Abstract
According to Thailand Textile Institute (2009), there was a consistent growth in silk based products over recent years. Silk represents a high value export from Thailand to international markets each year. The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (2010) however identified constraints that limit the expansion of Thailand’s silk, and silk products. Although there are number of academics studying in order to solve those constraints, there is still no critical research project which truly studies in-depth regarding the current major problems and constraints in the Silk industry. The modern logistics and supply chain model is required for the expansion of the Thai silk industry (Thailand Textile Industry, 2009).The goal of this thesis is to contribute towards developing a strategic supply chain and inventory model that support policy decisions of the Thai government and the key industrial decision makers. The research starts with the literature review of Thailand’s textile industry and the major markets. The Thai silk industry’s markets analysis, constraints, stakeholders, supply chains, and goals are then critically analysed. Case studies are developed based on eight representative Thai silk manufacturers in the experimental sections. Operational research (OR) models are used to measure efficiencies of the chosen Thai silk manufacturers’ suppliers and inventory management processes. Data is collected pertinent to the Thai silk industry. In terms of data analysis, an algebraic model is formulated and the techniques of: the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) for optimal decision making, Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) for measuring efficiency, and Goal programming (GP) for optimising planning decisions in the presence of multiple conflicting objectives are used to suggest optimal solutions. Finally, the research contributions suggest improvements in the decision making process of suppliers and inventory management with respect to the case studies. This will link to the best practice framework that can be used to positively impact the Thai silk industry further, depending on the Thai government and key decision makers’ requirements.
| Date of Award | Jan 2015 |
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| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisor | Dylan Jones (Supervisor) & Djamila Ouelhadj (Supervisor) |