Modeling Quality in the Design of Supply Chains

Abstract

Importance of quality in the overall supply chain management is paramount. In the current business world ensured quality product and services are the preconditions for their marketability. As such quality is the most crucial factor that will decide success and failure of the supply chain organization. Based on these facts quality should be planned for each supply chain function at the design stage. This research defines and formulates quality metrics for supply, product design and manufacturing, and customer process management with the objective of obtaining superior performance of a business system by integrating quality system of each function in the overall supply chain design and planning process. The research follows systematic steps in defining and formulating metrics for each function; and integration of the functional quality criteria in the overall supply chain design and planning model. A numerical example finally illustrates applicability of the entire approach and the models.

Keywords: Critical to quality and critical to business, Customer satisfaction attributes, Plant approval, Quality in customer management, Quality metrics, Strategic supply chain design model, Supplier affiliation.

Cite as