Supply Chain: Fundamentals and Best Practices to Compete by Leveraging the Network

The book examines the supply chain from different perspectives: the physical structure which it is composed of (actors, roles, infrastructures and processes), the organizational structure of the people involved (business functions and related interactions and integrations), and the manifold flows that characterize it (product flows, information flows, service flows and monetary flows). For each of these dimensions, the text thoroughly illustrates how to design and manage it, aligning supply chain performance and competitive strategies through an integrated approach, which is key to generate competitive advantage. The book covers the different topics by combining a quantitative approach typical of engineering disciplines and adopted particularly in the operational parts, with a qualitative approach which fits in the more strategic parts. This combination makes the volume suitable for both under- and post-graduate students in industrial engineering and management, as well as undergraduates or masters students confronting supply chain management from different cultural backgrounds. Industry operators and practitioners can also find useful insights, since it thoroughly describes industry best practices, especially in the food and consumer goods, fashion and apparel, pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors, stemming from author’s real life experiences in these fields.

Antonio Rizzi is full professor of Logistics and Supply Chain Management at the Engineering and Architecture Department of University of Parma, Italy. His research has focused on the application of industry 4.0 technologies, in particular RFID and the Internet of things, for logistics, supply chain management, and retailing. His research has been carried out in partnerships with major best in class players of the Food and FMCG industries, Apparel and Fashion, Healthcare and Pharmaceutical, logistics. He is the founder and director of RFID Lab at University of Parma, a world leading research center devised to promote research, education and technology transfer on RFID and IoT applications to stakeholders.