Abstract:Purpose: The aim of this paper is to examine the state of knowledge management research in supply chain management from three standpoints, methodological approach, supply chain management area, and knowledge management processes.Design/methodology/approach: To achieve this, a systematic review is conducted over the period 2000-2014 on the basis of a qualitative content analysis. Findings:Major results showed that knowledge management can be viewed as a leverage mechanism for: (i) supply chain integration; (ii) the enhancement of intra and inter-relations across the supply chain; (iii) supply chain strategy alignment; and (iv) the reinforcement of knowledge transfer in product development. Some supply chain management areas such as reverse logistics, inventory management, forecasting/demand planning, outsourcing, and risk management have been explored only to some extent. Furthermore, knowledge transfer is being studied in the majority of the articles, mainly by both case study and survey approach; mathematical models and simulation techniques are used in very limited articles. Findings concerning theoretical perspectives and managerial issues are also described. Practical implications:The exhibition of the KM processes within the SC context may help practitioners and managers interested in implementing KM initiatives to replicate the methodologies in order to increase the possibilities of a successful KM adoption. Originality/value:The systematic review will contribute to the understanding of the present state of research in the knowledge management theory, with focus on the supply chain, as there are no state-of-knowledge studies that report a systematic literature review approach.

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The aim of this paper is to contribute to the thread of research regarding the need for logistic systems for planning and scheduling/rescheduling within the agro-industry. To this end, an agent-based model driven decision support system for the agri-food supply chain is presented. Inputs in this research are taken from a case example of a Mexican green coffee supply chain. In this context, the decision support agent serves the purposes of deriving useful knowledge to accomplish (i) the decision regarding the estimation of Cherry coffee yield obtained at the coffee plantation, and the Parchment coffee sample verification decision, using fuzzy logic involving an inference engine with IF-THEN type rules; (ii) the production plan establishment decision, using a decision-making rule approach based upon the coupling of IF-THEN fuzzy inference rules and equation-based representation by means of mixed integer programming with the aim to maximize customer service level; and (iii) the production plan update decision using mathematical equations once the customer service level falls below the expected level. Three scenarios of demand patterns were considered to conduct the experiments: increasing, unimodal and decreasing. We found that the input inventory and output inventory vary similar over time for the unimodal demand pattern, not the case for both the increasing and decreasing demand patterns. For the decreasing demand pattern, ten tardy orders for the initial production schedule, an 88% service level, and nineteen tardy orders from the estimated production results, a 77% service level. This value falls below the expected level. Consequently, the updated aggregate production schedule resulted in ten tardy orders and an 88% service level.

<p class="ADYNAAbstrac"><span lang="EN-US">Mexico is the world’s third largest consumer of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), only preceded by the United States and China. PET is commonly used in plastic containers such as beverage bottles and food packaging. It can be argued that the main problem regarding pollution generated by PET waste lies in the lack of appropriate solid waste management. The decision regarding facility location is the central issue in solid waste management. A mixed integer linear programming model of the capacitated facility location problem is proposed and then a genetic algorithm is designed to optimize the model. The problem is described as follows: given the quantities of PET generated in the northern region of Veracruz, Mexico, by considering five cities and each as a single generation source, a collection center has to be selected among a set of pre-identified locations in the town of Tempoal, Veracruz; in order to serve a set of demand points in the re-use market; demands are assumed to be uncertain. The aim is to minimize the system’s overall cost.</span></p>