Supply Chain Management and Vulnerability

Modelling & Simulation is a critical technology in modelling complex logistics systems; so it is evident that food and especially fresh food supply chains represent a very interesting application area considering all the constraints and the variables interrelated: time-to-market, traceability, transport/storage conditions, handling, production/process control, demand variability, seasonal behaviours, etc. In effect food represents a strategic sector in the economic system for a lot of companies; to increase margins on some specific products such as red and white meat, fresh fish, fruits, vegetables, frozen foods and dairy products, an effective management of the costs of logistic operations and food preparation is needed. Such an approach speedup the distribution processes guaranteeing quick response with drastic cost reduction and it allows also to increases the useful lifetime of the goods, with clear benefits.