{"title":"On order smoothing interpolating the order-up-to and constant order policies","authors":"Geng Cui , Naoto Imura , Katsuhiro Nishinari , Takahiro Ezaki","doi":"10.1016/j.omega.2025.103326","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We investigate order smoothing by interpolating two well-known inventory replenishment policies: the order-up-to policy and the constant order policy, as a means to improve supply chain performance. Order smoothing mitigates the bullwhip effect, reducing the risk of order fluctuations and inventory fluctuations for upstream supply chain echelons. Based on a two-echelon supply chain model, we explore the conditions under which order smoothing becomes desirable compared to situations without order smoothing, focusing on customer demand characteristics and smoothing strength. Our analysis examines both sinusoidal and stochastic responses to provide two distinct yet interrelated perspectives: amplitude in the frequency domain and the time domain. We highlight the significant impact of auto-correlated demand processes, which are prevalent in practice and relevant literature, on the economic benefits of order smoothing. Furthermore, we demonstrate that our proposed policy is an extension of the well-studied proportional order-up-to policy and can outperform it in certain scenarios.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19529,"journal":{"name":"Omega-international Journal of Management Science","volume":"136 ","pages":"Article 103326"},"PeriodicalIF":6.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Omega-international Journal of Management Science","FirstCategoryId":"91","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305048325000520","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"MANAGEMENT","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
We investigate order smoothing by interpolating two well-known inventory replenishment policies: the order-up-to policy and the constant order policy, as a means to improve supply chain performance. Order smoothing mitigates the bullwhip effect, reducing the risk of order fluctuations and inventory fluctuations for upstream supply chain echelons. Based on a two-echelon supply chain model, we explore the conditions under which order smoothing becomes desirable compared to situations without order smoothing, focusing on customer demand characteristics and smoothing strength. Our analysis examines both sinusoidal and stochastic responses to provide two distinct yet interrelated perspectives: amplitude in the frequency domain and the time domain. We highlight the significant impact of auto-correlated demand processes, which are prevalent in practice and relevant literature, on the economic benefits of order smoothing. Furthermore, we demonstrate that our proposed policy is an extension of the well-studied proportional order-up-to policy and can outperform it in certain scenarios.
期刊介绍:
Omega reports on developments in management, including the latest research results and applications. Original contributions and review articles describe the state of the art in specific fields or functions of management, while there are shorter critical assessments of particular management techniques. Other features of the journal are the "Memoranda" section for short communications and "Feedback", a correspondence column. Omega is both stimulating reading and an important source for practising managers, specialists in management services, operational research workers and management scientists, management consultants, academics, students and research personnel throughout the world. The material published is of high quality and relevance, written in a manner which makes it accessible to all of this wide-ranging readership. Preference will be given to papers with implications to the practice of management. Submissions of purely theoretical papers are discouraged. The review of material for publication in the journal reflects this aim.