Polymer supply chain management

A typical polymer supply chain network includes multiple plants, large number of storage terminals, customers and consignment locations, and complex distribution requirements. Here, we describe the complexity of polymer supply chain from ‘logical positivist/empiricist’ viewpoint based on in-depth interviews with supply chain managers of four major polymer manufacturers and on our experience in the industry. We begin by defining marketplace and competitive environment in which polymer manufacturers do business. Then, we enumerate the requirements for manufacturing, distribution, supply chain planning and control. Next, we describe the information and decision support systems typically utilised by polymer manufacturers and present a mixed-integer network optimisation model used for decision support.