摘要：Background: Integration trends are one of main determinants of the development of modern logistics. After the period of interest focused mainly on supply chains realizing one-way flows only, at present there is a time for supply chains characterized by two-way flows, realizing at the same time both forward and backward flows. The possibility of various configurations of such chains requires identification of integration factors and determination of their influence on the results of the whole supply chain. Experiences of the science as well as the practice of supply chains show the urgent need of learning of reasons of the integration within supply chains of the two-way type. Material and methods : The researches on modeling and simulation of integration processes within supply chains of forward and backward type were carried out in the environment of iGrafx Process 2013 for Six Sigma. The empirical material obtained in these researches was put to the statistical analysis by the used of Minitab 17. The identification of the significance of differences was made with the help of analysis of variance ANOVA. Additionally the analysis of differences in form of absolute averages was made. The following measures are main ones for the evaluation of the integration of a supply chain of forward and backward types: cashflow, profitability, service level. Results : 8 192 simulation experiments were made for 6 integration factors: accessibility of recycled materials, production planning, stock management, integration of transport, unification of packing materials and optimization of the material flow. Based on the analysis of the significance and values of differences, the results of the influence of each integration factor on global results of supply chains of forward and backward type were obtained. They were used to prepare the ranking of integration factors. The main factors, forming the integration shape of two-way supply chains were: stock management, production planning and accessibility of recycled materials. Conclusions: The integration offers new possibilities therefore it is the promising option of actions. In complicated and complex logistic reality, it is more and more difficult to function, in economic sense, without starting and tightening close cooperation. Sometimes it is even not possible at all. The growing popularity of two-way supply chains opens the dimensions of the possible cooperation. However, both science and the practice need the reliable quantitative information covering the conscious creation of the integration in supply chains. Such tool could be a ranking, recommended in this paper, of integration factors from the perspective of three measures of evaluation of global level of functioning of the supply chain.
关键词：ranking of integration factors; modeling and simulation of the supply chain; measure of the supply chain
