In a deregulated electricity market, market participants define trading strategies and models to assist the decision-making process. Companies whose operation is heavily dependent on this market are increasingly adopting electricity price forecasting models to identify sales and purchase contracts with the best price. This paper intends to contribute to the improvement of the decision-making process for purchasing electricity in the Iberian Electricity Market. The purpose is to develop a forecasting model for electricity spot prices based on prices established on the derivatives markets. The model uses Artificial Neural Networks trained with the Extreme Learning Machine algorithm to determine the monthly average spot prices for the next six months and provides a tool for making trading decisions considering the risk of exposure to spot market volatility. The forecasting model was applied in two scenarios: pre-pandemic and pandemic. The results prove that its application can contribute to improving decision-making for trading electricity in the short/medium term. Experimental results considering both scenarios show that the proposed model can provide month-ahead forecasts with an RMSE up to 6.38 €/MWh.

The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of a stevedores’ port strike on logistics service providers. It aims to analyze the negative effects caused by this disruption, and the strategies logistics service providers may implement to sustain their performance levels and quickly recover from disruption. With this objective, a case study comprising three logistics service providers is developed. There are evidence that "Handling and management cargo delay", "Delay in deliver of orders" and "Incapacity to fulfill orders" are the stevedores’ port strike negative effects with high impact and frequency. Because of these negative effects the logistics service providers’ key performance indicators related to reputation, loss of capacity and operation stoppage are diminished.

The adoption of modern management paradigms, philosophies, strategies, policies and/or practices to improve effectiveness and reduce operating costs, such as lean manufacturing, Just-In-Time, strategic inventory, reduced product lifecycle and outsourcing, have created highly efficient supply chains. Although these new ways of managing have yielded attractive business benefits, they reduced the slack available to deal with uncertain events [2] and promoted the business globalization, increasing complexity of the extended networks, which amplifies the adverse impact of problems that can arise. In addition, the interconnection and interdependence among companies in a global supply chain makes them more vulnerable to a range of risks [3-6].

This paper focuses on the diffusion of innovation concepts in Portuguese manufacturing companies. Based on the literature, the concepts of technical and non-technical innovations are explored and three purposes guide our study: (i) to what extent technological and organizational innovation concepts are diffused in Portuguese manufacturing companies; (ii) how the use of technological innovation concepts are interrelated with the use of organizational innovation concepts; and (iii) to what extent Portuguese companies since 2009 have introduced product innovation and product-related service innovation. Data were collected from 62 companies participating in the European Manufacturing Survey (EMS) 2012 and findings indicate that: (i) Portuguese manufacturing companies are more organizationally innovation oriented where quality and price are quoted as the most important competitive factors, whilst service offerings and service sales attain far less rank; (ii) technological innovation concepts are significantly related to organizational innovation; and (iii) product innovation has a higher diffusion level than product-related services.

In this paper a model to assess the efficiency of project management by a Portuguese company responsible for the electricity distributionis proposed. The main objectives of the model is to assist the company in three areas: Assess the efficiency of twenty five Operational Areas developing remote control projects of the distribution network, making more transparent the benefits of an integrated project management methodology; identify possible actions to improve the efficiency of those Operational Areas; and prepare the company to use the model for evaluating the efficiency of other projects. Data envelopment analysis is used to assess the ability of this utility in converting inputs into outputs upon remote control projects in the distribution network during a period of time. The most important findings of this study regard the identification of inefficient Operational Areas, further showing how much the Operational Areas should reduce their resources usage and which Operational Areas are performing at best level, setting the best practices to be benchmarked.

Innovation is a complex phenomenon including technical and non-technical organizational aspects. The literature refers to technical innovations as those that affect the organizational technical system, while non-technical innovations can be understood as organizational innovations, comprising changes in the structure and processes derived from the implementation of new managerial practices and working principles such as teamwork in production, supply chain management and quality management systems. There are many studies on innovation which show that increased R&D activities lead to innovative products, and are the source of competitive advantage. The importance of organizational innovation has been proved in the literature however there has been little research on the methodological and monitoring approach in this field. Based on previous studies developed in Europe and data collected from the European Manufacturing Survey (EMS), this paper aims to analyze: (1) to which extent technological and organizational innovation concepts are diffused in the Portuguese manufacturing companies; (2) how the use of technological innovation concepts are interrelated to the use of organizational innovation concepts.

The modern business environments are subject to uncertainties that can adversely influence the supply chain performance. Demand information sharing between supply chain entities can improve the supply chain performance. To encourage them to share information, the generated benefits need to be comprehensively recognized. Simulation allows doing so. This paper intends to quantify the impact of the demand information sharing on supply chain management under demand uncertainty. The performance measure used is total costs. A simulation model of the supply chain of a case study was developed in Arena software. Customer demand is modeled by a normal distribution. Four scenarios are simulated with two different standard deviations each one with and without demand information sharing between supply chain entities. The results analysis shows that an increase in the customer demand variability worsens the studied performance measure. However, the introduction of demand information sharing improves the supply chain performance measure.

This paper intends to design an Analytic Network Process model to assists managers of different pharmaceutical supply chain entities in identifying and prioritize the management practices they use or should use to achieve a competitive position in the market. The model involves interactions between various criteria for management practice selection. To this purpose a set of clusters and elements related to a Portuguese pharmaceutical supply chain are identified to compose the model and pairwise compared with respect to a given factor. The results obtained from the proposed model show that the most suitable management practice for the pharmaceutical supply chain studied is “Just In Time” if the lean supply chain management paradigm was implemented and “Promoting visibility throughout the supply chain” if was the agile paradigm. Concerning the key performance measures, “On-Time-In-Full delivery” and “Inventory value” are selected respectively for lean and agile supply chain management.

Este trabalho tem o objetivo de avaliar o comportamento corrosivo de ligas experimentais de aco inoxidavel ferritico com dois diferentes teores de cromo (15,6% e 17,6%) e 5,3% de molibdenio na condicao como soldadas. As ligas, na condicao solubilizada, foram submetidas ao processo de soldagem TIG autogeno utilizando argonio como gas de protecao, mantendo-se constantes a tensao e a corrente de soldagem, obtendo-se uma unica condicao de soldagem. Foi realizada uma analise microestrutural das amostras das ligas na condicao solubilizada e soldada. Tambem foram retiradas duas amostras de cada liga solubilizada e soldada para analise do comportamento corrosivo atraves de ensaio eletroquimico de Polarizacao Potenciodinâmica Ciclica - PPC. Observou-se que a soldagem nao alterou a microestrutura das ligas. Tambem se observou, atraves dos ensaios eletroquimicos de PPC, que o efeito da soldagem em relacao ao material de base (solubilizada) nao afetou significativamente o comportamento corrosivo das ligas. No entanto, observou-se que a liga com maior teor de cromo nas condicoes solubilizada e soldada apresentou melhor comportamento corrosivo.

Este trabalho tem o objetivo de avaliar o comportamento corrosivo de uma liga experimental de aco inoxidavel ferritico com 5,3% de molibdenio e 15,6% de cromo quando submetida a soldagem TIG autogena. O interesse nesta liga e a sua possivel utilizacao na industria do petroleo e gas natural como forma de reduzir os custos de manutencao provenientes do desgaste acelerado dos seus equipamentos. A soldagem da liga na condicao solubilizada foi realizada sobre chapa plana, sem chanfro, com eletrodo toriado de 2,4 mm de diâmetro, posicao plana e argonio como gas de protecao. Foram empregadas duas diferentes condicoes de soldagem, resultantes da variacao da velocidade de soldagem, mantendo os mesmos valores de tensao e de corrente de soldagem. A liga em estudo foi submetida a uma analise microestrutural na condicao solubilizada e soldada. Para cada condicao de soldagem foram retiradas quatro amostras da liga para analise do comportamento corrosivo atraves de ensaios eletroquimicos de polarizacao. Os resultados mostraram que a variacao da velocidade de soldagem nas condicoes estudadas nao altera o comportamento corrosivo da liga com alto teor de molibdenio.

Supply chains are facing numerous changes that are contributing to increasing their complexity and vulnerability to disturbances, therefore, to survive, supply chains must be resilient. The paper presents a supply chain simulation study for a real case concerned with the Portuguese automotive supply chain. The subset automotive supply chain involved in the case study is a three-echelon supply chain, composed by one automaker, two 1st-tier suppliers, two 2nd-tier suppliers, and one outsource entity. The purpose of the study is to evaluate alternative supply chain scenarios for improving supply chain resilience to a disturbance and understanding how mitigation strategies affect each supply chain entity performance. Two strategies widely used to mitigate disturbance negative effects on supply chains were considered and six scenarios were designed. The scenarios differ in terms of presence or absence of a disturbance in one hand and presence or absence of a mitigation strategy in other hand. To evaluate the scenarios designed, two performance measures were defined per supply chain entity, Lead Time Ratio and Total Cost.

This paper aims to analyze the supply chain behavior when subject to disturbances. To this end a simulation-based approach is used to obtain evidences of performance patterns. A case study related to an automotive supply chain is developed to illustrate the simulation-based approach. The performance of the different supply chain entities is used to analyze supply chain design scenarios.

A strategic supply chain map will offer a basis for redesign or modification of the supply chain. It helps one to visualize the supply chain and identify areas for further analysis, or to reveal inefficiencies which are not as readily visible when one examines only a small segment of the supply chain. The main objective of this paper is to highlight the importance of mapping in the supply chain context while calling attention to the lack of universal symbols or conventions in the mapping procedure. Accordingly, a case study methodology is used in discussion of the Portuguese automotive supply chain. Based on this case study, it will be possible to conclude that there is an automotive industrial cluster located in two specific regions with an organisational agglomeration. Moreover, it has been possible to identify the main echoes which constitute the research supply chain as well as the dependent relationships which exist between different sectors in the Portuguese economy.

Supply chains are facing numerous changes that are contributing to increasing their complexity and vulnerability to disturbances. To survive, supply chains must be resilient. However, the specificities of each supply chain allied to the uncertainty environment in which they operate, do not allow to determine, with advance, which is the most appropriate strategy to mitigate the negative effects of a likely disturbance. To understand how some management strategies improve supply chain resilience to a disturbance, and how they influence supply chain performance, scenario analysis was used. A case study related to a Portuguese automotive supply chain is presented. Two strategies widely used to mitigate disturbance effects on supply chains were considered and six scenarios were designed. The scenarios differ in terms of presence or absence of a disturbance and a mitigation strategy. To evaluate the scenarios designed, two key performance measurements were defined.

The supply chain environment is changing.Globalisation and changes demanded by stakeholders have influenced the attitudes of supply chain entities.These entities are becoming more professional, showing ever increasing levels of complexity, and adopting philosophies and management practices with the objective of increasing their levels of competitiveness.Competitiveness is a critical factor in the success of a supply chain.Disturbances increase supply chain and may reduce it performance and competitiveness.It is therefore fundamental for a supply chain to be resilient to disturbances.The chapter begins by defining and discussing the central concepts of resilience and disturbance, within the scope of supply chain management.Based on a mapping approach, a methodology is proposed for improving the supply chain's resilience to a disturbance proactively.After the selection of a supply chain disturbance, and the supply chain mapping, a mitigation strategy is chosen to make the supply chain resilient to this disturbance.A case study is presented to illustrate how the mapping approach support managers in the decision making process to make the supply chain resilient. BackgroundIn recent years, there has been an increase in the likelihood of the occurrence of disturbances.Natural catastrophes, such as what happened on the island of Madeira (Portugal) in February 2010, serious accidents resulting from technical faults, such as the oil spill that is taking place in the Gulf of Mexico, and economic crises, such as the one we are going through now with the international financial crisis caused by the failure of Lehman Brothers, are examples of events that cause disturbances that can have an adverse impact on supply chain management.These disturbances can have characteristics that make them difficult to anticipate, and they can have severe negative consequences, not only in the supply chain entities where they directly occur, but also in the supply chains where the entities are integrated, since they generally lead to a cascade effect.Disturbances may cause disruptions in flows of information, materials and/or finance in one or more supply chain entities.These disruptions may have a negative influence on a supply chain's normal operations, thus making it vulnerable and reducing its performance and competitiveness.Therefore, it is fundamental to make a supply chain resilient to disturbances. www.intechopen.com Supply Chain Management 162The resilience of a supply chain entity is defined as the ability of that entity to be able to react to disturbances and return to its original state or a more desirable one (Christopher & Peck, 2004;Ponomarov & Holcomb, 2009).So, to make a supply chain resilient to disturbances, it is essential to understand the network that connects the supply chain entities.Therefore, it is essential to have an overall vision of the supply chain and of the principal characteristics regarding its entities and flows.Supply chain mapping is a tool that allows for a macro-graphic representation of the supply chain (current state).When subjected to a disturbance, through this current state it is possible to build a potential future state.With the current state and the future state, we have the ability to identify if the supply chain is resilient to such disturbance.If the supply chain is not resilient to the disturbance, managers may take appropriate measures to respond to this disturbance, i.e., they may adopt mitigation policies, strategic or operational policies, to reduce the adverse effects of such disturbance and make the supply chain resilient.The evaluation of the impact of the adoption of mitigation policies, in terms of supply chain performance and efficiency, will provide support to managers in decision making concerning the selection of the mitigation policy that needs to be adopted in order to increase the supply chain's resilience to a disturbance. ObjectiveThe main purpose of this study is twofold: i.To show that the mapping of the supply chain makes it possible to identify if the supply chain is resilient to a specific disturbance, and ii.Support managers in making decisions concerning the adoption of mitigation policies, in the strategic as well as operational areas, in order to make the supply chain more resilient to certain disturbances.To illustrate the way in which supply chain mapping can help managers to identify the most appropriate management strategy (mitigation policy) to make a supply chain resilient to a disturbance, a case study is presented based on a real supply chain in the automotive industry, considering a disturbance on the supply side.Consequently, we will discuss proactive and reactive mitigation policies that can be adopted by the supply chain to make it resilient to disturbances on the supply side.The case study represents a small part of the supply chain.In fact, in light of the objectives of this work and the complexity inherent in a real supply chain, it is sufficient to analyse only a small part of the supply chain. Supply chain disturbancesThe occurrence of disturbances that negatively affect a supply chain is an unavoidable fact, whereby all supply chains are inevitably at risk (Craighead et al., 2007).In this context, it is crucial for supply chain survival that managers identify, in a proactive manner, the disturbances that may potentially affect the supply chain and take measures, developing, for example, mitigation and/or contingency plans that help make the supply chain more resilient (i.e., less vulnerable).Supply chain management in the face of disturbances is a subject that, in recent years, has motivated the interest of numerous researchers and practitioners.The works of Sheffi, Zsidisin and Svensson are examples of this.In recent years there has been an increase in disturbances affecting the normal operation of the supply chain entities.According to Craighead et al. (2007), this is the greatest source of www.intechopen.com