Managing Customer Order Decoupling Points in Supply Chains

The concept of a customer order decoupling point (CODP) has been discussed since 1984. The CODP refers to the point in the supply chain at which a product is linked to a specific customer. Consequently, make to stock (MTS), assemble to order (ATO), make to order (MTO), purchase and make to order (PMTO), and engineer to order (ETO) all refer to different positions of the CODP. The CODP separates the operations downstream of the CODP that are based on actual customer orders from those upstream that are forecast driven. We discuss the strategic importance of the CODP and the characteristics of upstream versus downstream operations. The CODP concept is applicable to all industries, and we illustrate it with examples from the food processing and service industries. We discuss how the CODP relates to bottlenecks, the product life cycle, leagility, mass customization, modular product designs, and postponement. With respect to the differentiating features of upstream versus downstream, the CODP is an important contingency variable for many operations and supply chain management areas, including performance measurement. We conclude this chapter with a discussion on theoretical perspectives

Bottlenecks and opportunities for quality improvement in fresh pineapple supply chains in Benin

This study mapped and diagnosed the fresh pineapple supply chains in Benin to identify bottlenecks in pineapple quality improvement for different markets. A research framework was defined that comprised all relevant aspects to be researched. After 54 semi-structured interviews with key informants, 173 structured interviews were held with actor groups. The chain diagnosis showed there was no concordance between actor groups in which quality attribute they valued most. Moreover, pineapple quality was found to be highly heterogeneous. Key bottlenecks identified were lack of training of primary producers in production practices, unconditioned transport, and unavailability of boxes for export

Aligning product and processes to customer needs in prefabricated house building

Given the impact of increasing customer choice on operations, this thesis clarifies the role of customer preferences and its impact on the operations of a company in the house building industry. In doing so, an empirical investigation into customer choice requirements is offered and a framework that helps to align customer preferences with the product and processes is presented. A prioritisation of components is provided which ultimately helps to design houses that meet buyer requirements. Furthermore a method is presented that helps in prioritising problem areas. This study is built on two empirical pillars and the evidence drawn from these sources. First, on the basis of a case study a view of the house as a system of components and sub-components has been developed. This resulted in the set-up of a product architecture in which the Customer Order Decoupling Point (CODP) could be positioned. Second, a preference measurement task applying a pairwise comparison questionnaire was conducted so as to define the level of choice expected by customers for the components. An important outcome of the survey was to identify how customers actually prioritise categories and components in a prefabricated housing design. Combining the results of these two research exercises helps in making the correct decisions about the level of variety to offer. The generalisability of the findings is limited. However, the process of conducting the case study as well as the preference measurement is generalisable in research that concentrates on products with a complex product architecture. The framework can thus be adopted by practitioners manufacturing multi-attribute products seeking to pursue a mass customisation strategy. This research contributes by highlighting the importance of integrating process and product development in order to design a value chain that meets customer needs

Using agronomic tools to improve pineapple quality and its uniformity in Benin

Keywords: Ananas comosus; Benin; cultural practices; fruit quality; hapas; heterogeneity; planting material; slips; suckers; supply chain; variation in quality; variation within crop; vigour. Poor average quality and uniformity in quality have become major issues in agri-food chains. This is also the case in the pineapple sector in Benin where less than 2% of the fresh pineapple is exported to international markets. The average quality of pineapple delivered to other markets, local and regional, is poor. The present thesis studied the improvement options in the pineapple sector which will help pineapple producers to produce higher pineapple quality for different markets, including international ones. This thesis aimed at (1) understanding how fresh pineapple supply chains are organised in Benin and identifying the bottlenecks for delivering the right pineapple to the right market; (2) increasing our knowledge on the agronomic tools used by pineapple producers to produce pineapple fruits; (3) understanding how agronomic factors affect pineapple quality and harvesting time, and (4) proposing and discussing the trade-offs between cultural practices. Research included analysis of supply chains and cropping systems and field experimentation. To understand how fresh pineapple supply chains are organised, 54 semi-structured interviews were held with key informants and 173 structured interviews with actor groups. Results indicated six main actor groups in the fresh pineapple chains: primary producers, exporters, wholesalers (those selling at local markets and those selling at regional markets), processors, retailers, and middlemen. Two pineapple cultivars were grown: Sugarloaf and Smooth Cayenne, with Sugarloaf being dominant in local and regional markets and Smooth Cayenne in European markets. The main constraints hampering the effectivity of the chains were: the non-controlled conditions under which the pineapple was transported from one actor group to another, the lack of appropriate storage facilities at wholesaler’s and processor’s levels, the unavailability of boxes for export and the non-concordance between actor groups in which quality attributes and criteria they valued most. In addition, most respondents interviewed affirmed that the pineapple quality was highly heterogeneous, emphasising the need to understand how pineapple is grown in Benin and what the constraints for producing high pineapple quality are. To find out the agronomic tools in use by pineapple producers in Benin, interviews were held with 100 producers in the pineapple production areas. Pineapple production practices proved diverse for both cultivars in planting density, flowering induction practice and fertiliser application. The production systems of the two pineapple cultivars differed in planting material used (slips in cv. Sugarloaf; hapas plus suckers in cv. Smooth Cayenne); the use of K2SO4 (not commonly used in cv. Sugarloaf and commonly used in cv. Smooth Cayenne); the number of fertiliser applications (lower in cv. Sugarloaf than in cv. Smooth Cayenne) and in the maturity synchronisation practice by means of Ethephon (not commonly used in cv. Sugarloaf and commonly used in cv. Smooth Cayenne). Constraints for high quality production were the unavailability of planting material, unavailability and high costs of fertilisers and the heterogeneity in planting material weight. To understand how agronomic factors affect pineapple quality and harvesting time, four on-farm experiments were conducted in commercial pineapple fields. Results first indicated that the heterogeneity in fruit weight was a consequence of the heterogeneity in plant vigour at artificial flowering induction time. The plant vigour at flowering induction was mainly related with the infructescence weight and less or not with crown weight. Second, results indicated that artificial flowering induction gave fruits with lower infructescence weight and heavier crown than natural flowering induction. Artificial maturity induction reduced the total soluble solids (TSS) concentration in the fruits. Finally, results showed that the reason why a high proportion of fruits in cv. Sugarloaf was not exportable to Europe was the high value in the ratio crown: infructescence height (above 1.5); in cv. Smooth Cayenne, reasons were a ratio crown: infructescence height as well as a TSS below 12 ºBrix. To come up with improvement options for high pineapple quality production with low heterogeneity in quality, the possibility of pruning slips on selective plants as means to improve uniformity in fruit quality was evaluated through two on-farm experiments on commercial fields with cv. Sugarloaf. Results revealed that pruning of slips did not significantly improve average fruit quality attributes and was not successful in achieving more uniform fruit quality at harvesting time. Through one experiment per pineapple cultivar, we investigated how fruit quality and its variation were affected by weight (in both pineapple cultivars) and type (in cv. Smooth Cayenne only) of planting material. Results showed that fruits from heavy planting material had heavier infructescence and fruit weights, longer infructescence height, but shorter crown height and smaller ratio crown: infructescence height than those from light planting material. In cv. Sugarloaf fruits from heavy planting material had higher variation in crown weight and lower variation in infructescence height than fruits from light and mixed (light plus heavy) planting materials. In cv. Smooth Cayenne, fruits from heavy planting material had a lower variation in fruit height than fruits from other classes of planting material. The type of planting material (in cv. Smooth Cayenne) had no effect on the average fruit quality attributes except on the crown height where fruits from hapas had shorter crowns than those from suckers. The type of planting material had in overall no significant effect on the variation in the fruit quality attributes. The present study is a step towards the improvement of the whole pineapple sector in Benin. It identified constraints for high pineapple quality production but also tested and proposed improvement options for high pineapple quality production. </p