Supply Chain Management

M Akmal Ataullah
Designing the Distribution
Network in a Supply Chain
 The Role of Distribution
in the Supply Chain
• Distribution: the steps taken to move and store a
product from the supplier stage to the customer stage in
a supply chain
• Distribution directly affects cost and the customer
experience and therefore drives profitability
• Choice of distribution network can achieve supply chain
objectives from low cost to high responsiveness
• Examples: Wal-Mart, Dell, Proctor & Gamble
 Factors Influencing
Distribution Network Design
• Distribution network performance evaluated
along two dimensions at the highest level:
– Customer needs that are met
– Cost of meeting customer needs
• Distribution network design options must
therefore be compared according to their impact
on customer service and the cost to provide this
level of service
 Factors Influencing
Distribution Network Design
• Elements of customer service influenced by network
structure:
– Response time
– Product variety
– Product availability
– Customer experience
– Order visibility
– Returnability
• Supply chain costs affected by network structure:
– Inventories
– Transportation
– Facilities and handling
– Information
Service and Number of Facilities
Number of
Facilities

Response Time
 Inventory Costs and Number
of Facilities
Inventory
Costs

Number of facilities
 Transportation Costs and
Number of Facilities
Transportation
Costs

Number of facilities
 Facility Costs and Number
of Facilities
Facility
Costs

Number of facilities
 Total Costs Related to
Number of Facilities
Total Costs
Total Costs

Facilities
Inventory
Transportation

Number of Facilities
Variation in Logistics Costs and Response
Time with Number of Facilities
Response Time

Total Logistics Costs

Number of Facilities
 Design Options for a
Distribution Network
• Manufacturer Storage with Direct Shipping
• Manufacturer Storage with Direct Shipping and
In-Transit Merge
• Distributor Storage with Carrier Delivery
• Distributor Storage with Last Mile Delivery
• Manufacturer or Distributor Storage with
Consumer Pickup
• Retail Storage with Consumer Pickup
• Selecting a Distribution Network Design
Manufacturer Storage with
Direct Shipping
Manufacturer

Retailer

Customers

Product Flow
Information Flow
 In-Transit Merge Network
Factories

Retailer In-Transit Merge by

Carrier

Customers

Product Flow
Information Flow
Distributor Storage with
Carrier Delivery
Factories

Warehouse Storage by
Distributor/Retailer

Customers

Product Flow
Information Flow
Distributor Storage with
Last Mile Delivery
Factories

Distributor/Retailer
Warehouse

Customers

Product Flow
Information Flow
 Manufacturer or Distributor
Storage with Customer Pickup
Factories

Retailer Cross Dock DC

Pickup Sites

Customers

Customer Flow
Product Flow
Information Flow
E-Business and the Distribution
Network
• Impact of E-Business on Customer
Service
• Impact of E-Business on Cost
• Using E-Business: Dell, Amazon
Distribution Networks in Practice
• The ownership structure of the distribution
network can have as big as an impact as the
type of distribution network
• The choice of a distribution network has very
long-term consequences
• Consider whether an exclusive distribution
strategy is advantageous
• Product, price, commoditization, and criticality
have an impact on the type of distribution
system preferred by customers
• Integrate Internet with physical network
 Network Design Decisions

• Facility role
• Facility location
• Capacity allocation
• Market and supply allocation
 Factors Influencing
Network Design Decisions
• Strategic
• Technological
• Macroeconomic
• Political
• Infrastructure
• Competitive (positive externalities)
• Customer response time & local presence
• Logistics and facility costs
Where inventory needs to be for a one week order
response time - typical results --> 1 DC

Customer
DC
Where inventory needs to be for a 5 day order
response time - typical results --> 2 DCs

Customer
DC
Where inventory needs to be for a 3 day order
response time - typical results --> 5 DCs

Customer
DC
Where inventory needs to be for a next day order
response time - typical results --> 13 DCs

Customer
DC
Where inventory needs to be for a same day / next
day order response time - typical results --> 26 DCs

Customer
DC
Costs and Number of Facilities
Inventory

Costs Facility costs

Transportation

Number of facilities
Cost Buildup as a Function of Facilities
Total Costs
Cost of Operations

Percent Service
Level Within
Promised Time
Facilities
Inventory
Transportation
Labor

Number of Facilities
 A Framework for
Global Site Location
Competitive STRATEGY GLOBAL COMPETITION
PHASE I
Supply Chain
INTERNAL CONSTRAINTS Strategy
Capital, growth strategy, TARIFFS AND TAX
existing network INCENTIVES

PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES REGIONAL DEMAND

Cost, Scale/Scope impact, support PHASE II Size, growth, homogeneity,
required, flexibility
Regional Facility local specifications
Configuration
COMPETITIVE
ENVIRONMENT POLITICAL, EXCHANGE
RATE AND DEMAND RISK

PHASE III
Desirable Sites AVAILABLE
INFRASTRUCTURE
PRODUCTION METHODS
Skill needs, response time

FACTOR COSTS PHASE IV LOGISTICS COSTS

Labor, materials, site specific Location Choices Transport, inventory, coordination
 Conventional Network
Materials Customer
Vendor Finished Customer
DC Store
DC Goods DC DC

Customer
Component Store
Vendor Manufacturing
DC Plant Customer Customer
Warehouse DC Store
Components
DC Customer
Vendor Store
DC Finished
Customer
Goods DC
Final DC Customer
Assembly Store
 Tailored Network: Multi-Echelon
Finished Goods Network
Local DC
Cross-Dock Store 1
Regional Customer 1
Finished DC
Goods DC Store 1
Local DC
Cross-Dock
National Store 2
Customer 2
Finished
DC
Goods DC
Local DC Store 2
Cross-Dock
Regional
Finished Store 3
Goods DC

Store 3
Network Optimization Models
• Allocating demand to production facilities
• Locating facilities and allocating capacity
Key Costs:
• Fixed facility cost
• Transportation cost
• Production cost
• Inventory cost
• Coordination cost

Which plants to establish? How to configure the network?