Delayed differentiation in chemical supply chains

Mass customization is a significant trend in modern production. In the production of miscible products (continuous production), implementing delayed differentiation is difficult at the factory level, as opposed to discrete production (production of objects). To make such a supply chain smart, a transformation must be carried out simultaneously at different levels. Reverse Blending was designed to delay the differentiation of fertilizers by performing it, through a blending process, in small blending units located in agricultural areas, which already exist in some regions. Without going back on the detailed positioning of the Reverse Blending approach in the scientific literature, this paper aims to study some of its managerial implications, based on four case studies, showing that smart supply chain may be possible in continuous production to provide tailor-made products if large diversity is needed.