Bullwhip effect attenuation in supply chain management via control-theoretic tools and short-term forecasts: A preliminary study with an application to perishable inventories
For supply chain managers, this work offers a control-theoretic approach to reduce inventory oscillations, though it is preliminary and simulation-based.
This study combines Smith predictors, model-free control, and short-term forecasting to attenuate the bullwhip effect in supply chains with perishable inventories, demonstrating effectiveness through computer simulations.
Supply chain management and inventory control provide most exciting examples of control systems with delays. Here, Smith predictors, model-free control and new time series forecasting techniques are mixed in order to derive an efficient control synthesis. Perishable inventories are also taken into account. The most intriguing "bullwhip effect" is explained and attenuated, at least in some important situations. Numerous convincing computer simulations are presented and discussed.