ABSTRACT
Manufacturing a finished product is only half the battle. The other half is getting products to an end user in a timely way. A complete supply chain includes raw material suppliers, manufacturing, and distribution to customers. The drum buffer rope (DBR) is only part of the solution. This entry describes how a Simplified Drum–Buffer–Rope (S‐DBR) production operation integrates seamlessly with the distribution end of the supply chain.The entry explains the process of adjusting the distributor stock buffers. This process is called “dynamic buffer management” (DBM). It's a key element for managing a huge number of different buffers since each item/location managed by a distributor requires a unique stock buffer. The size and complexity of distribution networks raise the need for automated management of changes.
