Towards a consumer-oriented supply chain
Name
927166264-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
9.59 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
ae5a3d33c5f303a126c25902b9378d52
Author(s)
Andrianopoulos, Panagiotis, M. Eng. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Pérez Wario, Hector Rafael
Advisor(s)
Alexis H. Bateman.
Date Issued
2015
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
The current consumer products industry is primarily designed as a customer oriented supply chain; this means that it is designed to fulfill orders from the distribution centers or stores of the retailers. The question posed by retailers and vendors is how might a consumer (not customer) oriented supply chain be defined and designed in a way which retailers and vendors could move towards it in the future? Our methodology consisted of interviews with key stakeholders and industry experts, a literature research, value stream mapping as well as data analysis of historical sales and shipments between a retailer and a vendor that sponsored the project. As a result of our research, we conclude that a consumer oriented supply chain is defined as a supply chain that is triggered by consumer demand data and it implements strong collaboration between the retailer and the vendor, in order to achieve a more efficient response to the consumer needs. A series of interviews with key stakeholders revealed that one of the most important parts of the collaboration is forecasting. Our data analysis depicts that a single, synchronized forecasting of the consumer demand would help both parties operate in a more efficient and collaborative way. As final deliverable we propose a roadmap with short-term and long-term steps necessary to design a consumer oriented supply chain.
Description
Thesis: M. Eng. in Logistics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2015.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 75-78).
Subjects
Engineering Systems Division.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division
Terms of Use
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