The Role of Industry 4.0 in Supply Chain Management
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Management".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2023) | Viewed by 10278
Special Issue Editors
Interests: lean manufacturing; remanufacturing; Industry 4.0; supply chain management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
For many years, cooperative value-creation has been the stronghold against a rapidly changing global business environment (Ghasemi et al., 2022). While being the flagship of the most successful supply chains (SC), integration and coordination are the practical way to align all supply chain members’ decisions toward a set of common goals (Glock & Grosse, 2021). The benefits stemming from channel-wide coordination are still more enjoyable when unpredictability is the distinctive feature of the global scenario. Events such as, for instance, the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia–Ukraine conflict have already disrupted several supply chains while even endangering their survival. Therefore, efforts to support and sustain supply chain integration and coordination are very welcomed.
In that regard, a great leap forward would be that permitted by the new manufacturing paradigm of Industry 4.0 (I4.0), which has introduced a new era of digitally networked production (Nadkarni and Prügl, 2021). The main objective of I4.0 is to increase the connectivity of various entities on the shop floor and along the supply chain as a whole, hence avoiding information disruptions, potential inefficiencies, and enhancing performance (Bai et al., 2020). At the core of this new paradigm are many advanced technologies, such as the Internet of Things, blockchain, advanced robotics, additive manufacturing, big data, and artificial intelligence, which may generate a relevant multiplier effect if combined with Operational Research (OR) methods.
The focus of this Special Issue (SI) lies at the intersection of supply chain management and I4.0, specifically on how I4.0, along with its enabling technologies, is reshaping the theory and practice of Supply Chain Management (SCM).
Some of the questions this SI wants to answer are:
- Is there an actual relationship between SCM and I4.0?
- Is it possible to quantitatively evaluate the impact of I4.0 on SC performance?
- How are the I4.0 technologies supporting novel operating modalities of SCs?
- How to discriminate the impact of the various I4.0 technologies on the effectiveness and efficiency of SCs? Is it possible to classify these technologies in some way?
- Are there specific bundles of technologies that are often implemented in combination, also considering OR methods?
- Is there a definite path to follow in digitalizing SCs? Is it dependent on the specific industry sector?
With this Special Issue, we want to solicit research endeavours that help answer some of the above questions but also dissect the multifarious reality that characterizes manufacturing SCs in the I4.0 era. Specifically, beyond technology-driven supply chain management applications, we welcome contributions with quantitative and qualitative methodologies, analytical and data-driven optimisation, and simulation.
References
- Bai, C., Dallasega, P., Orzes, G., & Sarkis, J. Industry 4.0 technologies assessment: A sustainability perspective. International Journal of Production Economics, 2020, 107776.
- Ghasemi, E., Lehoux, N., & Rönnqvist, M. Coordination, cooperation, and collaboration in production-inventory systems: A systematic literature review. International Journal of Production Research, 2022, doi:10.1080/00207543.2022.2093681.
- Glock, C. H., & Grosse, E. H. The impact of controllable production rates on the performance of inventory systems: A systematic review of the literature. European Journal of Operational Research, 2021, 288, 703-720. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2020.05.033.
- Nadkarni, S. and Prügl R. Digital transformation: a review, synthesis and opportunities for future research, Management Review Quarterly, 2021, 71, 233–341. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11301-020-00185-7.
Prof. Dr. Mosè Gallo
Dr. Davide Castellano
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- industry 4.0
- supply chain management
- integration and coordination models
- operational Research methods
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.