chain (SC). In particular, lean manufacturing principles of waste reduction and non-value added activities (NVAA) elimination can be well suited to be implemented by value chain operation reference (VCOR) model. An analysis concerning productivity and product development issues is performed by design of experiments (DOE) techniques, highlighting weakness and strength points in health sector supplying.

Keywords: value chain simulation; VCOR model; DES; discrete event simulation; lean manufacturing; procurement management; SCM; supply chain management; healthcare supply chains; logistics; VCM; value chain management; healthcare value chains; hospitals; health sector; healthcare industry; humanitarian camps; power generators; firm strategies; firm performance analysis; costs; service levels; supply chain sustainability; waste reduction; NVAA; non-value added activities; productivity; product development; DOE; design of experiments.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPM.2015.066285

International Journal of Procurement Management, 2015 Vol.8 No.1/2, pp.3 - 24

Published online: 24 Jan 2015 *

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