Recently, Infor made available software licenses of its SCM Network Design, a supply chain planning and analysis, to the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics (CTL). MIT-CTL, recognized as an international leader in supply chain education and research, will use the network design in its research on supply chain design, including how to measure and reduce carbon emissions.
"Organizations seek more efficient and sustainable supply chains to
promote their environmental stewardship and to offset rising fuel costs. Our research goals include understanding how to measure carbon as a variable in the supply chain as well as identifying practices that improve overall efficiency in supply chain design," said Dr. Edgar Blanco, research director, Carbon-efficient Supply Chains Project, MI-CTL. "Technology will play a pivotal role in helping us achieve sustainable supply chains, and we expect Infor SCM Network Design to contribute to our research and curriculum in this area."
Infor SCM Network Design is utilized by manufacturers, distributors and third-party logistics providers to model their supply chains to maximize efficiencies in costs, customer service and carbon impact. As supply chains become larger and more complex, organizations must continually evaluate their supply chains based on their strategic goals, as well as tune their designs for dynamic events, such as rapidly fluctuating fuel costs. Infor SCM Network Design allows companies to holistically factor sustainability criteria, such as carbon emissions related to nodes, including plants, warehouses and stores, as well as transport modes like rail, air, trucking, and ocean freight into their supply chain decisions.