Supply Chain Sustainability Practice in the Automotive Industry

Dear Colleagues,

New technologies on the one hand (e.g., I4.0-enabling technologies) and political choices on the other (e.g., proposal by the EU for an effective ban of new fossil-fuel cars from 2035), in addition to geo-political tensions and recent pandemic crises, continue to challenge widely established supply chain management practices in the automotive sector and beyond. 

Companies are exploring new ways of managing their supply chains that guarantee more flexibility, sustainability, resilience, and visibility to allow avoiding disruptions and responding to unforeseen events. The rapid reorganisation and innovation of the automotive system is having long-term impacts on the industry. The transformation of the automotive supply chain is taking place in a world that is increasingly digitised and beset by environmental and resilience concerns: the types of components, the logistical processes used to move them, and the markets of origin and destination will change significantly. This has huge implications for the way the automotive supply chain is managed.

This Special Issue is aimed at studies that propose new supply chain management models that, through the support of new technologies (in particular, AI) enable improved agility, sustainability, and resilience in the supply chain automotive industry. Papers are encouraged that test the new/improved models in the lab, in a relevant industrial environment or, better still, through simulative approaches developed specifically for the purpose. The aim of the Special Issue is therefore to collect papers that, through mostly simulative approaches, define and experimentally validate new/improved supply chain management approaches for the automotive sector that, through artificial intelligence, improve resilience, sustainability, and visibility.

We look forward to receiving your contributions. 

Prof. Dr. Massimo Bertolini
Dr. Davide Mezzogori
Guest Editors

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