Strategic supply chain alignment to customer buying behavior

In search for competitive advantage, designing and managing supply chain networks have become a necessary competence for organizations. The target of this thesis is to answer a question, how to design a multiple supply chain network. The purpose is to study, what kind of different supply chain designs exist and, how to choose appropriate supply chain designs for a company. In the thesis, the focus is on the supply chain alignment to customers, more specifically to customer buying behavior. The research method was a case study. A framework for measuring customer buying behavior was developed based on the literature and it was used in the study of customer buying behavior in the case environment. In the case company structured interviews and data records were used as sources of evidence. Persons working in the customer-interface were interviewed face-to-face and through an e-mail questionnaire. When analyzing the data, a Quality function deployment matrix was used as one analysis method. As a result of the thesis, supply chain network of the case company is proposed to be divided into three separate supply chains, which focus on different areas and they could be called lean, agile and continuous replenishment supply chains. In conclusion, in the supply chain alignment to customer buying behavior several aspects have to be studied from different perspectives. According to the results, a multiple supply chain strategy is recommended to be implemented in the case company, since the diversity of the customer needs cannot be managed efficiently through a single supply chain.

Supply management capability

The objective of this thesis is to define supply management capability. The thesis study what factors consist of supply management capability, and which of those factors are critical to achieving competitive advantage. One objective is also to study how firms can measure their supply management capability. This study is a qualitative research. The thesis examines the literature regarding to supply management and the context of capability and there are used Delphi panel to examine the current and future insights of supply management professionals concerning of supply management skills and capability. The empirical data of the thesis was collected by interviews. The Delphi panel was used in data collection and analysis and for prioritization of the factors of supply management capability. The thesis includes lists of factors of supply management capability. Main findings of the study were that there is no one clear, generally suitable set of supply management skills which bring competitive advantage for all firms and the most important factors of supply management capability, according to the experts, are total cost analysis, customer focus, general business view, market knowledge and supplier relationships. In this study the supply management capability is defined as organization’s overall capacity and ability to achieve a holistic understanding of purchasing needs, manage its suppliers and collaborative partners, and conduct its internal tasks, routines and responsibilities in a way that achieves desired results. The results of this thesis show also that Finnish firms need more right kind of supply management knowledge.

The analysis and mitigation of risks in FMCG supply chain: the case of British American Tobacco Eastern Europe

This work investigates the Bullwhip Effect, which is one of the most important phenomena in contemporary supply chain management. The author uses most recent theoretical apparatus to analyze operational activities of a leading FMCG company British American Tobacco Eastern Europe. This paper investigates and describes the process in BAT supply chain management and considers the impact of the Bullwhip Effect together with the potential risks threatening company's operations. Emergence of the Bullwhip Effect leads to supply chain inefficiency. This paper contains methodological supply chain risk mitigation recommendations, description of a real case study and an analytical study of internal and external supply chain processes

The effect of wood supply and bleaching process on pulp brightness stability

One hundred different 5.5-year-old Eucalyptus grandis x Eucalyptus urophylla wood clones were cooked to kappa number 15-17.5 and the resulting kraft pulps oxygen-delignified to kappa 9.5-11.5 under fixed conditions, except for chemical charges. Thirteen samples showing large variations in effective alkali requirement, pulp yield and O-stage efficiency and selectivity were selected for brightness reversion studies. These samples were bleached to 90-91% ISO by DEDD and DEDP sequences and their brightness stability and chemical characteristics determined. Heat reversion of the eucalyptus kraft pulps was strongly influenced by the wood supply, with brightness loss varying in the range of 2.1-3.6 and 0.8-1.7 %ISO for ODEDD and ODEDP bleached pulps, respectively. Pulps bleached by the ODEDP sequence showed reversion values 1.3-1.9 % ISO lower than those bleached by the ODEDD sequence. Pulp carbonyl content decreased by 35-40% during the final peroxide bleaching stage. Carbonyl and carboxyl groups correlated positively with brightness reversion, as did permanganate number and acid soluble lignin. Pulp final viscosity and metal and DCM extractives contents showed no significant correlation with brightness reversion. Pulping, oxygen delignification and ECF bleaching performances also showed no correlation with brightness reversion.

BIOMASS SUPPLY CHAIN ANALYSIS WITH DENSIFIED WASTE

ABSTRACT The possibility to vary the energy matrix, thus reducing the dependency on fossil fuels, has amplified the acceptance of biomass as an alternative fuel. Despite being a cheap and renewable option and the fact that Brazil is a major producer of waste from agriculture and forestry activities, the use of these materials has barriers due to its low density and low energetic efficiency, which can raise the costs of its utilization. Biomass densification has drawn attention due to its advantage in comparison to in natura biomass due to its better physical and combustion characteristics. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the impact of biomass densification in distribution and transport costs. To reach this objective, a mathematical model was used to represent decisions at a supply chain that coordinates the purchase and sale of forestry and wood waste. The model can evaluate the options to deliver biomass through the supply chain combining demand meeting and low cost. Results point to the possibility of an economy of 60% in transport cost and a reduction of 63% in the required quantity of trucks when densified waste is used. However, costs related to the densifying process lead to an increase of total supply costs of at least 37,8% in comparison to in natura waste. Summing up, the viability of biomass briquettes industry requires a cheaper densification process.

Information exchange and disruption risk in multimodal maritime supply chains

Supply chains are becoming increasingly dependent on information ex-change in today’s world, and any disruption can cause severe repercus-sions to the flow of materials in the chain. The speed, accuracy and amount of information are key factors. The aim in this thesis is to address a gap in the research by focusing on information exchange and the risks related to it in a multimodal wood supply chain operating between the Baltic States and Finland. The study involved interviewing people engaged in logistics management in the supply chain in question. The main risk the interviewees identified arose from the sea logistics system, which held a lot of different kinds of information. The threat of breakdown in the Internet connection was also found to hinder the operations significantly. A vulnerability analysis was carried out in order to identify the main actors and channels of infor-mation flow in the supply chain. The analysis revealed that the most important and therefore most vulnerable information-exchange channels were those linking the terminal superintendent, the operative managers and the mill managers. The study gives a holistic picture of the investigated supply chain. Information-exchange-related risks varied greatly. One of the most frequently mentioned was the risk of information inaccuracy, which was usually due to the fact that those in charge of the various functions did not fully understand the consequences for the entire chain.

Activation of supply relationships : a study of main providers in the Turku logistics cluster

Företag inom industri och handel väljer allt oftare att låta ett logistikföretag sköta stora delar av sina logistiska processer. Logistikföretagen i sin tur överlåter utförandet av enskilda tjänster, som t.ex. olika typer av transport, till olika samarbetspartners inom branschen. I avhandlingen studeras hur logistikföretag går till väga då de väljer vilka av deras samarbetspartners som ska engageras för att delta i utförandet av ett logistiktjänstepaket, en arbetsprocess som här kallas aktivering. Fokus ligger på aktiveringens innehåll och de faktorer som inverkar på hur den går till och vilka samarbetsparter som kommer att engageras. Arbetet bygger på nätverksansatsen för studier av företagsrelationer på industriella marknader. Aktiveringsprocessen uppfattas som en rätt ordinär, rutinmässig verksamhet i företaget, men den kan också förväntas inverka på hur företagets samarbetsnätverk utvecklas över tiden, genom att vissa relationer förstärks medan andra försvagas. I den empi riska undersökningen deltog 29 logistikföretag i Åboregionen som utgående från ett diskussionsunderlag fick berätta om hur de går till väga vid aktivering.

Approaches to Supply Chain Risk Management: Identification, Analysis and Control

Supply chain risk management has emerged as an increasingly important issue in logistics as disruptions in the supply chain have become critical issues for many companies. The scientific literature on the subject is developing and in many respects the understanding of it is still in its infancy. Thus, there is a need for more information in order for scholars and practitioners to understand the causalities and interrelations that characterise the phenomenon. The aim of this dissertation is to narrow this gap by exploring key aspects of supply chain risk management through two maritime supply chains in the immediate region of the Gulf of Finland. The study contributes to the field in three different ways. Firstly, it facilitates the identification of risks on different levels of the supply chain through a systematic analysis of the processes and actors, and of the cognitive barriers that limit the actors’ visibility and their understanding of the operations and the risks involved. There is a clear need to increase collaboration and information exchange in order to improve visibility in the chain. Risk management should be a collaborative effort among the individual actors, aimed at obtaining a holistic picture. Secondly, the study contributes to the literature on risk analysis through the use of systemic frameworks that illustrate the causalities and linkages in the system, thereby making it easier to perceive the vulnerabilities. Thirdly, the study enhances current knowledge of risk control in identifying actor roles, risk visibility and risk controllability as being among the key factors determining risk-management effectiveness against supply-chain vulnerability. This dissertation is divided into two parts. The first part gives a general overview of the relevant literature, the research design and the conclusions of the study, and the second part comprises six research publications. Case-study methodology with systematic combining approach is used, where in-depth interviews, questionnaires and expert panel sessions are the main data collection methods. The study illustrates the current state of risk management in multimodal maritime supply chains, and develops frameworks for further analysis. The results imply that there are major differences between organizations in their ability to execute supply chain risk management. Further collaboration should be considered in order to facilitate the development of systematic and effective management processes.

Role of Capabilities in Purchasing and Supply Management Performance

The objective of this thesis was to study the role of capabilities in purchasing and supply management. For the pre-understanding of the research topic, purchasing and supply management development and the multidimensional, unstructured and complex nature of purchasing and supply management performance was studied in literature review. In addition, a capability-based purchasing and supply management performance framework were researched and structured for the empirical research. Due to the unstructured nature of the research topic, the empirical research is three-pronged in this study including three different research methods: the Delphi method, semi-structured interview, and case research. As a result, the purchasing and supply management capability assessment tool was structured to measure current level of capabilities and impact of capabilities on purchasing and supply management performance. The final results indicate that capabilities are enablers of purchasing and supply management performance, and therefore critical to purchasing and supply performance.

Technical and economic indicators of the yellow passion fruit tree irrigated with underground water supply

The research aimed to quantify technical and economic indicators of yellow passion fruit tree irrigated with fractions of irrigation with underground source of water, to generate information that helps farmers in decision making on the implementation of investment in irrigated fruit growing (yellow passion fruit). For this purpose, we used the passion fruit crop irrigated with Microjet type irrigation system, with conducting system in simple espaliers. The treatments consisted of five hours of application of the depth of water required by the crop with irrigation frequency of two days. The results showed that the highest yield (16660kg ha-1) was obtained with the fractionation of irrigation twice a day (50% to 7h and 50% to 21h30), which provided an increase in productivity of 54%, demonstrating the financial viability and being highly profitable to the interest rate of 2% per year, with low sensitivity of financial risk to real interest rates above the prevailing market.

Evaluation of sediment production and siltation in a small earth dam in Fernandópolis, SP

The siltation is a natural process, but can be accelerated by human actions and results in major problems for the reservoirs, reducing its useful volume for irrigation. An example of this problem was the reduction of the area of mirror water of Fernandópolis municipal dam in 48.3% during 20 years. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the production of sediments and siltation of Fernandópolis municipal dam from a methodology that can be applied to small earth dams for agricultural purposes. For this, it was monitored, monthly throughout the year, the volume of sediment deposited in the reservoir. The percentage of retention sediment in Fernandópolis municipal dam ranged from 53.9 to 94.5%, that associated with a high specific sediment yield, will cause its full silting in at most 57 years. It is recommended to minimize this process the restoration of permanent preservation areas and the removal of 17,500 m³ of sediment from the riverbed of the dam.