APPLYING AXIOMATIC DESIGN TO SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

This paper outlines the application of Axiomatic Design to supply chain management (SCM). After an overview of SCM, the supply chain design decomposition SCDD is presented, which is developed using Axiomatic Design. Because the SCDD systematically relates means to objectives of SCM at different levels of abstraction, higher-level objectives can be made actionable step-by-step. Using a structured procedure, the SCDD can be utilized to develop a supply chain strategy that is in alignment with corporate strategic goals and the context and the environment of the enterprise. Moreover, it can be used for an analysis of cause-and-effects and for a sustainable implementation of SCM concepts. A short case study illustrates the application of the methodology.