Global Bifurcation and Symmetry of Periodic Inventory Oscillations in Ring Supply-Chain Networks

Abstract

This paper studies periodic inventory oscillations in delayed supply-chain networks of identical warehouses arranged in a ring. After reducing the inventory--replenishment system to a second-order delay equation, we formulate the periodic problem as an equivariant compact perturbation of the identity, with symmetries generated by the ring structure, the odd nonlinearity, and time translations. Using equivariant degree theory, we characterize critical parameter pairs, compute the associated crossing numbers, and construct a local bifurcation invariant whose nonvanishing guarantees nonconstant periodic solutions and provides information about their spatial and spatio-temporal symmetry types. By restricting the two-parameter problem to an admissible transversal curve, we further establish a global continuation alternative for the bifurcating branches. Examples with \(D_7\)- and \(D_8\)-symmetry illustrate the computation of critical parameters, bifurcation invariants, and admissible orbit types. Finally, Floquet theory is applied to small-amplitude periodic branches, yielding a leading-order stability criterion for nonresonant perturbation modes. The results provide a unified framework for describing the existence, symmetry, global continuation, and leading-order stability of periodic inventory oscillations in delayed ring supply-chain networks.