Supply Chains in Transition:
It has become evident today that maintaining large inventories can be costly and inefficient resulting in supply chains that are vulnerable, wasteful, costly, and lack responsiveness. Compounding this issue are traditional hierarchical, linear systems that fail to recognize and adapt to the dynamic networked world of today. The following case study examines the transformation that is taking place in supply chain design and its implications and limitations to both the military and to the private sector.
Read the following articles:
Perera, David (2007 May 15) Running Lean, Government Executive, Washington: Vol. 39, Iss.8, pg. 43, 5 pgs.
Jongebloed, Kenneth (2007 Jul-Sep) Focused Logistics â?" Sense and Respond Logistics: A Transformative Autonomic Supply Chain Management System, Logistics Spectrum, Huntsville: Vol. 41, Iss. 3, pg. 21, 7 pgs.
Q1. What is wrong with the "Iron Mountain" philosophy for supply chain management used by the military in the past?
Q2. Can a supply chain be too "lean?"
Q3. What does a "sense and respond" supply chain approach offer over more traditional approaches to supply chain management? (Be sure to note the benefits and limitations of shifting from a linear hierarchical supply chain configuration to a networked based supply chain)
900 words plus references.