Complex supply chain networks and supply chain drivers: AbstractThe analyst of the distribution, engineering, maintenance and production management group of the central department of Canbide Corporation's engineering is tasked with analyzing various operations across all of Canbide's facilities. The purpose of our group is to analyze operations, report our findings, and make recommendations for continued improvements and implementations of operations management (OM) tools. The remainder of this report summarizes our findings and recommendations on three of our electronics facilities located in Oregon. It is the result of a collaborative effort by the entire group, research, analysis, observations, communications with management, and interviews with production and inventory planning personnel at these facilities. To focus the report on the main findings rather than all the individual issues and associated recommendations, we have included a detailed outline in the appendix to this report. Our initial visit to the facilities allowed us to gather general information such as locations and relationship to each other, manufacturing facilities and layout, and business/operational information. It turned out that the T and P facilities were located in the same building but operated as separate businesses and that the S facility was approximately seventy miles from them. They share common customers and depend on each other. Plant S produces parts and subassemblies for Plants T and P, and "ancillary" parts for Plant S are purchased and shipped from Plants P and T. This creates a complex intracompany and external supply chain composed of all business processes and information used to provide our product to customers; this includes everything from raw material sourcing, to manufacturing and distribution. Because of the relationship between these facilities, they are suppliers and distributors to each other, making the need for supply chain management even more critical. Through the above-mentioned methods, we have been able to uncover many problems related to the supply chain and its management. These are described in the appendix. The main areas to focus on are communication, materials and inventory management and procedures, order entry processes, supervision at facilities, and issues in production flow. There is an apparent lack of communication at all levels within each facility, between the three facilities, with this division and with the parent company, and along all aspects of the supply chain. Most supply chain problems are directly or indirectly linked to this lack of communication.