Shortening the Supply Chain through Smart Manufacturing and Green Technology

Pandwe Aletha Gibson ()
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Pandwe Aletha Gibson: MIT Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 22, 1-10

Abstract: Correcting inefficiencies in the supply chain requires us to reimagine manufacturing by recapturing processes—particularly material sourcing and end-use recycling, which create vast amounts of waste. Inefficiencies in the supply chain create massive waste and stifle innovation in manufacturing, both well-established concerns for the environment. Carbon-based fuels and products are detrimental to the land, air, and sea. Single-use products made from toxic materials flood the food and medical supply chains. Businesses are increasingly moving toward the single purchasing platform model (for example, Uber and Airbnb). Following that model, this paper proposes a platform as a service (PaaS) manufacturing sharing service that matches small- to mid-size manufacturers with production capacity as a solution to obtaining ethically sourced products at a competitive price while offering access to last-mile delivery locally on a single purchasing platform. The development of an Internet of Things (IoT) platform can achieve these four things: (1) provide better coordination of the sourcing and supply of materials, (2) ensure effective provisions of eco-friendly and recycled inputs, (3) provide efficient distribution of equipment and manufacturing resources, and (4) shorten the supply chain by centralizing and coordinating last-mile delivery.

Keywords: circular economy; circular business model; shared economy; advanced manufacturing; closed-loop supply chain and logistics; smart manufacturing; artificial intelligence AI; robotics and computer visions; Internet of Things (IoT) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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