Module IV - Chain management

Module coordinator

Dr. Jacques H. Trienekens

To build and sustain strong pork production chains, chain-wide coordination and quality management is needed.

The European pork industry is characterised by a number of inefficiencies  

• Large differences in quality management systems exist between countries and different stages of the supply chain. Each level of the food chain focuses on specific quality aspects in their own link
• The quality management approach is uni-disciplinary rather than multi-disciplinary. Microbiological research into carcass contamination in the processing plant takes no account of consumer behaviour 
• Distribution and storage of pork and pork products is mainly characterised by inefficiencies, such as long transportation distances, leading to losses in product value, high environmental load and low animal welfare
• Many European pork chains are characterised by lack of trust and obscure contracts, leading to sub-optimisation in the chain and loss of customer value
• Existing information infrastructures are fragmented with insufficient support chain logistics optimisation, integrated chain quality management and fork-to-farm traceability
• Innovation in products and processes do not match well with differentiated market demands.

To tackle these challenges, a multi-disciplinary approach to the problems that confront the European pork industry is needed, encompassing the animal sciences, agricultural production systems, food technology, economics, environmental assessment, management and marketing.

The work in module IV is closely related to module II and will result in new approaches, system designs and supportive tools for integrated management of pork chains, focusing on chain quality systems, integrated information systems, connective organizational structures, sustainable chain logistics and management of innovations in chains.