Ch 1

In the current context, there are three main reasons for the use of supply chains according to
Lummus and Voturka, Pires and Carretero Díaz, which is a necessity in the business context, because
they are becoming less vertically integrated, more specialized and looking for suppliers that can
guarantee the supply with high quality components at a low price [1,2]. Integration in the supply
chain is a term that transits from the interrelation of the processes and internal flows of each
company, to the combination of the processes and flows of multiple actors; where these processes
are aligned according to the chain's strategy, with the objective of satisfying the client [3, 4]. Villareal
Solís and Gómez Romero, mention that the integration has two perspectives: vertical and
horizontal.In the first case, the nodes of the chain accept the fact that it is a single entity (virtual
company) that collects and transmits the information to others nodes to develop the corresponding
processes [5]. Secondly, and as a more current trend, it is considered a horizontal collaboration,
where each node is related to what it deems appropriate and, according to needs, creates
collaborative relationships or not [6]. An integration node is defined as: a point of interaction in
supply chains to obtain a joint result, where several actors interconnect through material,
informational and financial flows, to provide products and services to customers [ 7]. López Lira
classifies integration as: centralized and decentralized. In the first, decisions are made independently
in each of the integration nodes of supply chains, while in the second there is a global manager that
coordinates decisions along the chain [8, 9]. In both classifications, the labor competencies of the
human potential influence the decision-making of each actor in the supply chain. There are stages of
integration development based on complexity, such as: allocation, where resources are allocated;
market negotiations, include discussions focused on price and relationships as partners and
adversaries; a posteriori the association where economic agreements are established; followed by
the cooperation that seeks to establish long-term contracts with few suppliers; the coordination that
establishes the sharing of information through the different ways of information and
communications technology; until collaboration is established, where chain integration is
manifested, joint planning is carried out and technology is shared [2]. The assignment is included as
an integration stage in this article. Where the definition, selection and adoption of a strategy that
guides the actors of the supply chain towards integration is essential, to contribute to the
improvement of the satisfaction of the final customers.

Ch 2

Integration Strategies

In the literature, various classifications of types of strategies coexist: functional, relative to the life
cycle of the company, competitive, by sectors, integration, growth, alliance or cooperation, supply
chain, breakdown, offensive, defensive , to compete in foreign markets, electronic commerce,
before the change, and synergy, Table 1.

After the analysis of the different types of strategies, it is concluded that there are no types of
strategies that favor collaborative planning, although it is possible to use some elements of the
existing classifications in the consulted bibliography. Although Alvarez Marín's study explains
integration strategies in a company [18], they follow the individual and non-holistic approach among
all the actors in the chain. Depending on the type of strategy and the level of service guaranteed by
the supply chain, it is defined what demand is met by the actors in the chain.
Matrix for the selection of collaborative planning strategies

From the study of the bibliography, it is concluded that there are no defined types or classifications
of strategies based on the existing conditions for collaborative planning in supply chains. From this
previous conclusion, the matrix is constructed that relates the possible types of strategies and the
levels of integration in the chain, table 2. There are coincidences in the definitions of the term level
of integration in the supply chain: first that is traveled from the interrelation of the processes and
internal flows of each company, to the combination of the processes and flows of multiple actors;
second, that these processes are aligned according to the chain's strategy, with the objective of
satisfying the client [19, 20]. The levels of integration begin from the allocation of resources by a
government agency or the state, to collaboration between the actors in the chain, through
negotiation, association, cooperation and coordination.

Table 2

The matrix allows, depending on the level of integration in which the supply chain is, the strategy
approach, by default, in collaborative planning. It is proposed as a measurement scale to use if the
result is greater than zero and less than or equal to one, "Very Low Level"; greater than one and less
than or equal to two, "Low Level"; greater than two and less than or equal to three, "Medium Level",
greater than three and less than or equal to four, "High Level" and greater than four and less than or
equal to five, "Very High Level".

Therefore, if the NPC is very low, it is in the allocation stage; if the NPC is low, it is in one of the
negotiation or association stages; if the NPC is average, it is in the cooperation stage; If the NPC is
high, it is in coordination and if the NPC is very high, it is located in collaboration. As the level of
integration increases, the previous stages are contained, and the types of strategies for each stage
are defined in correspondence with the level of collaborative planning. As the level of integration
increases, the previous stages are contained, and the types of strategies for each stage are defined
in correspondence with the level of collaborative planning. In stage V, coordination is invalidated if
information is not shared. At level VI, collaboration is invalidated by not planning together and
having a low integration in the supply chain. Therefore, each stage leads to a predetermined way
associated with a type of strategy as fundamental or of greater magnitude to be implemented.
However, it is feasible that elements associated with strategies characteristic of previous stages are
still in force. In levels I, II and III, which contemplate the same value of the NPC, the type of strategy
to be defined is defined according to the specific characteristics of each stage of the integration.
Therefore, it is recommended first, apply the NPC and second, the determination of the type of
strategy. From the above it can also be seen that the NPC has a dual character as a diagnostic tool
and a measure of the level of collaborative planning. The first, because it is a diagnostic tool, even
though there are no collaborative planning agreements and the second because it is a measure of
the level of collaborative planning after carrying out the joint business plan.

The diagnostic tool to measure the NPC, consists of a modified checklist [21], composed of 91
elements, supported by the variables defined by VICS. namely: collaborative planning, collaborative
forecasting, collaborative replenishment and collaborative performance [22]. In the instrument, the
measurement scale is changed from one to five. The items in some cases are quantitative and in
others qualitative. The former have an ordinal scale, from one to three, in the investigation the
median is used for the evaluation of the items [23]. The latter have a nominal scale, which varies
according to the type of question, and the analysis is carried out according to the frequency, the
value that presents the highest percentage; where the analyst interprets the results in relation to his
experience and the collaborative planning approach. For the work with the matrix, the first row at
the top identifies the level of integration of the chain, and the boxes with values equal to three in
the column are selected, and then the possible types are selected to the left of strategies to follow
along the chain. The joint strategic objectives are determined to meet the types of collaborative
planning strategies, Table 3.

Table 3

It is necessary to clarify, that management philosophies coexist that can be used in the type of
strategy of joint planning and integration of the supply chain, and result: the Efficient Response to
the Consumer, the Inventory Managed by the Seller, the Continuous Replenishment and the
Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment.

Conclusions

The integral management of the supply chain is one of the topics that becomes more important
every day within the business environment, given its relevance, configuration and development of
business networks. Reason why, today the underlying logic of the dynamic alignment structure, is
that companies need to be integrated with their customers or markets in the context of a prevailing
operating environment. The power of this structure lies in its ability to reveal the interaction
between customer needs, helping to formulate appropriate response strategies, and then the
successful execution of those strategies by the relevant leadership, through the formation of cultural
capabilities internal, for this it is necessary to understand the fundamental needs of customers and
their corresponding dominant buying behaviors, as well as reduce their delivery times [1].

Given the importance of logistics requirements, which goes beyond a simple infrastructure, because
it involves the management of physical products and services, financial flow and information derived
from the point of origin to consumption, It is intended in this article, to describe the main factors,
internal and external elements, as well as the processes of the supply chain of a hypermarket in
Barranquilla, comprising this as the set of information flows, financial and physical that unite the
Suppliers of suppliers. Likewise, the importance of the supply chain will be established, based on its
proper management in modern supply chain supply schemes and the essence of organizational
success with approaches in Supply Chain Management that many companies present worldwide,
due to its dynamic alignment, in areas such as purchasing, marketing and distribution.

Recommendations

MPS system

The MPS or Master Production Plan is a production planning and purchasing tool of any company, it
is in charge of planning the products that have an independent demand, that is, it comes directly
from the sales orders, projections of future sales or stocks. With the application of the MPS, planning
and forecasting of all the details of the operations carried out through the MPS are carried out.
MPR system

It is a planning tool for the production and purchasing management of the company, it is in charge of
planning the products that have a dependent demand that is to say those that are necessary to
manufacture a main product. With its application, it is controlled and coordinated so that the
materials are available when necessary without falling into excessive inventory.

Logistic Planning

Logistic planning comprises three levels of planning: the first is strategic planning which has as its
main objective to decide which will be the distribution model that the company will use to obtain
the necessary resources to produce Within this level are the factories and suppliers. The second
level is tactical planning which has the fundamental objective of making use of the resources
generated in strategic planning. The last level is the operational planning in which the strategy to
efficiently use the resources used is defined. Within this level is the distribution provisioning
schedule, carrier assignment, route programming.

Logistics Information Systems

They are systems whose main objective is the collection of logistics information for decision making
within the logistics process. Provides information in an agile and updated way working under three
levels.

1. Level of basic data processing: Corresponds to the entry of information into the system 2. Level of
data analysis: Performed by the system using algorithms 3. Decision level: It is the level at which the
decision relevant to optimization is made of the logistics process

Cross docking

As can be seen in Figure No. 10, Cross Docking is a strategy that is based on the continuous flow of
products, with its implementation benefits are achieved such as: Cost savings, Fast transportation
and customer support. The Cross Docking strategy is characterized by having a storage time of less
than 24 hours, as soon as the goods are received, they are dispatched or sent to picking (order
preparation)

External integration mechanisms in agribusiness chains

For this review the coordination, collaboration and cooperation mechanisms are assumed as efforts
to achieve an adequate integration of the CS agents. The literature has reported important research
on coordination and integration mechanisms, despite this, there are few studies on external
integration mechanisms applied to cases with perishable products [64]. The classification adopted
for this review is related to the mechanisms categorized by [31], which are: contracts in the CS, joint
decision making, information exchange and information technology (Table IV).

Contracts

The use of contracts for the integration of the supply chain improves relations between the links in
the chain and allows better risk management due to fluctuations in inventories and prices. The
contract can be defined as an agreement between two parties, it is a set of clauses that offer
adequate information, turning it into an incentive to guarantee the integration and improvement of
the CS's performance [65]. Additionally, the contracts specify parameters such as: quantity, quality,
time and price, so that the supplier fully complies with the buyer's order [31]; That is why it is one of
the mechanisms of greatest use in agribusiness chains in general [32], allowing to directly improve
the level of efficiency and sustainability in the agribusiness CS [66]. Contracts often offer farmers
important benefits, such as reducing costs associated with uncertain income flows, can facilitate the
transfer of new production technologies, including advances in genetics, nutritional services,
fertilizers and pest control. Contracts can reduce processing costs and provide consumers with more
affordable products [67].

Joint Decision Making

Joint decision making helps resolve conflicts between the members of the CS [31]. The main
mechanisms for joint decision-making, which are considered within the review, are the inventory
managed by the seller and collaborative, prognostic and replenishment planning [31] [43]. Confusion
persists about the number of members, levels of investment and duration of optimal relationships
[55]. The Vendor-Managed Inventory (VMI) is an integration mechanism that improves the efficiency
of the CS at the level of suppliers, buyers and customers [68]. The supplier assumes responsibility for
maintaining certain levels of inventory and generating purchase orders for replenishment of
customer inventory. However, the need arises to be able to share information and ´ increase
visibility and transparency throughout the CS; thus, the VMI and the EDI were combined [55]. For
this reason, the use of VMI generally implies the use of software where the demand forecasts and
information costs, risk parameters, exchange of common objectives and levels of responsibility are
shared. established between the buyer and the supplier [31].

The CPFR (Collaborative Planning Forecasting and Replenishment) ´ originated in 1995, when a pilot
project was carried out between Wal-Mart, Warner-Lambert, ´ Benchmarking paterns, SAP and
Manugistics, resulting in a model called “forecasting and replenishing inventory collaboratively” [69].
It is a collaborative strategy between two parts or more of the CS, which seeks to jointly plan a series
of promotional activities and develop joint forecasts. If suppliers have a better visibility of retailers
'sales forecasts, then they can better plan their operation, and if they have better visibility of
retailers' orders, suppliers can better plan their replenishment [ 70]. In agribusiness chains ´ the
implementation of collaborative strategies such as CPFR allow balancing demand ´ with supply
throughout the chain, from farmers to customers [71].