Supply chain network design and inventory management for spare parts with application in the aerospace industry

本研究项目的目标是为备件供应链网络设计开发模型、解决方案方法和决策支持工具。最近，随着对简化供应链的兴趣日益增加，经营重要备件业务的公司正专注于协调涉及稀疏零件分发的操作。这包括定位仓库和服务站等服务设施，决定每个部件的存储位置和数量，并将客户需求分配给服务设施。其目标主要是将选址、库存和配送业务的总成本降至最低，并满足客户服务要求。该研究项目是由一个工业项目推动的，该项目要求对庞巴迪宇航公司的备件供应链进行重新设计。庞巴迪是一家加拿大公司，也是飞机备件的主要供应商。其备件供应链的高效设计将帮助庞巴迪保持其在行业中的竞争地位。庞巴迪和加拿大航空航天工业将从这项研究中受益匪浅。预期的好处包括反应更快、成本效益更高的供应链，提高客户服务水平，最终增加市场份额和收入。备件的供应链网络设计在几个方面明显不同于其他产品：客户服务要求更为严格，因为缺货可能会产生重大的财务影响，需求通常较低且不规律，零件价格可能非常高。我们的方法将是建立和解决数学模型，以尽可能多地捕捉备件管理的复杂方面和现实主义。

The goal of this research project is to develop models, solution methodology, and decision support tools for spare parts supply chain network design. Recently, with an increasing interest in streamlining their supply chains, companies that operate a significant spare parts business are focusing on coordinating the operations involved in sparse parts distribution. This includes locating service facilities such as warehouses and service stations, deciding on where and how many to store of each part, and assigning customer demand to service facilities. The objectives are mainly to minimize the overall cost of the location, inventory and distribution operations, and to meet customer service requirements. The research project is motivated by an industry project which calls for the redesign of the spare parts supply chain for Bombardier Aerospace. Bombardier is a Canadian company and a major provider of spare parts for aircraft. Efficient design of their spare parts supply chain will help Bombardier maintain its competitive position in the industry. Bombardier and the Canadian Aerospace industry will benefit significantly from this research. Expected benefits include more responsive and cost-effective supply chains, increased customer service levels, and ultimately increased market share and revenues. Supply chain network design for spare parts is significantly different from other products in several ways: customer service requirements are more stringent because stock-outs can have substantial financial implications, demand is generally low and irregular, and prices of parts can be very high. Our approach will be to build and solve mathematical models that capture as much of the complicating aspects and realism of spare parts management as computationally possible.