The use of a supply chain configuration model to assess the reliability of logistics processes

The supply chain is generally understood as a group of companies such as mining, production or distribution companies, etc., which carry out joint activities necessary to satisfy the demand of final recipients for specific products. The coordination of activities is carried out throughout the whole chain of goods flow from the acquisition of raw materials to deliveries to the final recipient. These activities may include: development, production, sale, maintenance, procurement, distribution, resource management, support activities, etc. The role and location of individual companies – entities in the structure of the supply chain – results from the division of labour at subsequent stages of production and sale of products. Intersecting supply chains constitute a network of relations of interdependent organisations which, acting on the basis of mutual cooperation, jointly manage the material goods flows and information from suppliers to final customers, control and improve them [1, 4, 17, 21, 22, 23, 24, 36, 21]. It may therefore be said that entities operating in the supply chain through links with suppliers and recipients are involved in various processes and activities that create value in the form of products and services delivered to final consumers. Each of the companies integrated in the supply chain is responsible for a part of the realized flows between entities. There are many unpredictable situations in material goods flows which have a negative impact on the continuity and quality of these flows. The main operational risks1 in this respect from the point of view of an established cell of the supply chain result from the following adverse events: delivery delay, e.g. due to: organisational disruptions at the sup – plier, lack of availability of ordered materials at the supplier, late delivery of the means of transport for loading, wrong selection of transport route, road conditions, delivery errors, extended customs clearance,