Empirical evidence created a commonly accepted understanding that synchronisation and stability of material flows impact its\r\nproductivity. This crucial link between synchronous and stable material flows by time and quantity to create a supply chain with the\r\nhighest throughput rates is at the heart of lean thinking. Although this supply chain triangle has generally been acknowledged over\r\nmany years, it is necessary to reach a finer understanding of these dynamics. Therefore, we will develop and study supply chains\r\nwith the help of fluid dynamics. Amultistage, continuous material flow ismodelled through a conservation law formaterial density.\r\nUnlike similar approaches, our model is not based on some quasi steady-state assumptions about the stochastic behaviour of the\r\ninvolved supply chain but rather on a simple deterministic rule formaterial flow density. Thesemodels allow us to take into account\r\nthe nonlinear, dynamical interactions of different supply chain echelons and to test synchronised and stable flow with respect to its\r\npotential impacts. Numerical simulations verify that the model is able to simulate transient supply chain phenomena. Moreover,\r\na quantification method relating to the fundamental link between synchronisation, stability, and productivity of supply chains has\r\nbeen found.
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