Study on Operation Availability of Supply Chain System

Abstract

In this study, we refer various disasters that a global supply chain system with distributed production bases encounters, and an easy model is analyzed for operation availability of the system. From the viewpoint of not only stock holding cost but also shortage control of parts and products, it is shown that always holding an extra stock between the processes in preparation for a sudden and long term stop like a disaster does not bring a big effect. We also pay attention to simultaneousness of the stop between the processes when operation availability of the entire supply chain is evaluated. It shows that operation availability of the entire supply chain decreases by increasing of the process and decreasing of simultaneousness of the stop. Consequently, it explains the construction of the supply chain having robustness to the disasters etc. in various places is difficult in the globalization by merely extending the distance between domestic production bases.