Empowering supply chains with Industry 4.0 technologies to face megatrends

Abstract

This paper investigates how current megatrends (i.e., aging population, growing urbanization, shifts in consumer demands, geopolitical shifts, depletion of natural resources, climate change) are changing the supply chain landscape and the role of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies to support alignment with these changes. Building on contingency theory, the study employs focus-group interviews with various experts to generate new insights into fitting supply chain capabilities and enabling technologies. Data collected in the focus groups helped us to identify five supply chain capabilities as prevalent and mostly fitting the external contingencies, i.e., customer-driven, urban-centered, resource-efficient, fast reactive, and human-centered supply chain. Moreover, this study highlights and compares the potential of I4.0 technologies and their applications in supporting specific supply chain capabilities. The findings of this study can inform supply chain managers in the definition of capabilities to be enhanced at the supply chain level and contribute toward understanding the extent of I4.0 technologies in empowering supply chains to face turbulent and changing conditions.