ABSTRACT
When performing RAM (Reliability, Availability, Maintainability) analyses, the scope is limited to the production facility rather than the complete supply chain. This is due to the different nature of batch type processes of e.g. downstream shipping, which generally require other methods than traditional RAM. By disjointed analyses of several interconnected parts in the supply chain, one runs the risk of using different bases for assumptions, inconsistent data sets, double counting some effects and missing other effects. Moreover, there is a tendency to treat dependent elements as independent. By building a complete supply chain model, dependencies and dynamics between the different parts are ensured along with a better foundation for genuinely optimizing projects.
