The Effect of Diminishing Manufacturing Sources on Legacy Systems Using System Dynamics

Abstract

A system by definition is composed of multiple elements. The loss of any one of these elements can impact the rest of the components in that system. Legacy systems, any system developed in the past that are mission critical and whose failure can have serious impact on business, are particularly vulnerable to such losses, yes such systems are becoming increasingly prevalent. This study examines the effects on legacy system supply chains when suppliers that were once there when the systems were created are no longer available to supply them with the necessary materials, parts, or support. A system dynamics model was created through the use of expert testimony; one expert in the field of system dynamics and two experts in the field of supply chain management. Despite the use of suggested independent / dependent variable pairs as suggested by the experts, the sensitivity analysis results did not always yield the expected outcome. There were, however, notable results concerning the relationship of managerial based decisions, legacy system lifetime, and supply base support to the model as a whole.