Title: Altering the Information System for a plywood supply chain in order to tame the Bullwhip effect

Authors: Kaj-Mikael Bjork, Robert Stahl, Christer Carlsson

Addresses: IAMSR/Abo Akademi University, Joukahaisenkatu 4-6 C, Turku FI-20540, Finland. ' IAMSR/Abo Akademi University, Joukahaisenkatu 4-6 C, Turku FI-20540, Finland. ' IAMSR/Abo Akademi University, Joukahaisenkatu 4-6 C, Turku FI-20540, Finland

Abstract: The Information System (IS) within a company have to be designed correctly in order to allow the managers to make the right decisions. The system needs to give the right information in the right form in the right time. If the IS fails to do so, supply chain anomalies, such as the Bullwhip effect, are allowed to persist. In this article, we will present a project where the Bullwhip effect is attempted to be reduced with an improved information system in a specific forest industry application: a plywood supply chain. It is clear that the Bullwhip effect caused an additional inventory in the case study. Therefore, a proposition of an improved supply chain policy with an accompanying information systems solution was a desired output from the research project described in this article.

Keywords: bullwhip effect; case study; information systems; supply chain management; SCM; plywood supply chain; forest industry.

DOI: 10.1504/IJISTA.2009.024265

International Journal of Intelligent Systems Technologies and Applications, 2009 Vol.6 No.3/4, pp.364 - 380

Published online: 30 Mar 2009 *

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