MULTIPLE SOURCING FOR DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SUPPLY CHAINS
Open Access
- Author:
- Rios, Wilmarie
- Graduate Program:
- Industrial Engineering
- Degree:
- Master of Science
- Document Type:
- Master Thesis
- Date of Defense:
- None
- Committee Members:
- Vittaldas V Prabhu, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Vittaldas V Prabhu, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Christopher Griffin, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor - Keywords:
- Multiple Sourcing
Department of Defense
Supply Chain - Abstract:
- Tactical operations and theater distribution in military supply chains play an important role in the success of a mission. Responsive and efficient delivery of supplies is essential to maintain equipment readiness, especially in combat operations. High uncertainty in demand and supply has a direct impact in readiness levels during combat military operations. Readiness levels are sensitive to sources of disruption, primarily from shortages, but also natural disasters, weather conditions, failure of communication and information systems, political instability, and terrorist attacks. This thesis measures uncertainty in a military supply chain from the brigade unit’s perspective using exponentially distributed lead times, and investigates multiple sourcing as a strategy to improve readiness by reducing the expected supply lead time while increasing the order yield or percentage of order successfully received by brigade units. Multiple sourcing can potentially increase readiness by 70% - 90% and increasing order yield by 15%-21%. This work also proposes a process which contains past data to model supply lead times and determine the number of depots that supply a brigade unit along with the quantity of supplies to order while keeping the net order cost low. The solutions are presented using a Value Path Approach.