Risk in Manufacturing Supply Networks

In recent years, various trends such as just-in-time delivery, shorter product lifecycles, outsourcing, or lean management strategies have changed the way supply networks are administered. The implementation of these philosophies promises an improvement of the company's performance, but at the same time may lead to a reduction of redundant stocks and operational slack. Companies are therefore increasingly exposed to the risk profile of their supply network and managing this risk is gaining in importance in a tightly interconnected global and competitive business environment. To manage and alleviate potential negative impacts, supply risk management aims to prevent failure and disruptions and the adverse effects arising from the upstream supply chain from having negative impact on inbound supply performance. The focus of this doctoral thesis is on supply risk within manufacturing supply networks. Particularly in this industrial sector, where the value added by a company is often less than one third, supply risk management is increasingly gaining in importance. Nevertheless, there is a lack of systematic approaches to supply risk management. To advance the development of a comprehensive approach in the manufacturing industry, this dissertation addresses three corresponding aspects: Supply disruption impact assessment, supply risk identification as well as the development of a measurement instrument to evaluate supply risk exposure of manufacturing companies.