Information sharing for replenishment planning and control in fresh food supply chains: a planning environment perspective

Abstract

This study explores how fresh food processors’ planning environment characteristics (PECs) affect the information sharing in supply chains during replenishment planning and control (RP&C). The research design is a multiple case study covering a triadic supply chain with five fresh food product (FFP) processors, one wholesaler and nine retail stores. The analysis investigates how the product-, demand-, supply- and production-related PECs affect the material requirements planning and master production scheduling at the FFP processors. Further, it investigates how these affect information sharing at a product level. The findings propose a means to differentiate the information sharing in a supply chain at a product level, rather than differentiation based on demand type or processor which currently dominates the field. The study derives propositions regarding appropriate frequency, timing, direction, modality, content and dynamism of information sharing during RP&C.

Keywords:

• Information sharing
• replenishment planning and control
• supply chain
• perishable
• retail

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Innovation Fund Denmark and participating wholesaler under Grant-ID [5189-00197AB] from 2016.

Notes on contributors

Flemming Max Møller Christensen

Flemming Max Møller Christensen is an industrial PhD-candidate at the Department of Materials and Production, Aalborg University, Denmark. He is member of the logistics research group Centre for Logistics (CELOG) and his research focus is on differentiated planning and control in fresh food supply chains. He holds a MSc degree in operations and supply chain management from Aalborg University, Denmark.

Patrik Jonsson

Patrik Jonsson is a full professor of operations and supply chain management at the Department of Technology Management and Economics, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, and holds a PhD in production management from Lund University. He has published articles on various topics related to sourcing, materials management, maintenance management and supply chain planning. His current research interests are on design and management of demand and supply chain planning processes, especially focussing on value creation through information and technology enabled interventions.

Iskra Dukovska-Popovska

Iskra Dukovska-Popovska is an associate professor of operations and supply chain management at the Department of Materials and Production, Aalborg University, Denmark. Her research interests are in the areas of manufacturing strategy, supply chain management and more recently, food supply chains planning for waste reduction. She is a member of the logistics research group Centre for Logistics (CELOG), working on topics within food, healthcare and textile circularity.

Kenn Steger-Jensen

Kenn Steger-Jensen is a professor of operations and supply chain management at the Department of Materials and Production, Aalborg University, Denmark. He holds a PhD in advanced planning and scheduling (APS) information systems and an MSc degree in industrial management, both from Aalborg University. His research interests are within operation and supply chain management theory in general, and more particularly, within manufacturing, logistics and supply chain planning and diagnostics, as well as information systems such as APS, ERP, SFC, MES and integration.