Effective design and management of supply chains assists in production and delivery of a variety of products at low cost, high quality, high service level, and short lead times. Thus, it is clear that these competitive criteria differ during the different phases of the product life cycle. To be effective, a firm’s supply chain design strategy should be governed by objectives that are different from traditional objectives, have a strategic orientation , select the efficient supply chain partners, and dynamically match the supply chain strategies. This book addresses the problem of designing a multi-level supply chain, while taking into consideration the product life cycle. Three main models have been developed in this study. These models should help compagnies and professionals in logistics to design their supply chain while respecting all the marketing criteria of the product, from the intoductory stage to the decline stage.
