Co-ordination and integration mechanisms to manage logistics processes across supply networks

Literature on supply chain management (SCM) emphasises the importance of co-ordination and integration mechanisms to manage logistics processes successfully across supply networks. This requires managers to (1) know the driver variables that must be addressed, since they determine how such processes can be designed and managed; and (2) understand how co-ordination and integration mechanisms interact with such variables and—as a consequence—with logistics processes. The paper addresses the second issue, as it tries to explain how logistics processes can be structured and controlled across supply networks by leveraging coordination and integration mechanisms, with consequences for strategic and operational choices for both the individual companies and the whole supply network. This issue has been investigated by analysing three case-studies of SCM interventions on logistics processes across different supply networks, involving central firms as well as several suppliers and customers.