8/28/2009
- 1 -
State of the Art Survey of Commercial Software
for Supply Chain Design
Kenichi Funaki
Supply Chain and Logistics Institute, Georgia Institute of Technology
We conducted a survey on state of the art of commercial software for supply chain design from
December, 2008 to August, 2009. We listed major 13 tools to be surveyed which are currently
available on a commercial basis and collected and examined information on their latest
technologies and functions through questionnaires to the vendors. Interviews and telephone
conferences are held, if necessary, to verify the information. Through the survey, we found four
essential areas where technologies support supply chain design; supply chain optimization model,
optimization technologies, visual technologies and software technologies for installation, and
major six streams that drive their functional evolution; data preparation support, modeling
support, analysis and reporting support, international factors, carbon emission evaluation and
inventory evaluation. Especially in terms of inventory evaluation, we observed that there are four
approaches in practice to integrate supply chain network design with inventory placement. Based
on the survey results, we perceived four possible directions for the future in supply chain design
software development and business, which are hybridizing optimization and simulation, link with
operational systems, more frequent redesign in more various situations, and change in business
model.
Keywords: Supply chain design, commercial software, state of the art survey
