Designing a hybrid cloud for a supply chain network of Industry 4.0: a theoretical framework

2019 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Balan Sundarakani ◽  
Rukshanda Kamran ◽  
Piyush Maheshwari ◽  
Vipul Jain

PurposeSupply chain is the area that requires effective and integrated means of communication, shared risk, collaboration and orchestration in order to work successfully and the cloud computing has lot to offer to this domain. Cloud computing has appeared as a modern paradigm in supply chain networks for creating intelligent industries of future. The purpose of this paper is to propose a framework that can transform supply chain stakeholders toward Industry 4.0.Design/methodology/approachCloud computing is attributed with increasing competitiveness by focusing on cost reduction, greater elasticity, flexibility and maximum utilization of resources which results in successfully achieving business goals. This paper proposes a Hybrid Supply Chain Cloud model, which integrates the infrastructure, the resources and the configurations of platforms.FindingsThis research paper is aimed at proposing a hybrid cloud that essentially helps in integrating the supply chain network with the flexibility and efficiency. It is important that a supply chain network adds value to ensure customer satisfaction and this can be best achieved by collaborating it with hybrid cloud.Research limitations/implicationsThis research provides a consistent central management and comprehensive view of all computing resources, which gives organizations the knowledge they need to optimize workload placement.Practical implicationsThe findings derived from this research aim to facilitate policy makers and practitioners to develop effective courses of action in current and future supply chain management. Therefore, upon implementation, this model can provide long-term benefits for the organizations by improving the overall efficiency of its supply chain network.Originality/valueThe proposed hybrid cloud will provide deep level of integration in Industry 4.0 situation and thereby brought up portable comprehensive infrastructure based on resources and required configuration in real-time environment.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiang Lu ◽  
Jinliang Chen ◽  
Hua Song ◽  
Xiangyu Zhou

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine how cloud computing assimilation reduces supply chain financing (SCF) risks of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This study also investigated the mediating roles of internal and external supply chain integration between cloud computing assimilation and the SCF risks of SMEs, as well as the moderating role of environmental competitiveness. Design/methodology/approach Data was collected from surveys of SMEs located in China. Multiple regression analysis was used to validate the proposed theoretical model and research hypotheses. Findings The findings show that cloud computing assimilation could reduce the SCF risks of SMEs directly. The results also indicate that both internal and external supply chain integration mediate the relationship between cloud computing assimilation and SCF risks. Furthermore, environmental competitiveness inhibits the effects of cloud computing assimilation on SCF risks. Originality/value To our best knowledge, this is the preliminary study to explore the role of cloud computing assimilation in reducing the SCF risks of SMEs. Also, this study attempted to investigate the process by which cloud computing assimilation affects the SCF risks of SMEs.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanjana Mondal ◽  
Kaushik Samaddar

PurposeThe paper aims to explore the various dimensions of human factor relevant for integrating data-driven supply chain quality management practices (DDSCQMPs) with organizational performance. Keeping the transition phase from “Industry 4.0” to “Industry 5.0” in mind, the paper reinforces the role of the human factor and critically discusses the issues and challenges in the present organizational setup.Design/methodology/approachFollowing the grounded theory approach, the study arranged in-depth interviews and focus group sessions with industry experts from various service-oriented firms in India. Dimensions of human factor identified from there were grouped together through a morphological analysis (MA), and interlinkages between them were explored through a cross-consistency matrix.FindingsThis research work identified 20 critical dimensions of human factor and have grouped them under five important categories, namely, cohesive force, motivating force, regulating force, supporting force and functional force that drive quality performance in the supply chain domain.Originality/valueIn line with the requirements of the present “Industry 4.0” and the forthcoming “Industry 5.0”, where the need to collaborate human factor with smart system gets priority, the paper made a novel attempt in presenting the critical human factors and categorizing them under important driving forces. The research also contributed in linking DDSCQMPs with organizational performance. The proposed framework can guide the future researchers in expanding the theoretical constructs through initiating further cross-cultural studies across industries.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saman Esmaeilian ◽  
Dariush Mohamadi ◽  
Majid Esmaelian ◽  
Mostafa Ebrahimpour

Purpose This paper aims to minimize the total carbon emissions and costs and also maximize the total social benefits. Design/methodology/approach The present study develops a mathematical model for a closed-loop supply chain network of perishable products so that considers the vital aspects of sustainability across the life cycle of the supply chain network. To evaluate carbon emissions, two different regulating policies are studied. Findings According to the obtained results, increasing the lifetime of the perishable products improves the incorporated objective function (IOF) in both the carbon cap-and-trade model and the model with a strict cap on carbon emission while the solving time increases in both models. Moreover, the computational efficiency of the carbon cap-and-trade model is higher than that of the model with a strict cap, but its value of the IOF is worse. Results indicate that efficient policies for carbon management will support planners to achieve sustainability in a cost-effectively manner. Originality/value This research proposes a mathematical model for the sustainable closed-loop supply chain of perishable products that applies the significant aspects of sustainability across the life cycle of the supply chain network. Regional economic value, regional development, unemployment rate and the number of job opportunities created in the regions are considered as the social dimension.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carina Acioli ◽  
Annibal Scavarda ◽  
Augusto Reis

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is 1) to investigate the effects on the crucial Industry 4.0 technological innovations that interact between the real and virtual worlds and that are applied in the sustainable supply chain process; 2) to contribute to the identification of the opportunities, the challenges and the gaps that will support the new research study developments and 3) to analyze the impact of the Industry 4.0 technologies as facilitators of the sustainable supply chain performance in the midst of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).Design/methodology/approachThis research is performed through a bibliographic review in the electronic databases of the Emerald Insight, the Scopus and the Web of Science, considering the main scientific publications on the subject.FindingsThe bibliographic search results in 526 articles, followed by two sequential filters for deleting the duplicate articles (resulting in 487 articles) and for selecting the most relevant articles (resulting in 150 articles).Practical implicationsThis article identifies the opportunities and the challenges focused on the emerging Industry 4.0 theme. The opportunities can contribute to the sustainable performance of the supply chains and their territories. The Industry 4.0 can also generate challenges like the social inequalities related to the position of the man in the labor market by replacing the human workforce with the machines. Therefore, the man-machine relationship in the Industry 4.0 era is analyzed as a gap in the literature. Therefore, as a way to fill this gap, the authors of this article suggest the exploration of the research focused on the Society 5.0. Also known as “super-smart society,” this recent theme appeared in Japan in April 2016. According to Fukuda (2020), in addition to the focus on the technological development, the Society 5.0 also aims at the quality of life and the social challenge resolutions.Originality/valueThis article contributes to the analysis of the Industry 4.0 technologies as facilitators in the sustainable supply chain performance. It addresses the impacts of the Industry 4.0 technologies applied to the supply chains in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it analyzes the research gaps and limitations found in the literature. The result of this study can add value and stimulate new research studies related to the application of the Industry 4.0 technologies as facilitators in the supply chain sustainable performance. It can encourage the studies related to the COVID-19 impacts on the sustainable supply chains, and it can promote the research development on the relationship among the man, the machine and the labor in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amir Rahimzadeh Dehaghani ◽  
Muhammad Nawaz ◽  
Rohullah Sultanie ◽  
Tawiah Kwatekwei Quartey-Papafio

PurposeThis research studies a location-allocation problem considering the m/m/m/k queue model in the blood supply chain network. This supply chain includes three levels of suppliers or donors, main blood centers (laboratories for separation, storage and distribution centers) and demand centers (hospitals and private clinics). Moreover, the proposed model is a multi-objective model including minimizing the total cost of the blood supply chain (the cost of unmet demand and inventory spoilage, the cost of transport between collection centers and the main centers of blood), minimizing the waiting time of donors in blood donating mobile centers, and minimizing the establishment of mobile centers in potential places.Design/methodology/approachSince the problem is multi-objective and NP-Hard, the heuristic algorithm NSGA-II is proposed for Pareto solutions and then the estimation of the parameters of the algorithm is described using the design of experiments. According to the review of the previous research, there are a few pieces of research in the blood supply chain in the field of design queue models and there were few works that tried to use these concepts for designing the blood supply chain networks. Also, in former research, the uncertainty in the number of donors, and also the importance of blood donors has not been considered.FindingsA novel mathematical model guided by the theory of linear programming has been proposed that can help health-care administrators in optimizing the blood supply chain networks.Originality/valueBy building upon solid literature and theory, the current study proposes a novel model for improving the supply chain of blood.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 199-204
Author(s):  
Krešimir Buntak ◽  
Matija Kovačić ◽  
Maja Mutavdžija

Digital transformation signifies changes in all components and systems of the supply chain. It is also a strategic decision of the organization which, in the long run, can result in the creation of competitive advantage in the market. Digital transformation is affecting all organizations, regardless of their activity. Digital transformation of the supply chain involves the use of industry 4.0 based technologies as well as the replacement of traditional practices with new ones based on digital solutions. The implementation of digital solutions, such as artificial intelligence, IoT, cloud computing, etc., therefore, improve communication between stakeholders in the supply chain, as well as improve efficiency and effectiveness. When conducted, digital transformation must be measured by different levels of maturity. In this paper, authors research current models of measuring digital transformation maturity in supply chain and propose a new model based on identified theories and needs.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guilherme Brittes Benitez ◽  
Mateus Ferreira-Lima ◽  
Néstor F. Ayala ◽  
Alejandro G. Frank

Purpose The provision of Industry 4.0 solutions demands a vast range of technology domains. To provide these solutions, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) may need the support of different supply chain actors through an inbound open innovation strategy. The authors study the contribution of four types of supply chain actors for inbound open innovation: suppliers, competitors with complementary technologies, R&D centers and customers. The authors analyze how these four actors moderate the effect of integrated Industry 4.0 solutions on three main competitive strategies: cost, focalization and differentiation. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a survey on 77 SMEs from the automation sector, using OLS regression with moderating effects. They considered the integration of 15 technologies and 7 classic automation activities in the provision of Industry 4.0 solutions. The authors also studied three competitive outputs – technology cost reduction (cost), customer loyalty (focalization) and technology innovation (differentiation) – as well as four supply chain actors (moderators). Findings Expanding the provision of Industry 4.0 technologies increases customer loyalty and technology innovation. Collaboration with competitors (complementary technologies) leverage these results and reduce technology costs. Integration between customers and R&D centers elevates costs but R&D centers can foster long-run innovation. Originality/value This study is the first to empirically investigate inbound open innovation in the supply chain for technology development in the context of Industry 4.0. The authors discuss how these actors contribute to four inbound open innovation activities: technology scouting; horizontal technology collaboration; vertical technology collaboration; and technology sourcing.


Web Services ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 1563-1587
Author(s):  
Wu He ◽  
Feng-Kwei Wang

As a new IT paradigm for users, cloud computing has the potential to transform the way that IT resources are utilized and consumed. Many multinational enterprises (MNEs) are interested in cloud computing but do not know how to adopt and implement cloud computing in their enterprise settings. In an effort to help MNEs understand cloud computing and develop successful enterprise adoption strategies for cloud computing, the authors propose a hybrid cloud model for MNEs and illustrate the utility of this model by using two case studies. Insights for adopting and implementing this model in international settings are provided as well.


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 467-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asama Alglawe ◽  
Andrea Schiffauerova ◽  
Onur Kuzgunkaya ◽  
Itad Shiboub

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of the cost of quality (COQ) expenditure allocations on a capacitated supply chain (SC) network. Design/methodology/approach This paper proposes a non-linear optimization model which integrates the opportunity cost (OC) (i.e. customer satisfaction cost), into the COQ with consideration of the QL in the supply chain network design decisions. In addition, it examines the effect of considering an investment at each SC echelon to ensure the best overall QL. A numerical example is presented to illustrate the behavior of the model. Findings The results show how the QL, COQ and facility location decisions change when incorporating the OC, investments and transportation costs into the SC model. Originality/value The novelty of this paper is that it considers the effect of OC, investment at each echelon and transportation costs on SC design by minimizing the overall spending on the COQ. These issues have not been explored, and for that reason, this paper contributes to the understanding of the critical factors that optimizes the SC COQ.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guilherme Francisco Frederico ◽  
Jose Arturo Garza-Reyes ◽  
Anil Kumar ◽  
Vikas Kumar

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a theoretical approach based on the balanced scorecard (BSC) with regard to performance measurement – PM in supply chains for the Industry 4.0 era.Design/methodology/approachThis paper combines the literature of PM and specifically the BSC with the literature related to the dimensions of supply chain in the context of Industry 4.0.FindingsDimensions extracted from the literature based on supply chains within the context of Industry 4.0 showed a strong alignment with the four perspectives of the BSC, which make it suitable to be considered as a performance measurement system (PMS) for supply chains in this new context.Research limitations/implicationsFrom theoretical perspective, this study contributes to the limited literature on PM for supply chains in Industry 4.0 era. The study proposes a supply chain 4.0 Scorecard and strongly support researchers to conduct future empirical researches in order to get a deeper understanding about PM in supply chains in the Industry 4.0 era. As limitations, the theoretical framework proposed needs further empirical research in other to validate it and obtain new insights over the investigation conducted and presented into this paper.Practical implicationsPractitioners can use this study as a guide to develop more effective performance measurement systems – PMSs in their organizations.Originality/valueThis research is unique as it addresses a significant knowledge gap related to PM in supply chains in the Industry 4.0 era. It brings a significant contribution in terms of understanding how to measure performance in supply chains in this new era.


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