Impact pathways: technology-aided supply chain planning for resilience

Abstract

Purpose: Due to emerging uncertainties, supply chain planning (SCP) has become complex for many companies, and practitioners are unsure how emerging technologies can help. We address this gap by identifying pathways of how digital technologies may aid planned flexibility in SCP. Design/methodology/approach: The research builds on engaged scholarship and co-creation of knowledge. Eight senior managers from two companies participated in three rounds of workshops with us discussing and contrasting their planning challenges and potential solutions using examples of industry 4.0 applications drawn from the literature. Findings: Based on a novel framework for digital transition in SCP, this research shows how emerging technologies may aid SCP in building resilience to emergent uncertainties and open new research avenues through four impact pathways. Research limitations/implications: The SCP literature is ruefully short on studies that address technology-aided SC resilience. The research explains why this calls for a paradigm shift in SCP research. Originality/value: This research argues that resilience-building SCP requires planned flexibility and presents a digital transition framework that allows for it.