Development of the network model for optimizing the dried fruit supply chain in the "just-in-time" mode

Abstract

Purpose of the article. Development of a comprehensive information model of the complete logistics chain of supplies of dried fruits to Ukraine. Results. The paper deals with modeling of a complete supply chain of dried fruit (DFSC) toUkraine, with the focus on its creation, deployment and functioning. The analysis of the business processes running within the DFSC has shown that unlike other SCM systems, the creation of DFSC has a number of specific problems. This is due to the fact that these chains are complex socio-technical and economic systems consisting of numerous suppliers of raw materials (fresh fruit), manufacturers of final products (drying, packaging), warehouse terminals, distributors, 3PL and 4PL-providers (retailers). The research has shown that to manage  the DFSC properly one needs to analyze its various levels, namely the strategic, tactical and operational ones. An efficient solution for this purpose is a network model that uses objects of two types. The first one includes a central link reflecting the activities of the focal company, processing raw materials (dried fruit). The other one includes a number of sub-networks, modeling the activity of raw material suppliers and finished product retailers. Thus, a model of a complete DFSC has been considered as a Petri net (PN), with its business processes interpreted using the PN elements. The paper also specifies the features distinguishing the DFSC model from a classical network model. The conceptual and formal challenge of the research conducted is to minimize the logistics costs of DFSC functioning. To conclude, it is necessary to extend the time limit in the network model of the DFSC in order to comply with the 'just-in-time' principle, when modeling business processes.