Developing and modeling agile wood supply systems to enhance the Canadian forest value creation network performance

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Agility has been defined as the property of a system to quickly process timely information from its environment to adjust its operations in order to achieve its purpose efficiently. In the context of the forest operations, the term agility could describe the capacity to adapt timber harvesting, transportation, and biomass processing operations to uncertain operating environment and changing market conditions. Previous analyses have identified, in a comparison to other countries with strong forest industry, a lack of agility in Eastern Canadian Wood Sypply Systems. In Canada, wood procurement represents in excess of 50% of the cost of forest products. In this context, increased agility is not necessarily the ultimate objective. Rather, it is a means by which to achieve improved supply chain performance. Because agility comes with a cost, it is necessary to develop the capacity to analyse the level of agility required to meet value creation opportunities. A research program is therefore proposed to identify and generate the level of agility required for optimal value chain performance in the context of Canadian Wood Supply Systems. Specifically, research is intended to : 1) explore the concept of agility in a forest operations context and develop quantitative metrics to measure it; 2) identify and develop methods and options that allow modulating agility for practical applications; and, 3) provide a methodology to decide on the optimal level of agility required for a specific operation context. Methods to achieve these objectives include detailed value stream mapping, discrete-event simulation, and mix-integer programming for collaborative procurement planning. This research program will contribute to the training of three graduate students. They will develop skills and knowledge in advance forest supply chain modeling and operations. They will be in a position to propose innovative methods in wood flow management, inventory control and performance measures. Recruitment of specialists with such skills would contribute greatly to Canada's forest sector competitiveness.