1.2.1 Material flow
The aim within a supply chain must be to keep materials flowing from source to end-customer. The time dimension in Figure 1.4 suggests that parts are moved through the supply chain as quickly as possible. And in order to prevent local build-ups of inventory, flow must be orchestrated so that parts move in a coordinated fashion. The term often used is synchronous. Caterpillar Inc. makes complex earth-moving equipment, and there are literally thousands of component parts and subassemblies that must come together in the final assembly processes. The vision is that parts and subassemblies should flow continuously through the supply chain, all orchestrated like a ballet (Knill, 1992: 54):