Managing Multiple Schedule Releases
in a Collaborative Manufacturing Supply Chain

Mary J. Meixell
School of Management, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia
mmeixell@gmu.edu

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Production and inventory plans are often coordinated in manufacturing supply chains through schedule releases that are regularly and continually updated over time. This research investigates the influence of these multiple schedule releases on supply chain performance, and evaluates scheduling policies where uncertainty in demand is universal across the supply chain. Earlier work contributes to our understanding of this subject relative to the distribution segments of the supply chain and for make-to-stock production systems, and generally when no forecast information is shared between the stages. Here, a multi-level, multi-period lot-sizing model describes a collaborative environment where producers and suppliers share demand forecasts and integrate their production planning decisions, but where demand throughout the supply chain remains uncertain. Using empirical and analytical methods, we show that the common practice of using the most recent scheduling release from end item producers has a negative impact on supply chain performance.

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