A supply chain is the network of organizations—be they military, government, or private sector—involved in creating and delivering a product or service to a customer or consumer. RAND research on the management of supply chains has focused on both the efficiency and the security of civilian and military supply chains, with reports covering freight modernization, rail capacity and security, fuel taxes, and container inspection at ports.
Report
China is the controlling producer of 11 raw and semi-finished critical materials and has instituted export restrictions that create pressure to move manufacturing to China. Action is needed to mitigate the impact of such market distortions on the global manufacturing sector.
Report
Reviews the Army's achievements in implementing best purchasing and supply management practices and describes how this progress compares with that of leading commercial enterprises.
Report
Provides a guide for the design and improvement of Department of Defense supply chain policy, structure, and management practices, along with associated opportunities for efficiency gains.
Commentary
The way forward is not for the government to say no to outsourcing of sensitive functions, but to think carefully about which efficiency savings are real and which are, instead, a result of introducing a far greater degree of risk, writes James Gilbert.
Commentary
It is good that the congressmen have asked the Obama administration to revisit supply chain security. However, precipitous changes to how the global supply chain operates do not seem warranted, may not in fact improve security, and could have costly unintended consequences, writes Henry Willis.
Report
Congestion within the U.S. freight system has increased dramatically in the past few decades, costing travelers, consumers, and businesses billions of dollars each year. A federal policy is offered to address the challenges faced by the U.S. freight network in an environment dominated by declining revenues and public resistance to increasing taxes.
Report
Assesses the Air Force's Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) program, which seeks to help reduce the costs of logistics operations and improve their performance, and recommends actions that the Air Force could take to improve its SRM program.
Research Brief
Describes the methodology used to develop resource allocation and forward positioning recommendations for the sustainment stock portion of Army pre-positioned stocks, given a specific scenario and budget.
Report
Examines ways to improve the Army's system for the distribution of supplies to home station units via the scheduled truck service from the Strategic Distribution Platforms.
Research Brief
Examines whether there is a less costly medical distribution structure for U.S. Central Command that would maintain or improve performance.
Research Brief
Discusses how to design a distribution network that takes advantage of the respective strengths of different modes of transportation to meet combatant command needs while minimizing total supply chain costs.
Report
Examines whether there is a less costly medical distribution structure for U.S. Central Command that would maintain or improve performance.
Report
Alternative approaches to storing combat support materiel might provide better support to deploying forces in an expeditionary environment that features frequent force projections, of varying sizes and of unknown durations, to wide-ranging locations.
Past Event
This RAND Supply Chain Policy Center Symposium on Modernizing the U.S. Freight Transportation System for Future Economic Growth will present recent findings on supply chain sustainability, and will offer several promising policy and investment alternatives to address identified challenges.
Report
Describes approaches to modernizing the U.S. freight-transportation system that require whole-system modeling, engagement of all stakeholders, and an understanding of the interdependence between local and national costs and benefits.
Report
Discusses how to design a distribution network that takes advantage of the respective strengths of different modes of transportation to meet combatant command needs while minimizing total supply chain costs.
Report
To help the Air Force assess the effectiveness of its purchasing and supply-chain management initiative, the authors have developed an econometric model to help isolate the effects of this initiative from those of other possible influences.
Report
Expenditures on purchased goods and services constitute large and growing portions of the budgets for most enterprises. The authors offer a set of steps for managing these, synthesized from the literature for analyzing total spending on commodities.
News Release
May 9, 2007 news release: RAND Supply Chain Policy Center to Research Critical Issues in Freight Transportation.
Project
The RAND Supply Chain Policy Center conducts research that helps the public and private sectors address critical issues in freight transportation to the U.S., North American, and international economies.
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