Models coordinating different stages of the supply chain can be classified as strategic, tactical or operational (Hax and Candea [55]). The model we study helps the companies to make strategic decisions related to production, inventory and
transportation. Several surveys in the literature address coordination issues. Vidal and Goetschalckx [102] addressed the issue of strategic production-distribution planning with emphasis on global supply chains. Beamon [12] presented models on
multi-stage supply chain design and analysis. Ereng¨u¸c et al. [30] surveyed models that integrate production and distribution planning. Thomas and Griffin [97] surveyed coordination models on strategic and operational planning.