THE FUNCTIONING OF ECOSYSTEMS

This Chapter addresses SMEs that are qualified to perform complementary manufacturing activities as producers, subcontractors or suppliers. They are used to participate in different supply chains taking the form of networks where every node manages in turn its own supply chain. More precisely, there are at least three main models (or viewpoints) to take into account:  Medium-large company and its supply chain members. When issuing an order the medium-large company should select the most convenient supplier depending on factors like cost, lead time, capacity, supply conditions, distance. These factors are variable over time since every supply chain member has other customers and often its own supply chain to...