Differentiation point of metal sheet in the distribution channel - Context of the resilience

The identification and assessment of the frequency and the power of the influence as well as the results of disruptions, are essential problems noticed both by practitioners and theoreticians of flow management in supply chains. They are part of a widely discussed problem of the resilience of a supply chain. The sensitivity to disruptions of supply chains is growing along with the growth of the customization of products. Customization of products, moved from the manufacturing company to the distribution channel, is a chance of reducing disruptions resulting from the uncertainty of orders. Consequently, research into strategies of strengthening the resilience of the supply chain is important and up-to-date. This paper discusses the strategy of strengthening the resilience through production postponement and building network relations with subcontractors and participants of distribution channels. Two variants of this strategy were considered and their limitations were indicated: customization in trading company and customization in logistics service provider. Due to the aim of the research, attention was focused on the material decoupling point of the supply chain: assemble-to-order. The adopted research procedure consists of the following stages: the identification and the analysis of disruptions (the diary method, the statistical analysis of the obtained results), analysis of the effects of disruptions, evaluation of the reliability of logistics processes and sensitivity analysis of policy options to fluctuations in demand (simulation modelling in the technique of dynamics of systems). Empirical studies concerned the flow of the chosen smelting product - sheet in coils.