Analysis of Buffer techniques in Lean distribution and theory of constraints in a distribution context

The current era of globalization is characterized by a growing dynamic change in all areas of social and economic life. This ever growing competition is necessary to address the manager to achieve higher performance and efficiency. One of these areas that has an important focus by managers is the distribution side in supply chain. The purpose is to smooth the flow of goods in the distribution network, in order to improve throughput, reduce inventory and make economic profits. In this context, Lean operations and theory of constraints are comprehensive philosophies that have a considerable contribution. This work concentrate on the concept of "buffering" in these approaches and discusses – based on it - the assessment of a new model in distribution networks. The results are about the guidelines of applying buffer management techniques in distribution, putting the first overview of a new model concerning the optimization of flow in distribution networks

Seeking Accuracy in Forecasting Demand and Selling Prices: Comparison of Various Methods

The need for a good forecast estimate is imperative for managing flows in a supply chain. For this, it is necessary to make forecasts and integrate them into the flow control models, in particular in contexts where demand is very variable. However, forecasts are never reliable, hence the need to give a measure of the quality of these forecasts, by giving a measure of the forecast uncertainty linked to the estimate made. Different forecasting models have been developed in the past, particularly in the statistical area. Before going to our application on real industrial cases which highlights a prospective study of demand forecasting and a comparative study of sales price forecasts, we begin, in the first section of this chapter, by presenting the forecasting models, as well as their validation and monitoring