Demand management in fresh food value chains: a framework for analysis and improvement
In this research paper, the author analyzed the problems of demand management in fresh food value chains and how to improved demand management. According to some case studies that were part of much larger VCA study concerned with the sustainability of the UK food industry, the author found two broad categories problems. They are characteristics of demand in agri-food chains, and operational features of demand management. Therefore, the author thought more collaboration and joint planning that extend fresh food value chain effectively.
There are three main objective should be worked in both academic and practitioner fields. Firstly, improve the management of demand; secondly, prepare to demand amplification include ECR and CPFR; thirdly, focus on combine demand management with retail supply chains. In particular, the characteristics of demand and supply are very different in the commodity market and fresh foods. Depends on six cases studies, this paper talk about three topics, the problems of demand amplification in fresh food supply chains, and the benefits of collaboration, and improve the gap between theory and practice in demand management and extend the principles of ECR and CPFR. Analysis of the data from the six case studies we can find that three recurrent features of demand in agri-food chains: variability in consumer demand, misalignment of demand and activity along the chain and poorly managed daily demand. According to Figure 2, 3, 4, we know variability in consumer demand where end-user demand was highly variable, seasonality or unusual weather would impact the many fresh food products, promotional policies also would cause high variability consumer demand in weekly. According to Figure 5, 6, 7, we find that generally consumer demand was found to be the least variable element in the demand profiles. Therefore, the reason is either classic demand amplification effects or variability in the supply of raw materials.
The second of the research findings is the operational features of demand and procedures used to handle demand information. There are some problems across the case studies,