Postponement adoption in manufacturers of tomato-derived products

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the application of postponement strategies in companies that produce tomato-derived products in order to identify the types of postponement adopted by these companies, the implementation process, and the major changes after their adoption. Design/methodology/approach – Three exploratory case studies were carried out in manufacturers of tomato products, where interviews were conducted with general managers in the manufacturing and logistics sectors. Findings – The application of time and form postponement was verified in the companies studied, and the implementation of the postponement strategy led to changes in the productive process of tomato-derived products. These changes involved the movement of the decoupling point and the increase in the make-to-order production, which had positive impacts on the businesses. Research limitations/implications – This paper analyzed the application of postponement in a specific sector of the food industry. Future research must analyze the application of this strategy in other segments of the food industry and other sectors as well. Practical implications – The information acquired in this can contribute to a more adequate application of postponement in a little-known industry sector. Originality/value – In addition to further discussion on the issue and verification of postponement application in food companies, this research presents information to assist the adoption, use, and consolidation of the postponement strategy.

Outsourcing Towards Greater Agility Through Investigating Decoupling Points in Leagile Supply Chains

“…The postponement strategy refers to delaying the final form of a product or the final assembly process as long as possible in a value chain, until the customer orders are received [27][28]. While all the activities before DP in the chain are standard activities, those activities after DP are customized and carried out according to the specific customer order [29]. In order to apply the postponement strategy, the supply chain has to be designed to support that choice.…”

Mass customization in food production: a perception about the theme and future directions

“…Perishability is a factor to be considered in the production of food (FISHER et al, 2005;BOLAND, 2006). All foods are naturally decomposed, altering the chemical and physical characteristics of food products (BOLAND, 2008;MCINTOSH et al, 2010;TRIENEKENS et al, 2012;MATTHEWS;MCINTOSH;MULLINEUX, 2011;SUN et al, 2015;ALCÂNTARA, 2016). Among the opportunities identified to overcome the perishability of custom foods are: the application of generally mentioned as additives (MATTHEWS; MCINTOSH; MULLINEUX, 2011; LIPTON et al, 2015) which has as one of its objectives to increase the shelf life; the use of special packages (MATTHEWS et al, 2006;LIPTON et al, 2015;SUN et al, 2015;ALCÂNTARA, 2016) that promote protection against mechanical shocks, undesirable chemical modifications and still make possible the use of modified or controlled atmosphere; and the embracing of the postponement in the value chain (VAN HOEK, 1999;ALCÂNTARA, 2015ALCÂNTARA, , 2016, which may favor the reduction of security stocks (WONG et al, 2011) avoiding the obsolescence of food products already manufactured.…”

“…Other difficulties may also arise due to demands aligned to short or seasonal periods (MATTHEWS; MCINTOSH; MULLINEUX, 2011). For this, chain postponement may be a viable alternative, as presented by Ferreira and Alcântara (2016), case of tomato derivatives production, which can be frozen in the form of pulp, for use in periods when the raw material is scarce.…”

Uma revisão sistemática para identificação das possibilidades de aplicações e das barreiras de adoção da customização em massa na produção de alimentos

“…As aplicações que consideram a CM em bebidas foram desenvolvidas em sucos (FERREIRA; ALCÂNTARA, 2016), cervejas (DONADINI et al, 2016) e vinhos ( VAN HOEK, 1999). Estes estudos apresentam aplicações diversas, tais como para o estudo da postergação da customização na cadeia de suprimentos ( VAN HOEK, 1999;ALCÂNTARA, 2016). Ainda referente à categoria bebidas, a literatura apresenta aplicações para a análise de percepção de valor do cliente diante diferentes combinações de ingredientes e diferentes mercados (DONADINI et al, 2016).…”

“…Enquanto para a indústria em geral o produto tem seu desempenho medido por meio de sua funcionalidade, para a indústria de alimentos são as características sensoriais (tais como textura e aparência) as relevantes para sua qualidade (FISHER et al, 2005;BOLAND, 2006). Todos os alimentos sofrem decomposição de forma natural, alterando as características químicas e físicas dos produtos alimentícios (BOLAND, 2008;McINTOSH et al, 2010;TRIENEKENS et al, 2012;MATTHEWS et al, 2011;SUN et al, 2015;ALCÂNTARA, 2016).…”