A multi-period supply chain design with product life cycle considerations

Effective design and management of supply chains assists in production and delivery of a variety of products at low cost, high quality, high service level, and short lead times. Thus, it is clear that these competitive criteria differ during the different phases of the product life cycle. To be effective, a firm´s supply chain design strategy should be governed by objectives that are different from traditional objectives, have a strategic orientation , select the efficient supply chain partners, and dynamically match the supply chain strategies. This paper presents a two-phase mathematical programming approach for effective supply chain design with a total cost minimization, while considering the different product life cycle stages.