| name | supply-chain-core |
| description | Shared reference for the supply-chain cluster: the service-level vs landed-cost trade-off that every function optimizes, the SCOR stage map, the buffer/constraint model, common units (OTIF, fill rate, lead time, total landed cost), and the escalation matrix. USE WHEN setting safety stock, accepting a freight rate, sequencing production, or making a disposition/clearance call — the one objective all spokes share. |
| cluster | supply-chain |
| version | 1.0.0 |
Supply-Chain Core
Shared model for the supply-chain cluster. Planning, make, deliver, and return spokes all
optimize the same objective with different levers — keep the trade-off, the units, and the
escalation rules consistent here so no spoke contradicts another.
1. The decision this cluster turns on
Every supply-chain choice is the same trade-off: protect the customer promise at the
lowest total landed cost, given a binding constraint.
maximize Service (OTIF / fill rate / on-time)
minimize Total landed cost (unit + freight + duty + inventory-holding + risk)
subject to the binding constraint of the stage (capacity · bottleneck · lead time · duty · demand variability)
buffered by a deliberate reserve (safety stock · capacity slack · lead-time pad · QA hold)
- Service is the promise you must not silently break — measured as OTIF, fill rate, on-time delivery, or quality acceptance.
- Total landed cost is the whole cost, not unit price: freight, duty, holding, expedite, scrap, and the cost of a stockout. Cheaper-per-unit that blows up landed cost or service is a false saving.
- The binding constraint differs by stage — name it before you optimize, because you can only buy service by spending on the active constraint.
- The buffer is how you absorb variability. Every buffer (safety stock, capacity reserve, lead-time pad, inspection hold) is a priced decision: more buffer = more service + more cost. State it.
Rule: never move service for unit-cost (or unit-cost for service) without saying so; always
identify the binding constraint first; treat any buffer change as a cost-and-risk decision worth naming.
2. The SCOR backbone (which spoke owns the stage)
PLAN ───────> SOURCE ──────> MAKE ──────────> DELIVER ─────────> RETURN
│ │ │ │ │
inventory- energy- production- carrier-relationship- returns-
demand- procurement scheduling + management + reverse-
planning (utilities) quality- logistics-exception- logistics
nonconformance management +
customs-trade-compliance
- Plan sets the demand signal and buffers that everything downstream consumes.
- Source secures inputs (materials via the buyer; utilities via
energy-procurement).
- Make converts inputs (sequence + bottleneck via scheduling; conformance via quality).
- Deliver moves goods (capacity + rates; in-transit recovery; cross-border clearance).
- Return brings goods back and recovers value (disposition, refund, warranty).
3. Shared conventions & units
- Service metrics: OTIF (on-time-in-full) is the default promise; fill rate for inventory; on-time % for transit; first-pass yield / acceptance for quality. Quote the metric, not a vibe.
- Cost: always total landed cost (unit + freight + duty/tariff + holding + risk/expedite). Inventory holding ≈ 18–28%/yr of value unless told otherwise.
- Time: lead time = order → receipt; cycle time = start → finish of one unit/job; quote mean and variability — buffers exist to cover the variability, not the mean.
- Buffers: safety stock (inventory), capacity reserve (make), lead-time pad (deliver), QA/inspection hold (quality). One word for the same idea: deliberate slack against variability.
- Hard stops (never trade away): restricted-party / sanctions hits, safety or regulatory quality holds, missing legally-required documentation. These are gates, not optimizations.
4. Cross-cutting matrix (stage × constraint × buffer × spoke)
| Stage | Typical binding constraint | The buffer you tune | Service metric | Spoke |
|---|
| Plan | Demand variability | Safety stock | Fill rate | inventory-demand-planning |
| Source (utilities) | Price/tariff exposure | Hedge / contract term | $/unit stability | energy-procurement |
| Make — schedule | Bottleneck capacity | Capacity reserve, WIP | Schedule attainment | production-scheduling |
| Make — quality | Defect/escape rate | Inspection / QA hold | First-pass yield | quality-nonconformance |
| Deliver — capacity | Carrier capacity | Backup carriers, slack | Tender acceptance, OTIF | carrier-relationship-management |
| Deliver — recovery | Exception/dwell time | Lead-time pad, expedite | On-time recovery | logistics-exception-management |
| Deliver — cross-border | Duty / clearance time | Broker, FTA, bonded buffer | Clearance on-time | customs-trade-compliance |
| Return | Recovery value vs cost | Disposition policy | Recovery rate, cycle | returns-reverse-logistics |
5. Escalation discipline (shared)
Each spoke defines its own thresholds; the shared rule is escalate before you absorb risk
quietly. Trip an escalation when: a buffer breaches its floor (stockout imminent, no backup
carrier, capacity overcommitted), a hard stop fires (compliance/quality/safety), landed cost or
service deviates beyond plan tolerance, or a single decision exceeds the function's authority
(rate increase, write-off, disposition value, duty exposure). State the trade-off and the
constraint when you escalate — the decision is the same shape regardless of stage.
6. Shared guardrails
- Protect the promise: don't trade OTIF/fill-rate for unit savings without naming it (and vice versa).
- Name the binding constraint before optimizing — you can only buy service on the active constraint.
- Price every buffer: safety stock, capacity reserve, lead-time pad, QA hold are cost-and-risk decisions, not free.
- Total landed cost, always — never let cheaper-per-unit hide freight, duty, holding, or stockout cost.
- Honor hard stops: restricted-party, safety/quality holds, regulatory docs are gates, not trade-offs.
- Escalate on threshold breach, don't absorb risk silently; carry the trade-off + constraint into the escalation.
