Designing Supply Chains for New Product Development

Research and development (R&D) supply chains are often designed without the process discipline and rigor that typically characterize the development of products emerging from R&D programs. This book should help everyday supply chain practitioners involved in research and new product development, who are migrating their products to full commercialization. The book should also aid decision makers looking to improve the overall effectiveness and efficiency of their supply chain. When new products are developed, a significant divide typically emerges in trying to commercialize the product while attempting to meet project demands for cost, schedule, and quality. Simply put, in many cases the supply chains developed to accomplish R&D functions are usually woefully inadequate to meet the demands of large-scale commercial applications. This book recounts the real-world work efforts, rigor, and discipline used to transition from a supply chain supporting R&D functions to a world-class supply chain capable of supporting a multibillion-dollar hydrocarbon recovery project.