Integrated Logistics and Value Chain Management (A new model approach to value chains)

In an ongoing research project between researchers from SINTEF and participants from a builder’s merchants value chain in Norway, we try to come up with a method and a management model for development and implementation of integrated logistics value chains. Our hope is that this method and model can be used to handle generic cases of logistics integration. During the project work we have identified the need for a new consideration approach to value chains. With basis in Porter’s enterprise model, other relevant theory and from discussions and reflections with the representatives from the involved companies, we have moved towards a process oriented model for such value chains and have in that work uncovered some, in our minds, interesting findings about the model. This paper presents the process-oriented model, some characteristics of the model, how we came to that result and our arguments for this kind of approach to the value chain. Keywords: Logistics, value chain, strategic level, management, model