Managing time and complexity in supply chains: two cases from the textile industry

Abstract

Introduction of new products often challenges existing supply chains as they might not be suitable to meet changing requirements. This is especially true if additional criteria are to be met, such as, environmentally-sound production. Among others, this can be attributed to two issues, one being the management of time, the second the management of complexity. The paper addresses the question of how time and complexity affect the introduction of green products. First, a brief description of supply chain, time and complexity management will be given. Next, the product-relationship matrix as a conceptual approach to supply chain management will be used to structure the discussion of time and complexity effects in a supply chain. Third, two case studies will be presented taking organic cotton at OTTO, a mail-order business, and eco-polyester at Steilmann, an apparel producer, as examples. The comparison of the two supply chains provides valuable insights into the problems and how they might be overcome.