The digital supply chain

● Supply chain 4.0

12
● Big data and analytics

● Artificial intelligence and machine learning

● The Internet of Things

● Robotics and automation

● Blockchains and smart contracts

● Control towers and digital twins

● The road to digital transformation

There can be little doubt that the single biggest driver of change across supply chains this
century has been digitisation. The digital revolution has impacted almost every aspect of
supply chain management. Information technology (IT) has transformed the way we plan,
source, make and deliver as well as the way the end-to-end pipeline is monitored and
controlled. Beyond the supply chain, digitisation has changed the way that businesses
go to market and how they connect with their network of suppliers and customers.
It is perhaps obvious to state that today’s supply chains could not operate without
the support of IT in one form or another. However, the digitisation of supply chains
goes way beyond the transfer of information across the network. Increasingly the
products themselves are digitised – or at least the inventory is. Thus, a book bought
from Amazon and downloaded onto a Kindle is a digital product from start to finish.
A spare part printed by a 3D printer begins life as an electronic blueprint and only
becomes a physical product at the end of the supply chain.
The digital supply chain also enables knowledge to be shared and intelligence to
be created through the analysis of massive quantities of data concerning demand
trends, customer characteristics and changes in the competitive environment. This
is the world of ‘big data’ and analytics. A world which makes it possible to link mar-
ket intelligence with supply chain response. A world in which this intelligence can
easily be shared across the supply/demand network making use of shared access,

213
 ‘cloud’-based platforms. Whereas supply chains were originally largely physical, now
.

they are largely digital. Indeed, perhaps the time has come to call them digital supply
networks, a term which more accurately describes their form.

Supply chain 4.0

It has been suggested1 that we are now experiencing the ‘Fourth Industrial Revo-
lution’. The first industrial revolution 250 years ago was centred around the use of
steam and water power to enable the development of the factory system and the
transformation of manufacturing. The second revolution, towards the end of the
nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, saw the use of elec-
tricity and the advent of mass production. The third revolution in the second half of
the twentieth century was driven by the computer and information technology. Now
we are on the threshold of the fourth industrial revolution where the man/machine
interface is integrated and automated to an extent not possible before.
This latest revolution is sometimes referred to as Industry 4.0. This concept origi-
nated from a government-backed initiative in Germany and has come to be used as
an umbrella term to cover a number of related innovations including automation, the
use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the management of the man/machine interface
based upon the Internet of Things (IoT). The potential impact on supply chain man-
agement of AI and IoT – particularly when the two are linked – could be profound.
Whilst much of the original thinking around Industry 4.0 was mainly focused upon
manufacturing it is clear that there are significant implications of these breakthrough
ideas for supply chain management. Indeed, many commentators now refer to ‘Sup-
ply Chain 4.0’.2
Already we are seeing the transformation of supply chains from the classic, phys-
ical ‘trucks and sheds’ inventory-based model to one driven by data and information
captured in real time enabling a rapid response to customer demand. Accenture, the
global consultancy and technology services company, has suggested that there are
four distinguishing features of a digital supply chain: they are connected, intelligent,
scalable and rapid (see box below).
There are a number of new and emerging technologies that together make dig-
ital supply chains possible. Figure 12.1 below highlights some of the key enablers,
although it must be emphasised that because digital technology is evolving so rapidly
this cannot be definitive.

Key elements of a digital supply chain

● Connected
Leveraging various digital capabilities, connected companies enjoy extensive
visibility, outsized influence and high levels of control. Connected companies
interact more fully with the entire business ecosystem. Often in real time, they
can react, relate and communicate more completely with customers – diagnosing
the latter’s needs and involving them in product planning and design initiatives.

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 ● Intelligent
The connected advantage provides access to data. Smart companies extend
their connectivity advantage by using digital to turn that data into valuable
information. The key is leveraging analytics, cognitive equipment and smart
apps to provide the right information for decision making. This higher level of
intelligence leads to the creation of an intelligent network.
● Scalable
Companies often struggle to scale their supply chains up or down as circum-
stances require. However, smooth scalability becomes more attainable when a
supply chain has been imbued with digitally enabled connectivity and intelli-
gence. Processes become easier to optimise and duplicate. Errors and anom-
alies are simpler to spot. Companies are better able to add or reduce partners
and suppliers as needed. They may also become more effective at targeting
niche markets, segments and customers.
● Rapid
Speed is going to be one of the future’s most important currencies. The further
ahead we look, the more companies’ processes and priorities may well need to
change as fast, or faster, than their products. In response, they will need to use
digital technology to diagnose more quickly, adjust more rapidly and execute
more efficiently. They’ll need accelerated access to resources, as well as the
ability to swiftly shift resources within the company and across the extended
enterprise. Perhaps most important, they’ll need to rapidly increase or decrease
production levels in response to shifting levels of demand.
Source: The Digital Supply Network: A New Paradigm for Supply Chain
Management, Accenture, 2014

Figure 12.1 The digital supply chain

Big data
and analytics

Control towers AI and machine

and digital twins learning

The digital
supply chain

Block chains and Internet of

smart contracts Things

Robotics and
automation

Let us briefly explore each of these technologies in turn:

THE DIGITAL SUPPLY CHAIN 215

 Big data and analytics
What is ‘big data’? The exponential growth of data since the turn of the century –
and indeed before then – has led to a massive data overload that makes timely
interpretation more or less impossible using traditional methods. Every day billions
of customers – both companies and individuals – generate billions of transactions,
Internet searches, social media posts, mobile phone calls and other activities, all of
which create streams of data. Connected devices such as sensors, RFID tags and
QR codes continuously add to this tsunami of information. This is big data and the
challenge is how to make sense of it all.

Data growth drives companies towards chaos

Data proliferation has escalated over the years with each disruptive digital
innovation. Today, the sheer volume of data produced by supply chains and
their newly formed digital eco-systems is not only overwhelming – it has the
potential to harm by adding a counter-productive level of complexity that leads
to chaos.
It’s an embarrassment of data riches, whose growing complexity actually
inhibits executives’ ability to access the right business insights at the right
time to empower better decision-making.

Source: ‘Digital Supply Chain! It’s All About That Data’, Ernst & Young (EY), 2016

The first important point to make is that the process of converting data into insight
or knowledge is a multi-stage activity. Figure 12.2 below summarises the steps
involved in this process:

Figure 12.2 The analytics process

Insight/
Data Information Intelligence
knowledge

Data by itself is simply unprocessed facts or observations and is of limited use.

Given some order data can then become information. Imagine a telephone directory
where all the names are in random order – finding someone’s phone number would
be a painstaking task. All the data is there but there is no information. Once the
names are arranged in alphabetical order it makes it simple to find a particular per-
son’s phone number; this is information. If as well as the phone number the directory
also gives an address and postcode we can infer something about the type of area
in which that person lives – this we could think of as intelligence. Taking this a step

216 LOGISTICS & S U PPLY C H AIN MAN AGE ME NT

further, if it is possible to access other sources of information, say from census data,
we could start to develop knowledge or insight about likely shopping behaviour for
example.
The process of getting from data to insight is essentially what analytics is all about.
It has been suggested3 that there are four types of approaches to using analytics:
1. Descriptive analytics: this refers to the retrospective analysis of what has hap-
pened in the past.
2. Diagnostic analytics: the aim here is to understand why things have happened.
3. Predictive analytics: this is using analysis to forecast what is likely to happen.
4. Prescriptive analytics: How can performance be improved and what actions
should be taken?
There is a role for all four of these analytic capabilities although most companies
typically are only able to utilise the first two and lack the tools and knowledge to
exploit types three and four.
Some examples of the analytic tools that can enable organisations to improve
supply chain performance include:
● Statistical analysis, e.g. correlation and multiple regression techniques for
exploring the relationship between variables
● Process improvement tools, e.g. failure mode and effect analysis, root cause
analysis and fishbone diagrams
● Cost and revenue analysis, e.g. cost-to-serve and Pareto analysis of custom-
ers and suppliers (spend analysis and total cost of ownership)
● ‘What if?’ analysis, e.g. model building and simulation of alternative strategies
Many of these tools have been available for a long time but for many companies
the problem has been – and still is – a lack of the skills to utilise them. However
increasingly organisations are recognising the need to recruit, train and retain a new
breed of supply chain professionals able to create and manage the data-driven sup-
ply chain.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning

Artificial intelligence (AI) as an idea has been around since the mid-twentieth century.
However, it is only latterly, with the advent of more powerful computing technology,
that it has become a reality with a growing impact on all our lives.
At its simplest, AI is the use of rules or algorithms to process data – often huge
amounts – to aid decision making or to provide insight and even predictions. There
are two types of AI: rules-based and machine learning. Rules-based AI uses ‘if-then’
type of logic to solve problems such as vehicle routing and scheduling or to create
‘expert systems’ that can enable improved decision making. Machine learning relates
to AI where the programs or algorithms that underpin it can change or modify as new
information becomes available. As its name implies this form of AI ‘learns’ from its

THE DIGITAL SUPPLY CHAIN 217

 experience and can become a powerful aid for prediction. Companies like Amazon
and Spotify use machine-learning AI to monitor customer purchasing patterns and
then use these insights to produce personalised suggestions on what you might
also like to buy, or to construct playlists to mirror your musical preferences. The case
study below describes how Otto, a German retailer, uses this type of AI to predict
customer preferences.

Otto Otto is a German e-commerce retailer based in Hamburg and a pioneer in the
use of AI and big data analytics to predict customers’ purchasing intentions.
Otto’s deep learning algorithms enable the company to analyse massive amounts
of data, including past transactions, web searches and other information such as
weather forecasts, to anticipate demand for over 200,000 items. The accuracy of
these predictions is close to 90 per cent – far ahead of traditional forecasting meth-
ods – and has enabled stock levels to be dramatically reduced as a result of less
over-ordering. All of this is achieved without human intervention.
The ability to update procurement decisions based on near real-time informa-
tion has created a level of agility and responsiveness that few conventional retailers
can achieve. This data-driven capability also enables Otto to personalise its website
based on its deep understanding of individual customer behaviour.

We have already noted that the amount of data generated across supply chains
is vast and can easily overwhelm the capability of conventional tools to analyse it.
However, by using AI technology organisations are now able to process this data
more rapidly and then use the insights gained to make better decisions and to better
forecast the future.
Some of the ways in which AI and machine learning are transforming supply chain
management include:
● Improved forecast accuracy enabling higher service levels with less inventory
● Better vehicle routing and scheduling enabled by real-time response to
changing requirements and circumstances
● Enhanced supply chain planning utilising multiple data sources and more
rapid adjustments to dynamic conditions
● Greater efficiency in warehouse operations by optimising stock location and
picking and packing processes
● Smarter procurement decisions through optimising sourcing taking account
of availability, prices, shipping rates and location
Whilst AI and machine-learning applications in supply chain management are still
at an early stage in their development there is no question that their impact will
continue to grow. Whilst the autonomous, ‘self-thinking’ supply chains4 may still be
some way off, the potential for using these tools to improve business performance
is clearly significant.

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The Internet of Things
The label ‘Internet of Things’ or sometimes the ‘Industrial Internet of Things’ is an
umbrella phrase that includes devices and technologies that enable the digital and
physical worlds to connect with each other. Typically, the devices might be sensors,
bar codes, RFID tags and wireless links which can capture information in real time
from activities in their locality.
Literally billions of devices are connected to the Internet today and the forecast
is for that number to grow dramatically in the coming years. The roll-out of 5G
mobile communications technology will enable even higher levels of connectivity
to be achieved between objects, machines and people. We are entering an era
of ‘smart’ devices, be it in the home with heating and security systems that can
be accessed and operated remotely or using GPS Satnav in the car to check on
traffic conditions.
However, the possibilities of IoT extend beyond making our personal lives easier.
In the context of supply chain management the IoT offers the opportunity to bring the
physical and digital worlds together to potentially create an autonomous operating
environment. In other words, once the ‘if-then’ rules or heuristics are established then
the system can run itself with limited human intervention.
To reap the benefits that are potentially available from applying IoT technology
there has to be a data communications infrastructure which can enable the rapid
flow of information from sensors, RFID tags and the like to a ‘control tower’, where
the signals can be interpreted and acted upon. For many companies the cost of
investing in proprietary systems to manage this information flow would be prohibi-
tive. Fortunately, the availability of ‘software as a service’(SaaS) solutions which are
now widely available makes it possible for organisations to access this capability
on a pay-as-you-go basis. Cloud computing further enables the exploitation of IoT
across extended supply chains so that data can be captured, uploaded and, where
necessary, shared with other entities in the supply/demand network. ‘Edge’ com-
puting is now augmenting cloud computing by localising the cloud, so to speak. As
the name suggests, edge computing processes data close to where it is captured
before deciding what should be sent to the cloud.

Robotics and automation

For decades, robotics and automation have been steadily transforming manufac-
turing in many industrial sectors. Now we are seeing a growing use of these tech-
nologies across the wider supply chain. Transport and warehousing in particular are
activities where the impact of robotics and automation has been, and will continue
to be, profound.
In the warehouse particularly we are witnessing a significant increase in robotics
and automation. In some cases, this technology replaces labour but in other cases it
is used to augment the workforce to make their tasks easier but also more produc-
tive. These types of robots are sometimes known as ‘cobots’ – collaborative robots –
as they are designed to operate alongside people and assist them in their work.

THE DIGITAL SUPPLY CHAIN 219

 Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) use sensors to guide them around the ware-
house and they can scan bar codes, read RFID tags and pick and pack items. Many
types of automated storage and retrieval systems are available that put away and
retrieve inventory.
Some years ago, Amazon.com recognised the role that robotics and automation
can play in improving warehouse efficiency and acquired a specialised robotics busi-
ness, Kiva Systems, to enable them to stay at the forefront of these emerging tech-
nologies. Increasingly, AI capabilities will be incorporated into the design of robots to
enable machine learning to further improve performance. Drones are now being used
in some warehouses for scanning and counting inventory. They are also being trialled
by several organisations for delivery of customer orders, particularly in areas or ter-
rains where more conventional means of transport might be difficult or less effective.
Autonomous vehicles are being developed with various pilot schemes underway.
The aim is to enable a safer and more cost-effective transportation capability. Again,
such vehicles can operate for longer hours at less cost and with less reliance on
human intervention.
A number of factors are driving the widespread adoption of robotics and auto-
mation across the supply chain. Perhaps the most important of these factors is
economics – robots can work 24/7 at little extra cost. They can reduce errors and
maintain a consistent level of performance ensuring that quality can be enhanced.
They can reduce the time it takes to perform an activity leading to gains in produc-
tivity. Further benefits from automation in the supply chain include improved safety
and the ability to undertake much of the ‘heavy lifting’ involved in logistics operations.
In such a fast-changing world as this it would be unwise to speculate about future
developments in robotics and automation. However, it is clear that the physical supply
chain in even a few years’ time will look vastly different from the one we know today.

Blockchains and smart contracts

One of the predominant problems which have beset modern supply chain manage-
ment has been the lack of visibility and certainty that typify many extended global
supply networks. Because these networks usually involve multiple nodes and links
and cross many different geographical boundaries, it has become increasingly dif-
ficult to know precisely what the current status of an order, production schedule
or shipment actually is. Each individual party or entity in the network will likely have
information relating to their own processes or activities but this may not be shared
with other members of the network.
Recently, however, the emergence of Blockchain technology promises to signifi-
cantly change the supply chain landscape. Blockchains are distributed ‘ledgers’ that
are shared amongst members of a network. Data and information entered into the
ledger are made visible to all the network members and validated, and cannot be
changed or deleted. High levels of security and encryption ensure that the data and
information are accessible only to those with permission to view them.
Because today’s supply chains will typically comprise many different entities and
hence have many inter-dependencies, the need for trust amongst those entities is

220 LOGISTICS & S U PPLY C H AIN MAN AGE ME NT

vital. Blockchains, because of the guaranteed integrity of the data and information
they host, can greatly facilitate that trust. As a result, the members of the network will
hopefully be more prepared to share data and information with each other.
As well as improving the speed and efficiency of transactions across a supply
chain, the use of blockchain technology can provide a highly reliable means of ensur-
ing product provenance and reduce the possibility of counterfeiting. This is made
possible because the blockchain records and validates every transfer of an asset
between entities across the network in real time. Tracking and tracing of materials and
products is also greatly enhanced through the adoption of blockchain technology.

Blockchain aids food traceability

The French supermarket chain Carrefour is using blockchain technology to provide
end-to-end visibility and provenance of the grocery products that it sells. The com-
pany sources products from around the world and using IBM’s Food Trust blockchain
solution they are able to better manage and control food safety, freshness and reduce
waste. The Food Trust platform connects participants across the food supply chain
through a permissioned, permanent and shared record of data and information. This
enables Carrefour to know exactly the journey that its grocery products have taken
and also enables food wastage to be reduced through better monitoring of the supply
chain. The intention is also to enable consumers to scan a QR code on the product to
access information relating to its origin, freshness and the way in which it reached
the supermarket shelf.

Closely associated with the use of blockchains in supply chain management is the
idea of a ‘Smart Contract’. Smart contracts are essentially computer programs that
exist within a blockchain to automate the execution of an agreement when certain
conditions are met. All the parties in the blockchain have visibility of the agreement,
which is immutable and cannot be altered, and can witness its execution as it hap-
pens. There is no need for intermediaries such as brokers, banks or lawyers once
the smart contract has been agreed and posted on a blockchain.
The advantages of smart contracts are generally agreed to be:
● Speed, efficiency and accuracy
The smart contract is executed immediately when the pre-determined
requirements are met. There is no paperwork involved and there is ‘one ver-
sion of the truth’ that is shared in real time across the network.
● Trust and transparency
Because the details of transactions are shared across the blockchain mem-
bers and form an immutable record, greater trust should be engendered.
● Security
The high level of encryption that underpins all records posted on a block-
chain and the distributed nature of ‘ledgers’ makes it exceptionally difficult for
external parties to access or change those records.

THE DIGITAL SUPPLY CHAIN 221

 ● Lower cost
Because smart contracts can be executed without recourse to intermediar-
ies, transaction costs should be lower. There should also be fewer queries
and disputes and swifter transfer of funds.

Control towers and digital twins

One thing a supply chain is not short of is data. The challenge has always been one
of how to collect it, sort it and make sense of it to better manage operations. In the
same way that a busy airport needs a co-ordinated, centralised means of controlling
aircraft arrivals and departures, so too does the supply chain require a means of
ensuring the smooth and efficient matching of supply with demand. Thus, in recent
years many organisations have sought to develop a ‘control tower’ to provide a better
view of what is happening across the supply chain.
The role of the supply chain control tower is to bring together relevant data and
information regarding flows and inventories across the supply chain as well as pro-
viding a real-time monitor of the status of each node and link and highlighting any
deviations from planned activities and events. It is in effect a dashboard of key metrics
reflecting the operational performance of the supply chain. Ideally the control tower
will utilise AI to enable appropriate decisions to be taken when deviations from the
plan are identified. It should also be capable of using predictive analytics to enable a
better response to changes in supply and demand conditions.
A number of IT and software companies offer cloud-based platforms to create
a control tower capability often using the principle of ‘software as a service’ (SaaS).
This means that rather than having to create a bespoke and probably very expensive
in-house capability a company can utilise an ‘off the shelf’ but customised solution
from a specialist provider. Such platforms have the ability to integrate existing plan-
ning systems such as warehouse management systems (WMS) and transport man-
agement systems (TMS) and to link with any 3PLs that might be involved in supply
chain activities.
The aim is to enable a much higher level of automation or ‘self-thinking’ in supply
chain operations leading to greater efficiency and higher levels of responsiveness.
An extension of the control tower idea is the concept of a ‘digital twin’. As we
have seen, a control tower enables the gathering of data to better inform operational
decision making in a reactive sense. By contrast a digital twin facilitates a much more
proactive approach to supply chain management.
A supply chain digital twin can be defined as a virtual replica of the physical supply
chain – a model in effect – which is constantly updated with real-world, real-time data.
A digital twin can therefore replicate the performance of the physical system and can
instantaneously identify the need for adjustment or change in the physical system as
conditions change. Using IoT technology, data can be captured from the physical
system and used as input into the virtual replica – the digital twin.
Using AI the digital twin can anticipate system problems such as bottlenecks
and prescribe solutions. The digital twin can be used to answer ‘what if’ type ques-
tions and can be a powerful aid for scenario planning. The digital twin can also be

222 LOGISTICS & S U PPLY C H AIN MAN AGE ME NT

employed to ‘stress test’ the system to identify potential weaknesses or failure points
and can suggest ways in which supply chain resilience can be improved.

Boston Consulting Group has identified a number of benefits that can flow from
the employment of a supply chain digital twin.
● Short-term planning and execution
Because a digital twin can identify execution risks early, a company can mit-
igate risks rather than manage crises. This allows the company to reduce the
idle time of bottleneck assets and to improve inventory positions.
● Sales and operational planning
The digital twin can optimise sales and operations planning by simulating the
execution of a specific plan, highlighting risks and opportunities and feeding
the insights back into the planning process. This allows the company to mini-
mise the losses that arise from misalignment of plans and system constraints,
including latent bottlenecks. The insights also allow the company to better align
maintenance plans and inventory buildings with market demand.
● Longer-term planning
A company can improve the efficiency of capital expenditure and optimise the
set-up of the overall supply chain system by understanding where the most sig-
nificant structural bottlenecks exist and how much additional capacity is needed.
Source: ‘Conquering Complexity in Supply Chains with Digital Twins’,
Rainer Schuster (Partner and Associate Director),
Gaurav Nath (Managing Director & Partner), Llorenç Mitjavila
(Managing Director & Senior Partner), Boston Consulting Group, 2020

The road to digital transformation

The digital revolution transforming supply chains has been underway for several dec-
ades now but in recent years it has rapidly gained pace. Few industries and markets
have been left untouched by the impact of digitisation. However, not every company
has been able to realise the full potential of this revolution, sometimes because of
a lack of understanding of the opportunities it provides but more often because of
unwillingness to embrace the fundamental change that it demands.
For many organisations the digital revolution will require a radical change to their
business operations model.5 It will certainly necessitate the acquisition of new skills
to manage the new technology underpinning the digital supply chain.
Beyond these internal challenges there is the equally difficult task of establishing
connectivity across the network as a whole. It is clear that in the digital supply chain
connectivity is key and that implies that all the entities in the organisation’s ecosystem
must be connected. Bringing supply chain partners on board is a vital step in the

THE DIGITAL SUPPLY CHAIN 223

 transformation process. There are powerful arguments as to why network members
should be prepared to become paid-up members of an information-sharing commu-
nity. The strongest of these arguments is that digitisation significantly improves visi-
bility and agility across the supply chain. This then drives down costs and improves
responsiveness. One of the biggest benefits to all parties is that connectivity enables
the substitution of information for inventory – a prime goal for supply chain manage-
ment, which is emphasised throughout this book.
The case of Jaguar Land Rover below provides an indication of how high levels
of connectivity can enable greater agility across the supply chain.

Jaguar Land Rover’s digitally connected supply chain E2open, a leading

network-based provider of cloud-based, end-to-end supply chain management
platforms, and Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), UK’s largest automotive manufacturer, are
working together to strengthen JLR’s transition to a collaborative supply chain model.
Central to JLR’s strategy is E2open’s orchestration platform that acts as a backbone
connecting the company’s planning and operations activities with those of its part-
ners in the supply chain.
JLR and E2open first engaged in 2017 as JLR sought a platform for a more
connected supply chain to help improve its responsiveness to customers. E2open
helped JLR implement a multi-enterprise inventory optimisation strategy, and this
was employed across JLR’s three manufacturing sites and wider supply network.
This enabled JLR’s ecosystem to respond to a volatile business environment as a
cohesive supply chain network rather than as a standalone automotive manufacturer.
In 2021, JLR announced a new global strategy – Reimagine – which focused on,
among other things, the electrification of the Jaguar and Land Rover brands. Key
to the success of the strategy was the digitisation of the JLR supply chain through
the E2open platform bringing with it a much higher level of agility in a fast-changing
market.

There are a number of mechanisms to facilitate this connectivity across the net-
work. One in particular that stands out is the emergence of supply chain interme-
diaries offering ‘cloud-based’ platforms with the ability to connect multiple entities
with each other. Cloud computing is now a familiar element of everyday life both for
businesses and individuals. It enables all parties to a network to access the same
data and information, usually over the Internet, and to do so at relatively little cost.
Cloud computing, as we observed earlier, has been augmented by ‘edge comput-
ing’, a term used to describe the use of auxiliary computing on a more localised
basis. This is particularly relevant with the growth of the IoT. When IoT technology is
installed across a global network it is necessary to have some means of processing
the millions of digital signals that are constantly being generated and to filter these
for transmission to the cloud.

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 Finally, it is important to recognise that the digitisation of the supply chain is about
far more than the technology that underpins it. In essence, digitisation is forcing a
re-invention of the value creation and delivery processes in every business. The
likelihood is that in the coming years still further dramatic changes will be required
in the way we serve customers as technology continues to evolve and develop,
bringing with it new opportunities and threats. The challenge to the organisation is
to be ready for these changes and to be prepared to constantly adapt supply chain
strategy as a result.

References
1. Schwab, K., The Fourth Industrial Revolution, Penguin Random House UK, 2017.
2. Aktas, E., et.al., Supply Chain 4.0, Kogan Page, London, 2021.
3. Nelson, J., et.al., Unleashing the Potential of Advanced Supply Chain Analytics,
The Hackett Group, 2019.
4. Calatayud, A., Mangan, J. and Christopher, M., ‘The Self-Thinking Supply Chain’,
Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Vol. 24, No.1, 2019,
pp. 22–38.
5. Braithwaite, A. and Christopher, M., Business Operations Models, Kogan Page,
London, 2015.

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