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Abstract
Agri‐food companies increasingly participate in demand‐driven supply chains that are able to adapt flexibly to
changes in the marketplace. The objective of this presentation is to discuss a process modelling framework,
which enhances the interoperability and agility of information systems as required in such dynamic supply
chains. The designed framework consists of two parts: an object system definition and a modelling toolbox. The
object system definition provides a conceptual definition of business process in demand‐driven supply chains
from a systems perspective. It includes an application of the Viable Systems Model of Stafford Beer to supply
chains, and classifications of business processes, control systems and coordination mechanisms. The modelling
toolbox builds on the terminology and process definitions of SCOR and identifies three types of process models:
i) Product Flow Models: visualize the allocation of basic transformations to supply chain actors and the related
product flows from input material into end products (including different traceability units based on the GS1
Global Traceability Standard);
ii) Thread Diagrams: visualize how order‐driven and forecast‐driven processes are decoupled in specific supply
chain configurations (positions Customer Order Decoupling Points), and how interdependences between
processes are coordinated;
iii) Business Process Diagrams: depict the sequence and interaction of control and coordination activities (as
identified in Thread Diagrams) in BPMN notation.
The framework is applied to several agri‐food sectors, in particular potted plants and fruit supply chains. The
main benefits are:
i) It helps to map supply chain processes, including its control and coordination, in a timely, punctual and
coherent way;
ii) It supports a seamless translation of high‐level supply chain designs to detailed information engineering
models;
iii) It enables rapid instantiation of various supply chain configurations (instead of dictating a single blueprint);
iv) It combines sector‐specific knowledge with reuse of knowledge provided by generic cross‐industry
standards (SCOR, GS1).