Planning and control in agri-food supply chains

Publication date: 06/05/2024
Extent: 44 pages

Contributions by: Florian Cramer and Sandra Transchel, Kühne Logistics University, Germany

Chapter synopsis:

In contrast to durable good supply chains, planning and control of agri-food supply chains are more challenging, e.g. due to perishable nature of the sensitivity of agri-food products. To provide managers with adequate decision-making support, it is crucial to understand the underlying planning processes along the entire supply chain. Recent events have shown that supply chain managers face various problems, from facilitating a transition to more sustainable food systems to securing food security by strengthening resilience. At the same time, an ever-growing population further exacerbates existing problems. This chapter explores the importance and complexity of planning processes in agri-food supply chains by briefly highlighting relevant building blocks for designing planning tools and by providing a comprehensive review on key planning elements, e.g. forecasting, production, and inventory planning. The primary focus is on planning and control activities based on techniques from operations management and quantitative methods from operations research and management science.

DOI: 10.19103/AS.2023.0122.11