Supply Chain Management

Planning and organising of value added processes can be optimized by supply chain management. Therefore, creating a virtual supply chain organization (VISCO) is suggested. The main tasks are building up a specific organization for the collaboration, applying modern information and communication technologies, and implementing innovative logistics systems in the VISCO. Furthermore, it is necessary to harmonize the different plans of the companies involved. With the help of a special value added management in the VISCO it is possible to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the value added process significantly.

Most supply chain controlling approaches found in literature still focus on a single company instead of an entire net and thus do not live up to their promises. This article points out several problems that require the transition to the bird’s eye view and briefly introduces concepts that are truly inter-organizational in their nature. We close with a critical evaluation of what has been achieved in this field.