Proposing a Tool for Supply Chain Configuration: An Application to Customised Production

The full implementation of collaborative production networks is crucial for companies willing to respond to consumer demand strongly focused on product customisation. This chapter proposes an approach to evaluate the performance of different Supply Chain (SC) configurations in a customised production context. The model is based on discrete-event simulation and is applied to the case of supply chain in the fashion sector to support the comparison between mass and customised production. A prototype web-based interface is also developed and proposed to facilitate the use of the model not only for experts in simulation but for any user in the SC management field

Global\u2013local supply chain configurations for different production strategies: a comparison between traditional and customized productions

Purpose \u2013 Supply chain (SC) configuration has gained increased acceptance as an important issue when evaluating new customization possibilities and this evidence has contributed to the strengthening of the debate between global vs local production locations. This work contributes in enrichment of this topic by studying how local or global SC location decisions influence performances by considering a SC point of view, in terms of cost and time, in traditional and customized productions. Design/methodology/approach \u2013Adiscrete event simulation approach, based on experimentation through executable configurations, was used to evaluate different SC scenarios for customized as well as traditional products within the footwear industry. Findings \u2013 The results indicated that to identify proper SC locations, existing trade-offs between the time and cost performances should be studied, avoiding the evaluation of a single performance independently and, instead, adopting a complete SC point of view while considering these performances. Research limitations/implications \u2013 This evidence has contributed to the reinforcement of the discussion between far-shore destinations vs near-shore production locations. Further studies are encouraged to adopt the present model, in which addition of other variables such as specific manufacturing competences to differentiate suppliers, both local and global suppliers, or the possibility of realizing special types of product customization required by final consumers can be done. Practical implications \u2013 The paper contributes to the academic and practitioners\u2019 debate by proposing a systemic approach to assess SCs\u2019 performances in customized contexts and to compare them to traditional collections. Results indicate that cost and time performance must find a balance that does not necessarily correspond to an exclusively local or global production. Originality/value \u2013 This work contributes to the SC configuration issue by considering the trade-off between efficiency and effectiveness (i.e. SC costs and SC times) for customized productions by reviving and enriching it with an SC perspective in customization contexts

Supply chain configurations: a model to evaluate performance in customised productions

This paper describes an approach used to evaluate the performance of different supply chain configurations in customised contexts. Based on historical data collected from the supply chain of a shoe producer, different configurations are evaluated based on a discrete-event simulation by highlighting the performance of the supply chain (in terms of supply chain order lead-time and inventory volume) when the production switched from standard production (characterised by batches of large quantities of the same product) to customised production (characterised by a small of series batches with high product variability). The simulation approach relies on experimentation through executable configurations, which enables the creation of different scenarios, and is then applied to the case of an actual firm in the footwear industry. The managerial implications of these findings are discussed

The effects of personalization on collaborative production networks location

This paper focuses on the identification of proper localization for collaborative production networks for personalized products. By the analysis of five case studies of the Italian footwear industry, the research provides the relationship between the type of personalization and the required supply network configurations by considering the production location issue, which is a topic not addressed in the literature. The research demonstrates that since personalization is most of the time managed in parallel with mass production thus companies should be able to manage different network configurations by developing a local or global network based on the level of product personalization

Personalisation management in supply networks: an empirical study within the footwear industry

ersonalisation is a growing challenge, particularly for footwear companies strongly influenced by customer preferences. Previous research showed significant differences between footwear supply networks that provide personalised products, especially regarding key variables, such as the level of demand uncertainty, type of productive capacity, type of purchasing and order dimensions. However no studies have considered these variables simultaneously, thus failing to provide a complete understanding. Moreover, previous studies on personalisation primarily focused on product features by identifying the different types of collections available without analysing implications for supply networks. To fill these gaps, we adopted a multiple case study methodology. Based on findings, we identified different personalisation types (individual personalisation, segmented personalisation, personalisation for distributor) and compared them to the case in which personalisation is not available. This work demonstrates that a company can develop and deliver different types of personalised collections, but this requires the management of different supply networks

Supply chain strategies for product personalization

The research provides an overview of on-going personalization activities within the Italian footwear industry by presenting a classification of different personalization approaches and deepens the relationship between the personalization approaches and the supply network structure by considering the production location issue, supply network objectives and the interaction with customers. We conducted four in-depth case studies. This way the research contributes not only to the identification and formalization of personalization activities in the footwear industry, but also identifies a clear correspondence between personalization approachesand supply chain configurations, that is still a missing point within the literature

Investigation of donkeys learning capabilities through an operant conditioning

Despite donkeys being involved in various activities with humans, their cognitive and learning abilities are still little known. A deeper understanding of their perceptive, cognitive and learning processes is, thus, necessary to preserve their well-being and establish a good human-animal bond. An operant conditioning task was applied to explore donkeys’ learning abilities. Nine out of 14 adult and non-working donkeys of both sexes fully completed a three-phases training procedure. In the first phase, animals could approach the manipulandum, a specifically designed cabin with a button on the front side. Thereafter, donkeys had to learn how to interact with the button to obtain a feed reward. To evaluate donkeys’ learning capabilities, two linear models were built: i) a fixed effects model, exploring how the average between-pressures time (BPT) was affected by individual characteristics (i.e. age, sex, and donkeys’ height at the withers) and the training session; and ii) a mixed-effects model to evaluate the difference in the average between-pressures time among consecutive sessions (BPTcs) in the function of the animals’ characteristics, including the sessions-lags as the random effect. In the first model, all the explanatory variables resulted significantly associated with the BPT observed variability. Male donkeys presented a BPT significantly higher, increased by 23.14 s (S.E.=9.71, p = 0.003) compared to females of the same height and age. Age was significant with a positive coefficient (Est.=1.21, S.E.=0.55, p = 0.032). The ‘high’ height class estimate was significant (Est.=13.06, S.E.=6.26, p = 0.032), while no significant effects were identified between the ‘medium’ and ‘short’ and the ‘medium’ and ‘high’ height classes. Lastly, the variable ‘session’ was significant with a negative coefficient (Est.=–10.64, S.E.=1.56, p < 0.0001), indicating an increase in the average speed to perform the desired behaviour for each additional training session. In the second model, the variable ‘sex’ was the only predictor significantly associated with the BPTcs, indicating that the male group progressively improved performance time faster than females (Est.=–8.71, S.E.=4.19. p = 0.045). This pilot study: i) provides insights into donkeys learning abilities by applying an effective methodology for operant conditioning; ii) it highlights how intrinsic animal characteristics might affect asses training performances, although further points need to be explored in future research; iii) it confirms that feed represents an effective positive reinforcement in operant conditioning with donkeys. The development of appropriate handling and training methods, respectful of animals’ subjective experiences and based on positive practices, can improve donkeys’ welfare and their relationship with humans