Supply Chain Strategies for Perishable Products: The Case of Fresh Produce

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Blackburn, Joseph; Scudder, Gary
• 署名单位: Vanderbilt University
• 刊物名称: PRODUCTION AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1059-1478
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1937-5956.2009.01016.x
• 发表日期: 2009
• 页码: 129-137
• 关键词: Supply Chain Management; perishable products; fresh produce; marginal value of time; harvest strategy

摘要

This paper examines supply chain design strategies for a specific type of perishable product-fresh produce-using melons and sweet corn as examples. Melons and other types of produce reach their peak value at the time of harvest; product value deteriorates exponentially post-harvest until the product is cooled to dampen the deterioration. Using the product's marginal value of time (MVT), the rate at which the product loses value over time in the supply chain, we show that the appropriate model to minimize lost value in the supply chain is a hybrid of a responsive model from post-harvest to cooling, followed by an efficient model in the remainder of the chain. We also show that these two segments of the supply chain are only loosely linked, implying that little coordination is required across the chain to achieve value maximization. The models we develop also provide insights into the use of a product's MVT to develop supply chain strategies for other perishable products.