Synchronization and decoupling of plants piloting in a supply chain dedicated to customized mass production

The synchronization of the production of a manufacturing supplier, who makes alternate components assembled on his industrial customer’s work station with this client’s production specialized in mass production of highly diversified products, must take into account the improvement of their knowledge of the final demand (displacement of the Order Penetration Point) and the distance of some of the suppliers. The customer periodically forwards firm orders to his supplier calculated so as to preclude any production line stoppage. It is necessary that the supplier honor them to ensure the decoupling of the control of these two entities in the supply chain and define the efficiency of synchronization. In the considered context, the supplier also receives all available projected information from the industrial customer (final orders, firm on the short term, and structural characteristics of the final demand beyond). The efficiency of the supplier depends on the proper use of all information, notably when the production cycle of alternate components is longer than the demand cycle. In the study of the customer’s requirements, it is necessary to take into account the batch constraints linked to transportation, which compels the customer to hold safety stocks even though the set up organization guarantees that orders will be duly honored. The determinants of these stocks will be put in evidence. Similarly at the supplier, safety stocks will be necessary if the production process involves grouping in batches.