Approach to visualize the supply chain complexity induced by product variety

Abstract

Due to the high level of individualization and globalization, companies increase their product variety, which leads to an increased internal complexity at the level of the products business processes and the supply chain. The Institute of Product Development and Mechanical Engineering Design (PKT) has developed the Integrated PKT approach for developing modular product families, to reduce the internal variety with methods, that are aiming to handle, to reduce and to avoid complexity. To extend this approach to the level of the supply chain, the method Design for Supply Chain Requirements is under development. The important first step is to ascertain and to visualize the supply chain complexity induced by product variety. An approach to realize this first step is presented in this paper. Copyright © 2002-2012 The Design Society. All rights reserved.