Supply Chains: A Manager's Guide

Designing the Chain

The strategy is set, the current chain is diagrammed and described, and the options are on the table: It's time to build a formal model of the chain. If you haven't already done so, you now have to make the choice between a mathematical optimizer and a simulator. A simulator may be a natural next step if your chain is complex and you are still trying to get a handle on how it all works. But if you're ready to move toward decisions, an optimizer will give you more help in choosing the best possible configuration. In the following discussion, I assume that you are using an optimizer, then I add some remarks on the use of simulators at the end of the section. The goal is not to explain how to use either of these systems—your ...