State of the Art of Digital Twins in Improving Supply Chain Resilience

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The paper titled "State of the art of digital twins in improving supply chain resilience" is reviewed. The following are the suggestions to be considered for improving the presentation and quality of the paper.

1. The authors had discussed the abundant quantity of the available literature. To grab the attention of the research community, it is better to represent the discussed literature in Pie-charts too regarding the methodology or the techniques that the researchers are deployed so far.

2. Quality of Fig.4 requires improvement.

3. Some of the drawbacks of the techniques reported in the literature should be elaborately discussed.

4. It is better to discuss the future prospects/scope of the work in the conclusion section.    

Author Response

Comment 1. The authors had discussed the abundant quantity of available literature. To grab the attention of the research community, it is better to represent the discussed literature in Pie-charts too regarding the methodology or the techniques that the researchers are deployed so far.

Response:  In order to grab the attention of the researchers, the discussed literature review from figure 5 (page 8) was transformed from a bar chart into a pie chart.

Comment 2. Quality of Fig.4 requires improvement.

Response: Figure 4 (inserted at page 7) quality was improved.

Comment 3. Some of the drawbacks of the techniques reported in the literature should be elaborately discussed.

Response: At the end of section 4.2 regarding ERP models a paragraph about their drawbacks and weaknesses was added between paragraphs 362 – 367.  In section 4.3 about the role of Internet and cloud technologies in both SCR and SCM, the drawbacks are included between paragraphs 379 – 386. In subchapter 4.4, comments about weaknesses are included between paragraphs 450 – 459 while in subchapter 4.5 the drawbacks of blockchain technology and digital twin are mentioned at paragraphs 492 – 496 and 548 – 553.

Comment 4. It is better to discuss the future prospects/scope of the work in the conclusion section. 

Response: In order to outline the future prospects/aim of the work, we added in the conclusion chapter further comments (paragraphs 714 – 733).

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Title: State of the art of digital twins in improving supply chain resilience

Journal: Logistics

This manuscript examines how digital twins can be integrated with emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and blockchain to create a more resilient supply chain ecosystem.

1-    The authors should clearly explain how AI can integrate with digital twins in the manuscript.

2-    Which neural network architectures and machine learning algorithms are most applicable to digital twin applications in the supply chain? Please clarify.

3-    Given that most AI-based management and prediction systems have few outputs, this manuscript should compare and examine the compatibility and accuracy of these systems in the supply chain in a table.

4-    The authors should draw the role of IoT and AI and how they relate to digital twin applications in the supply chain in a block diagram and add it to the paper.

 

5-    The novelty of this research should be highlighted.

Author Response

Comment 1-    The authors should clearly explain how AI can integrate with digital twins in the manuscript.

Response:  The integration of AI technology with digital twins is explained in manuscript in subchapter 4.5, paragraphs 529 – 541.

Comment 2-    Which neural network architectures and machine learning algorithms are most applicable to digital twin applications in the supply chain? Please clarify.

Response: In section 4.4 about Industry 4.0, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence in SCM and SCR, the authors explained the progresses in neural network architectures and machine learning algorithms (paragraphs 434 – 404).

Comment 3-    Given that most AI-based management and prediction systems have few outputs, this manuscript should compare and examine the compatibility and accuracy of these systems in the supply chain in a table.

Response: In section 4.5 explanations regarding issues and limited outputs of systems like were included. Furthermore, a list of AI – based digital twin technologies and their impact on SCM and SCR was added (Table 4, pages 24 – 25) in order to compare both their compatibility and accuracy.

Comment 4-    The authors should draw the role of IoT and AI and how they relate to digital twin applications in the supply chain in a block diagram and add it to the paper.

Response: In order to emphasize the role of IoT and AI and their interdependencies to digital twin applications in SCM the authors added figure 8 (page 15). Also, further comments regarding IoT and AI implications in digital twin applications in the SCM and SCR were included (paragraphs 521 – 545).  These are integrated along with the explanations regarding the integration of AI technology with digital twins.

Comment 5-    The novelty of this research should be highlighted.

Response: In the Introduction chapter, the authors added further information regarding the fact that only a few papers explore how digital twins integrate with AI, IoT and blockchain technologies and their research shows how the integration of digital twins with blockchain and AI highlights their transformative potential in fostering in-novation and sustainability in supply chain management and its resilience

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The paper provides a review of how digital twins (DTs) can strengthen supply chain resilience by improving visibility, agility, and decision-making, while also shedding light on the challenges and opportunities across different regions.

There are a few questions that could be explored further in the manuscript:

-      How can digital twin models be adjusted to manage the complexities of supply chains in fast-changing and unpredictable environments, especially in emerging markets?

-      What role does AI-driven predictive analytics play in improving disruption forecasts, and how can it be effectively combined with digital twins to make real-time decisions?

-      How can digital twins foster a truly collaborative, decentralized supply chain network, and what technologies are necessary to overcome the current challenges in achieving smooth coordination?

-      In regions with limited infrastructure, what strategies could help scale digital twin adoption without straining local resources or driving up costs?

-      How can digital twins find the right balance between improving operational efficiency and achieving sustainability goals, particularly in industries like manufacturing or logistics that have significant environmental impacts?

Author Response

Comment 1:  How can digital twin models be adjusted to manage the complexities of supply chains in fast-changing and unpredictable environments, especially in emerging markets?

Response:  The adjustment of digital twin models in order to manage the complexities of supply chains is mentioned both in subchapter 4.5 and in the conclusion section

Comment 2:  What role does AI-driven predictive analytics play in improving disruption forecasts, and how can it be effectively combined with digital twins to make real-time decisions?

Response:  The role of AI-driven predictive analytics in improving disruptions and how it can be integrated into digital twin technologies is added in subchapter 4.4, paragraphs 417 – 423.

Comment 3:  How can digital twins foster a truly collaborative, decentralized supply chain network, and what technologies are necessary to overcome the current challenges in achieving smooth coordination?

Response: For a comprehensive overview of how digital twins foster a truly collaborative, decentralized supply chain network, and what technologies are necessary to overcome the current challenges in achieving smooth coordination, section 4.6 was added in the manuscript between pages 25 – 26.

Comment 4:  In regions with limited infrastructure, what strategies could help scale digital twin adoption without straining local resources or driving up costs?

Response:  Strategies that help scale digital twin adoption without straining local resources are mentioned at paragraphs 641 – 659.

Comment 5:  How can digital twins find the right balance between improving operational efficiency and achieving sustainability goals, particularly in industries like manufacturing or logistics that have significant environmental impacts?

Response: Paragraphs 660 – 670 were introduced to outline how Digital Twin technology lies in balancing operational efficiency with achieving sustainability goals, particularly in industries like manufacturing and logistics, which have significant environmental impacts

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The revised paper can be accepted for publication. 

Author Response

Comment 1: The revised paper can be accepted for publication. 

Thank you for your approval! 

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The revised version needs some extensions for conclusion section.

Can digital twins predict "black swan" events in supply chains, or are they inherently limited by their reliance on historical and current data?

What frameworks or standards exist to ensure interoperability between digital twins and other technologies in global supply chains?

How do businesses justify the return on investment (ROI) for implementing digital twins, particularly in supply chains with low-profit margins?

Author Response

Comment 1. The revised version needs some extensions for conclusion section.

Response: Paragraphs 770 – 774 and 782 – 787 were added in order to address this issue.

Comment 2. Can digital twins predict "black swan" events in supply chains, or are they inherently limited by their reliance on historical and current data?

Response: Further detailed explanation regarding the dependency of digital twins limitations on historical and current data and the issues in predicting ,,black swan” events were inserted in paragraphs 553 – 568. Moreover, references no. 29, 48 and 83 are added in the bibliography section.

Comment 3. What frameworks or standards exist to ensure interoperability between digital twins and other technologies in global supply chains?

Response: A brief presentation of frameworks or standards that exist nowadays to highlight interoperability between digital twins and other technologies in supply chains is included in subchapter 4.6 after table 5 (paragraphs 645 – 680). Also, references no. 8, 37, 63 and 88 are added in the bibliography section.

Comment 4. How do businesses justify the return on investment (ROI) for implementing digital twins, particularly in supply chains with low-profit margins?

Response: These explanations regarding the ROI for implementing digital twins are added in subchapter 4.5, after table 4, paragraphs 607 – 616.