Architecting Fail-safe
Supply Networks
Dr. Shabnam Rezapour, Prospective Faculty
Industrial Engineering Department
Abstract
Thursday, February 18, 2016 – 11:00 a.m.
EC 110
Disruptions are large-scale stochastic events that rarely happen but have a major effect on supply
networks’ topology. Some examples include: air traffic being suspended due to weather or
terrorism, labor unions strike, sanctions imposed or lifted, company mergers, etc. Variations are
small-scale stochastic events that frequently happen but only have a trivial effect on the efficiency
of flow planning in supply networks. Some examples include: fluctuations in market demands
(e.g. demand is always stochastic in competitive markets) and performance of production facilities
(e.g. there is not any perfect production system in reality).
A fail-safe supply network is one that mitigates the impact of variations and disruptions and
provides an acceptable level of service. This is achieved by keeping connectivity in its topology
against disruptions (structurally fail-safe) and coordinating the flow through the facilities against
variations (operationally fail-safe). In this talk, I will show that to have a structurally fail-safe
supply network, its topology should be robust against disruptions by positioning mitigation
strategies and be resilient in executing these strategies. Considering “Flexibility” as a risk
mitigation strategy, I answer the question “What are the best flexibility levels and flexibility speeds
for facilities in structurally fail-safe supply networks?” Also I will show that to have an
operationally fail-safe supply network, its flow dynamics should be reliable against demand- and
supply-side variations. In the presence of these variations, I answer the question “What is the most
profitable flow dynamics throughout a supply network that is reliable against variations?” The
method is verified using data from an engine maker. Findings include: i) there is a tradeoff
between robustness and resilience in profit-based supply networks; ii) this tradeoff is more stable
in larger supply networks with higher product supply quantities; and iii) supply networks with
higher reliability in their flow planning require more flexibilities to be robust. Finally, I will touch
upon possible extensions of the work into non-profit supply networks for disaster management – a
tentative topic for my NSF career proposal.
limited measurement data are available.
BIOGRAPHY
Shabnam Rezapour received her B.Sc. and M.Sc. degree in Industrial Engineering (IE) in 2004 and
2006 and her Ph.D. in Supply Chain Management (SCM) in 2010 from Amirkabir University of
Technology. From September 2010 till August 2012, she worked as an Assistant Professor in the
Department of Industrial Engineering at the Urmia University of Technology. In August 2012, she
joined Systems Realization Laboratory at the University of Oklahoma to obtain her second Ph.D.
under the mentorship of Professors Janet K. Allen and Farrokh Mistree. Her research interests
include architecting fail-safe networks, competitive supply chain network design, robust and
resilient transportation infrastructures, and disaster management. To date she has co-authored 2
books, 5 book chapters, 20 journal papers, and 11 conference papers.
February 24, 2015
11:00am
February 18, 2016
11:00 a.m.