A maturity model for industrial supply chains

This article takes an evolutionary view of supply chains to suggest a series of distinct, contextual phases for supply chain execution and what maturity might mean at each phase. For example, what is best practice in a mature industry might not be best practice in a pioneering situation.Three industry examples—from the automotive, electronics, and shipbuilding industries—are used to illustrate different phases through which supply chains can evolve and how each phase can differ in the details. Each phase of evolution is described and a preliminary taxonomy is presented to set up a maturity model for industrial supply chains. The model is based on six steps of which the first three are regional and concern initial sourcing, chain organization, and expansion. The next three steps concern international and global operations with chain restructuring and redesign, resulting in lean supply chain management.