Browsing by Author "Towill, Denis R."
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Item Open Access Designing and managing multiple pipelines(Council of Logisticts Management, 2005-01-01T00:00:00Z) Aitken, James; Childerhouse, Paul; Christopher, Martin; Towill, Denis R.There is now a growing recognition that supply chains should be designed from ‘the customer backwards’ rather than from ‘the company outwards’. If such a view is accepted then the implication is that since the organisation will likely be serving multiple markets or segments there will be the need to design and manage multiple ‘pipelines’ to serve those different customers. To assist decision makers in their choice of appropriate supply chain design a framework is proposed based upon multiple criteria. A case study is presented which highlights the benefits of selecting, engineering and operating multiple pipelines tailored to the needs of theItem Open Access Developing Market Specific Supply Chain Strategies.(MCB UP Ltd/Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2002) Christopher, Martin; Towill, Denis R.The issues underlying the appropriate matching of pipelines to marketplace needs under conditions of demand volatility and price pressure are examined. The authors describe a scenario where the philosophy of “one size fits all” does not apply to pipeline design, implementation, and control. Research conducted by the authors and others is used to show how appropriate global supply chain strategies can be developed contingent upon market characteristics and which seek simultaneously to achieve higher levels of customer responsiveness at less total cost to the supply chain as a whole. The selection of the right strategy within a supply chain lends itself to a taxonomic approach. We find that three dimensions (leading to eight possible configurations) are adequate for this purpose. These key dimensions are product characteristics, demand characteristics and replenishment lead-time.Item Open Access Do not lean too far – evidence from the first decade.(Inderscience, 2007) Towill, Denis R.; Christopher, MartinRecent years have seen an increasing focus, both in business and academia, on the totality of supply chains. There is a recognition that supply chain management can have a significant impact on both costs and revenues and that there is a direct correlation between the way that supply chains are designed and shareholder value. Our paper explores one of the major themes that has attracted considerable discussion over the last decade. This is the debate on the appropriateness of the so-called 'lean' and 'agile' paradigms in different business and market environments. It concludes that for most companies, the requirement is for the design and management of multiple pipelines to reflect the diversity of the markets that they serveItem Open Access An Integrated Model for the Design of Agile Supply Chains(MCB UP Ltd/Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2001) Christopher, Martin; Towill, Denis R.The latter part of the 20th Century saw the lean production paradigm positively impact many market sectors ranging from automotive through to construction. In particular there is much evidence to suggest that level scheduling combined with the elimination of muda has successfully delivered a wide range of products to those markets where cost is the primary order winning criteria. However, there are many other markets where the order winner is availability. This has led to the emergence of the agile paradigm typified by ‘quick response’ and similar initiatives. Nevertheless, ‘lean’ and ‘agile’ are not mutually exclusive paradigms and may be married to advantage in a number of different ways. This paper explores ways in which hybrid strategies can be developed to create cost-effective supply chains and proposes an integrated manufacture/logistics model for enabling the essential infrastructure.Item Open Access A Taxonomy for selecting global supply chain strategies.(MCB UP Ltd/Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2006) Christopher, Martin; Peck, Helen; Towill, Denis R.This paper addresses the increasingly important question of supply chain design for global operations. With the rise of off-shore sourcing and the simultaneous need for improved responsiveness to customer demand, the choice of supply chain strategy is critical.Item Open Access Understanding, Implementing and Exploiting Agility and Leanness.(Taylor and Francis, 2002-04) Aitken, James; Christopher, Martin; Towill, Denis R.The latter part of the 20th century saw the lean production paradigm positively impact many market sectors ranging from automotive through to construction. In particular, there is much evidence to suggest that level scheduling combined with the elimination of muda has successfully delivered a wide range of products to those markets where cost is the primary order winning criteria. However, there are many other volatile markets where the order winner is availability, which has led to the emergence of the agile paradigm typified by "quick response" and similar initiatives. Nevertheless, lean and agile are not mutually exclusive paradigms and may be married to advantage as is shown in the lighting industry case study. The outcome of our review of the characteristics of "lean" and "agile" supply is the proposition of a model for enabling change to the agile enterprise. This incorporates the three levels of principles, programmes and actions. We conclude by showing that the model encompasses the major factors executed within the case study, which covers agility throughout the product introduction process and product delivery process. It appears to be a feature of the successful implementation of agility that it is an organisation-wide shift in culture and cannot be restricted to just a few activities.