Supply chain networks
I'm starting this to enhance our understanding of networks that are created basically to coordinate supply chains. This affects (at least) our model in terms of processes/plans/scenarios and how the nesting of those work; and scopes of the pieces of the network flows which affect responsibility and accounting.
This is immediately triggered by work with the NY Textile Labs network. Some features:
- A fairly small set of types of processes: designing, farming, scouring, spinning, knitting, delivering, and maybe a couple more. Mostly, but not always (mills), a separate agent is engaged in one of these types of processes.
- The designers plan the whole supply chain for themselves for each of their products.
- The designers do a lot of the coordination.
- The designers own the materials, starting with the output from the farms (wool, alpaca, etc.)
- The designers want to coordinate with each other to combine orders to meet minimums, arrange joint delivery, etc.
- It is unlikely that the nodes in the supply chain will manage their internal processes using the software system, but it could happen.
We have worked with one other supply chain network within the broad VF ecosystem: Driftless Herbal Exchange Network (now defunct). Features:
- The network included growers, harvesters, drying sites, sellers.
- It was coordinated by a small group of admins, who did all the software work, and tended to be materially involved in all steps in some way. For example, a harvest would be organized for a number of harvesters, and the person who ran a drying site would weigh and record all the fresh herbs on the spot and take them to dry.
- The materials were sold to an agent in the next process. Mostly the growers gave herbs away or they were wild foraged, but if not, the harvester would pay the grower; when the drying site took the harvested herbs, they committed to pay a predetermined price for them.
@bhaugen it would be useful for you to document how it worked for some of the corporate use cases you are familiar with.