Process modeling, performance analysis and configuration simulation in integrated supply chain network design

There are three major objectives for this research. The first objective is to develop viable modeling methodologies and analyzing algorithms for supply chain business processes so that the logic properties of supply chain process models can be analyzed and verified. This problem has not been studied in integrated supply chain literature to date. To facilitate the modeling and verification analysis of supply chain workflows, an object-oriented Petri nets based modular modeling and analyzing approach is presented. The proposed, structured, process-modeling algorithm provides an effective way to design structured supply chain business processes.; The second objective is to develop a network of inventory-queue models for the performance analysis and optimization of an integrated supply network with inventory control at all sites. An inventory-queue is a queueing model that incorporates an inventory replenishment policy for the output store. This dissertation extends the previous work done on the supply network model with base-stock control and service requirements. Instead of one-for-one base stock policy, batch-ordering policy and lot-sizing problems are considered. In practice, the assumption of uncapacitated production is often not true, therefore, GIX/G/1 queueing analysis is used to replace the MX/G/∞ queue based method.; The third objective is to develop simulation models for understanding decision-making issues of the supply chain network configuration in an integrated environment. Simulation studies investigate multi-echelon distribution systems with installation stock reorder policy and echelon stock reorder policy. The results show that, depending on the structure of multi-echelon distribution systems, either echelon stock or installation stock policy may be advantageous. This dissertation presents a new transshipment policy, called “alternate transshipment policy,” to improve supply chain performance. In an integrated supply chain network that considers both the distribution function and the manufacturing function, the impacts of component commonality on network performance are also evaluated. The results of analysis-of-variance and Tukey's tests reveal that there is a significant difference in performance measures, such as delivery time and order fill rates, when comparing an integrated supply chain with higher component commonality to an integrated supply chain with lower component commonality.; Several supply chain network examples are employed to substantiate the effectiveness of the proposed methodologies and algorithms. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...