| > https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Materials-Management-Ste... Thank you I'll check that out in addition to the Simchi book > If you're highly technical and would like to learn how to abstract and solve some of the hardest problems in supply chain management, I would actually look into the field of Operations Research. It is basically mathematical modeling and optimization of real world operational and logistics problems. I recently took the SIAM Math Modeling Works Challenge [1] and actually found that quite enjoyable, so Operations Research sounds great. [1] = https://m3challenge.siam.org/ > In order for the pattern to appear, there have to be independent actors with cascading delays in the aquisition of information about the future, and a mismatch in the ability to stop production (decelerate) and start production (accelerate). That makes sense, that's a cool connection between this bullwhip effect and the traffic wave. > The cars closest to it stop extremely fast but then accelerate slower than they decelerated. Aaah, so if I understand correctly, since it takes more time for them to get back up to their previous speed, each group of cars receives information to stay stopped for longer than they do to start moving again, and thus the traveling wave effect grows between each group of cars. I'm assuming however, this is the case for each group of cars acting as one unit, and there is no all seeing central coordination of all the car groups on the highway. > The supply chain parallel problem emphasizes the importance of inventory. Running super lean on inventory can mean lower costs and higher throughput, but it exacerbates the bullwhip effect substantially. I guess if you don't have that buffer for absorbing shock the bullwhip effect is stronger? I haven't read about what the lean production model is, so I'm probably just talking out my ass here, I'll keep this in mind when I'm reading that Womack 'Lean Thinking' book then. |