Pandemic, War, Natural Calamities, and Sustainability: Industry 4.0 Technologies to Overcome Traditional and Contemporary Supply Chain Challenges

Abirami Raja Santhi () and Padmakumar Muthuswamy ()
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Abirami Raja Santhi: Communication Business Unit, ThinkPalm Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Chennai 600119, India
Padmakumar Muthuswamy: Technology Center (KSSPL GES), Kennametal India Ltd., Bangalore 560073, India

Logistics, 2022, vol. 6, issue 4, 1-32

Abstract: Background : The supply chain ecosystem is becoming fragile and difficult to manage due to the complexities in its interlinked functions such as planning, procurement, production, logistics, distribution, and sales. Recently, organizations have started embarking on “Industry 4.0 technologies”, a name used to denote transformative modern-day technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, automation and robotics, Internet of Things, Big Data Analytics, Blockchain, and so on to make faster decisions, optimize current practices, provide end-to-end transparency, increased collaboration, and superior warehouse management, which can collectively make it an “Intelligent supply chain”. However, a comprehensive understanding of the subject is required to understand the benefits and challenges of adopting them. Methods : Hence, the article aims to systematically review the literature to identify various challenges associated with supply chain management and provide an overview of the role of Industry 4.0 technologies in addressing them. In addition to traditional complexities, the uncertainties arising from contemporary challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, war, natural calamities, and difficulties businesses face in developing and adopting sustainable business practices. Results and Conclusions : The study shows that although it is hard to predict the level of disruptions during any global events, it is possible to be prepared through Industry 4.0 technologies that can give agility, transparency, and resilience to the supply chain.

Keywords: Industry 4.0; supply chain 4.0; artificial intelligence; blockchain; big data analytics; additive manufacturing; supply chain challenges; upstream and downstream supply chain; COVID-19; sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L8 L80 L81 L86 L87 L9 L90 L91 L92 L93 L98 L99 M1 M10 M11 M16 M19 R4 R40 R41 R49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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