Multi-echelon inventory optimization literature distinguishes stochastic- (SS) and guaranteed-service (GS) approaches as mutually exclusive frameworks. While the GS approach considers flexibility measures at the stages to deal with stockouts, the SS approach only relies on safety stock. Within a...

We analyze a single-product, periodic-review, stochastic demand inventory model with backorders and two supply options, a regular and a more expensive expedited one, with deterministic, offsetting lead times. Since the optimal policy for such a problem is generally unknown, several simpler...

Part obsolescence is a common problem across industries, from avionics and military sectors to most original equipment manufacturers serving industrial markets. When a part supplier announces that a part will become obsolete, the OEM can choose from a number of sourcing options. In practice, the...

We address how to configure the supply chain for a new product for which the design has already been decided. The central question is to determine what suppliers, parts, processes, and transportation modes to select at each stage in the supply chain. There might be multiple options to supply a...

In a manufacturer–retailer system with private retail cost information, we find that a set of incentive-compatible contracts consisting of wholesale and buyback prices can coordinate the channel for any retail cost. We then design two wholesale-buyback contracts by imposing a cutoff point on...

This data set describes 38 multiechelon supply chains that have been implemented in practice. These chains exhibit special structure that can be used to inform and test analytical models. Although the data were not collected with the intention of econometric analysis, they may be useful in an...

Manufacturing managers face increasing pressure to reduce inventories across the supply chain. However, in complex supply chains, it is not always obvious where to hold safety stock to minimize inventory costs and provide a high level of service to the final customer. In this paper we develop a...

No abstract available.

The life cycle of new products is becoming shorter and shorter in all markets. For electronic products, life cycles are measured in units of months, with 6- to 12-month life cycles being common. Given these short product life cycles, product demand is increasingly difficult to forecast....

In this paper, we propose an iterative approach to jointly solve the problems of tactical safety stock placement and tactical production planning. These problems have traditionally been solved in isolation, even though both problems operate in the same decision making space and the outputs of...