Speed

Speed in the context of supply chain operations takes the dimension of the value adding time in a particular process.  If you think of a supply chain in the simplest terms as a pipeline which through which materials, information, and money flow, than pipeline velocity could be calculated as the ratio of the sum of all value added steps cycle time divided by the total overall cycle time.

Velocity can be further divided into two different classes, or generations:

  • 1st Generation of Speed - straight line speed, or dragster
  • 2nd Generation of Speed - rally speed, or formula one