Global optimal policy for vendor–buyer integrated inventory system within just in time environment

Traditionally, inventory problems for the vendor and the buyer are treated separately. In modern enterprises, however, the integration of vendor–buyer inventory system is an important issue. This co-operative approach to inventory management contributes to the success of supply chain management by minimizing the joint inventory cost. The joint inventory cost and the response time can further be reduced when the buyer orders and the vendor replenishes the required items just in time (JIT) for their consumption. The inclusion of the JIT concept in this model contributes significantly to a joint inventory cost reduction. A numerical example and sensitivity analysis are carried out. The derived results show an impressive cost reduction when compared with Goyal’s model.