Flexible Supply Chain: Industrial Engineering Optimization Modeling of the Postal Service System

Communication is the glue that binds the diverse elements of the national economy. A flexible supply chain system creates postal communication agility and adaptability to respond to the changing technologies of the modern era. This book uses a systems-based approach of the tools and techniques of Industrial Engineering applied to a new concept of flexible supply chain systems, patterned after well-known and successful flexible manufacturing systems. It focuses on how Industrial Engineering can be used to achieve flexibility, resiliency, and efficiency in response to the needs of the global postal system.

Flexible Supply Chain: Industrial Engineering Optimization Modeling of the Postal Service System provides an understanding of the techniques of using flexibility to improve operations. It capitalizes on a framework of Industrial Engineering and focuses on a global chain of non-commodity products and services. By using flexibility as the foundation for efficiency, it ties in with the digital revolution of communication and retains an affiliation with community involvement. The book uses the DEJI Systems Model and the Triple C Model as a structure of system productivity and creates a template through which other supply chains can be improved. The global supply chain is presently stressed and in need of new ideas and operational strategies.

This book is an ideal read for engineers working in manufacturing production, civil, mechanical, and other industries. It will be of interest to engineering managers and consultants as well as those involved with business management. University students and instructors will also find this book useful.

Adedeji Badiru is Dean Emeritus, Graduate School of Engineering and Management at the USA Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT). While serving as Dean, he had oversight for planning, directing, and controlling operations related to granting doctoral and master’s degrees for the US Air Force. He was previously Professor and Head of Systems Engineering and Management at AFIT, Professor and Department Head of Industrial Engineering at the University of Tennessee, and Professor of Industrial Engineering and Dean of the University College at the University of Oklahoma. He is a registered Professional Engineer (PE), a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), a Fellow of the Institute of Industrial & Systems Engineers (IISE), a Fellow of the Industrial Engineering and Operations Management Society (IEOM), a Fellow of Institute for Operations Research and Management Science (IORMS), and a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Engineering (Nigeria NAE). He is also a Program Evaluator for ABET. He holds a leadership certificate from the University Tennessee Leadership Institute. He has BS in Industrial Engineering, MS in Mathematics, and MS in Industrial Engineering from Tennessee Technological University, and Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Central Florida. His areas of interest include mathematical modeling, systems design and integration, project management and optimization, innovation management, and productivity improvement. He is a prolific author, with over 45 books, over 40 book chapters, over 200 Journal and magazine articles, and over 220 conference presentations. He is a member of several professional associations and scholastic honor societies. Professor Badiru, a world-renowned educator, has won several awards for his teaching, research, administrative, and professional accomplishments. He is the 2020 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from Taylor and Francis publishing group. He was also a member of the AFIT team that won the 2019/2020 US Air Force Organizational Excellence Award. Professor Badiru is also the recipient of the 2022 BEYA career achievement award in the Government category and the 2024 Donald G. Newnan National Engineering Economy Teaching Excellence Award from the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). He is also received the 2024 Tau Beta Pi Distinguished Alumnus award. He holds a US Trademark for DEJI Systems Model for Design, Evaluation, Justification, and Integration. Badiru is a member of Fulbright Specialists Program.