Course

Module 1

Module 1: Building a Strategic Framework to Analyze Supply Chains (7.5 hours)

1. Understanding the Supply chain, Achieving strategic fit in a supply chain.
2. Financial Measures of Performance & Supply chain drivers and metrics.

Module 2

Module 2: Designing the Supply Chain Network (7.5 hours)

1. Factors influencing Distribution Network Design.
2. Design options for a distribution network and, Online sales. Network design in the Supply chain.
3. Introduction, Capacitated plant location model, Gravity models, Models for allocating demand, locating production facilities, On shoring and offshoring decisions.
4. Designing global Supply chain networks – Decision tree analysis.

Module 3

Module 3: Planning and Managing Inventories in a Supply Chain (7.5 hours)

1. Managing economies of scale in a supply chain: Cycle inventory, Aggregating Multiple Products in a Single Order & Quantity Discounts.
2. Managing uncertainty in a Supply chain – Safety inventory: Factors affecting the optimal level of product availability.
3. Impact of supply uncertainty on safety inventory.
4. Impact of aggregation on safety inventory.
5. Factors affecting the optimal level of Product availability.
6. Managerial levers to improve supply chain profitability & optimizing availability of maintenance, repair, and operations inventories.

Module 4

Module 4: Designing and planning transportation networks (7.5 hours)

1. Modes of transportation and their performance Characteristics & Transportation infrastructure and policies.
2. Design options for a transportation network.
3. Trade-offs in transportation design, Tailored transportation.
4. Case Discussion & Mumbai Dabbawalas: a highly responsive distribution Network.

Course Description

The COVID-19 pandemic has tested supply chains like no other event in recent history. With the global populations isolating, distancing, and quarantining, the demand for certain products is sky-rising while demand for others is plummeting. Companies’ supply of parts & materials and labor from around the world is being severely disrupted due to people not being able to go to work. In response to this supply chain shock, we are seeing larger companies beginning to build regional chains, and smaller ones resorting to technology to get flexible. There is a massive challenge of balancing efficiency with resilience in supply chains that is being faced by companies around the globe, and it is not an easy one. Thomas Friedman, in his book ‘The World is flat’, names ‘Supply chaining’ as one of the 10 significant forces that have ‘flattened’ the world economically. With growing competition, supply chains will have to become more and more robust, resilient, and efficient. The world we live in depends on logistics and supply chain managers to make products available to customers. They are the ultimate back-office power players moving millions of rupees’ worth of products daily. Problems in any part of the supply chain may create significant issues for business, and as you see in the present, even more significant issues to human well-being. That is why good logistics and supply chain managers are such valued professionals. This course aims at building better decision-making skills needed for good-quality LSC managers.

Course Outcomes& Learning levels

The 3- credit Operations elective course Logistics and Supply Chain Management (LSCM) is designed in four modules, taking the class from understanding the basic concepts through various analytical methodologies for the analysis of supply chains to designing a supply chain strategy. In this course, the students shall able to,

1. To Build the strategic framework to analyze supply chains (Evaluate)
2. To Design the Supply chain network (Evaluate)
3. To Plan and manage inventories in the Supply chain (Evaluate)
4. To Design and plan transportation networks (Evaluate).

Evaluation Pattern

* Based on assignments / Tests / Quizzes / Case Studies / Projects / Term paper / Field visit report.

Course Text

1. Sunil Chopra and Dharam Vir Kalra, Supply Chain Management: Strategy, planning & Operation, 7th ed, Pearson.