Virtual Supply Chain Management (vSCM) Approaches for Optimization and Design of value and supply chains (Dissertation)

The project focuses on optimizing the supply chain performance, reducing its costs (e.g. control overheads, inventory costs, holding costs and handling costs) and achieving a better service level (e.g. delivery time, delivery flexibility, delivery reliability). The aim is to extend existing analytical models so that the restricting constraints and assumptions are relaxed to be more realistic. A model of the holistic supply chain integrating existing optimization techniques and benchmarks using exchangeable modules for each area of the supply chain (demand management, production management, supply management, distribution management, service management, IT) will be developed. In addition a software tool should be developed to show possible savings in sub-areas of the Supply Chain and to verify them with well defined approaches. The parameters of the model are going to be optimized by means of analytical or evolutional optimization techniques.