Towards a use of network analysis: quantifying the complexity of Supply Chain Networks

The aim of this paper is to quantify the complexity and organisation level of an industrial network working towards the development of a 'Supply Chain Network Analysis' (SCNA). By measuring flows of goods and interaction costs between different sectors of activity within the supply chain borders, a network of flows is built and successively investigated by network analysis, a tool widely applied in ecosystem ecology. The result of this study supports the idea that an ecosystem approach can provide an interesting conceptual perspective in which the modern supply network can be framed, and that network analysis can handle these issues in practice.