Article Review Summary

Yuan Ze University

College of Engineering

Department of Industrial Engineering and Management

International Master’s Program in Industrial Engineering & Management

Global Logistics Management

Article review: Supply chain design and optimization: Challenges and opportunities.

Professor: Phd. Ching-Jung Ting

Student: Manuel Mojica 1045455

Taoyuan, 10/12/2015

Globalization and technological advancement have connected industries, firms, and countries like never before, providing ample opportunity to improve or refine the supply chain. Therefore, it is very important to identify some principal research opportunities and challenges in supply chain design.

There are two principal key areas of research opportunities for supply chain design: Enterprise-wide optimization (EWO) and energy/sustainability. These issues have arrived and are already affecting supply chain design. Ideas emerging from the concept of EWO have provided a foundation for the large-scale optimization of supply, manufacturing, and distribution activities of a company to reduce cost and inventories. It is significant to mention that supply chain design and optimization is one the most important components within the EWO framework. On another hand, new energy and sustainability issues and initiatives have reframed supply chain problems. Traditionally, optimization of supply chain focused on improving the economics and/or the performance of supply chains. However, industries now subject to legislative and societal pressures to improve the energy, environmental, and social performance of their activities. Clearly, supply chain design with energy/sustainability considerations is an active research topic in the field. Recent developments in the energy sector have created opportunities for domain applications of energy supply chain design. It is important to mention that...