Information sharing for replenishment planning and control in fresh food supply chains: a planning environment perspective

This study explores how fresh food processors’ planning environment characteristics (PECs) affect the information sharing in supply chains during replenishment planning and control (RP&C). The research design is a multiple case study covering a triadic supply chain with five fresh food product (FFP) processors, one wholesaler and nine retail stores. The analysis investigates how the product-, demand-, supply- and production-related PECs affect the material requirements planning and master production scheduling at the FFP processors. Further, it investigates how these affect information sharing at a product level. The findings propose a means to differentiate the information sharing in a supply chain at a product level, rather than differentiation based on demand type or processor which currently dominates the field. The study derives propositions regarding appropriate frequency, timing, direction, modality, content and dynamism of information sharing during RP&C.