Background: The automotive industry experiences significant challenges such as electric mobility, autonomous cars, smart factories, and ridesharing. Above that, the COVID-19 pandemic did not only affect the global health care system but also caused a disruption that challenged the automotive manufacturing sector and its supply chains. Purpose: The automotive industry was investigated to assess the supply chain resilience during the COVID-19 disruption. Therefore, the supply chain performance along the disruption stages was determined. Also, the usage and value of supply chain resilience measures were explored to characterise the current state of supply chain resilience in the industry. Method: A multiple case study and purposeful sampling were used to gather empirical data. Semi-structured interviews with 21 automotive experts from the Scandinavian and German automotive industry were conducted. A content analysis approach was applied to analyse the primary data. The investigation was supported by a systematic literature review prior to the study and additional company reports as secondary data. Conclusion: The level of supply chain resilience within the automotive industry can be assessed as high. A quick recovery and a corresponding rebound of the production volume can be identified, even though the findings indicate that the COVID-19 disruption also caused a bullwhip effect. To compensate for this effect, agility measures, increased collaboration and information sharing, and risk management were used. Other supply chain resilience measures like technological innovations or sustainability were only used to a limited extent.

<p>Developing resiliency in supply chains became vital in the recent years due to global diversification and vulnerability to risks. Firms need to identify, evaluate, and mitigate risks in supply chain to maintain continuity and create competitive advantage. Although the problem of supply chain disruptions has existed for a long time, less attention has been given by researchers in exploring the adoption of advanced technologies to build resilient supply chains. This study explored the potential of mitigating supply chain disruptions with the use of Industry 4.0 technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT) and Supply chain data analytics platform which develops digital twin environment for supply chains. </p> <p><br></p> <p>This research gathered expert’s opinion on the resilience capabilities developed in supply chain by digital twin adoption, stages and practices involved in digital twin assimilation through Delphi survey with subject matter experts and supply chain practitioners. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants to attain deep understanding on the resilience capabilities gained by digital twin and stages in digital twin adoption. Comparison of the results from Delphi survey and interviews was carried out to synthesize the results to yield a comprehensive understanding of resilience capabilities gained through digital twin and adoption stages of supply chain digital twin. This research has conducted interviews with 21 subject matter experts and completed three rounds of Delphi survey (with participants n = 15, 11, 11 in three rounds respectively) to develop a framework for digital twin adoption to enhance supply chain resilience. </p> <p><br></p> <p>This research determined that digital twin develops real-time monitoring and sensing capabilities, planning and decision support system, and automating decisions and action execution capabilities in supply chain. In addition, digital twin positively impacts resilience elements such as agility, supply chain reconfiguration, robustness, and collaboration in supply chain, which improves the supply chain performance. The results from this study were utilized to develop a framework for enabling supply chain resilience through digital twin. The framework included antecedents, consequences, and various moderators that impact digital twin adoption and diffusion in supply chains. Finally, this research developed a five-stage roadmap for adopting digital twin capabilities in supply chain. </p>

Modern supply chains are often characterized by carefully planned and interconnected processes that seamlessly integrate with each other. Supply chains are often efficientduring a stable business environment but are highly vulnerable to risks and disruptions.When any link in the supply chain is negatively impacted, challenges can arise for all the companies in the supply chain. This has expanded the goal of supply chain management tocreate resilient supply chains that incorporate event readiness, provide efficient and effective responses, and can return to their original state after a disruption. During Covid19 businesses all over the world were affected and the pandemic led to disruptions in supply chains. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) were especially affected because of lack in financial resources, technical capabilities, and low resilience. SMEs play a crucial role in the global economy but there is still a limited amount of research onhow SME can achieve resilience in their supply chains. Furthermore, there is a lack ofresearch comparing changes in supply chain resilience before and after Covid-19. To address this research gap, the purpose of the study is to explore how Covid-19 affected the supply chain resilience in Swedish SMEs. To understand the effects of Covid-19 we will examine supply chain resilience in SMEs before, during and after the pandemic. To address our purpose, we have conducted a qualitative study using an inductive approach and exploratory research design. We collected primary data from semi-structuredinterviews with nine managers from manufacturing Swedish SMEs. The data gathered through the interviews was analysed by using a thematic analysis that led us to our findings. Our findings revealed that prior to the pandemic, risk awareness was not a top priority for the respondent companies. However, Covid-19 exposed vulnerabilities in their supply chains highlighting the importance of both proactive and reactive strategies. Swedish SMEs experienced various challenges including transportation problems, component shortages and fluctuations in customer demand. Tomeet these challenges, the companies showed flexibility by changes in product assemblingand increased inventory levels during Covid-19. Furthermore, strengthened communication with suppliers and customers played a significant role in increasing supply chain visibility and collaboration. As a result of the Covid-19 disruption, our study show that the responding companies have become more aware of risks and incorporated practices into in their operations as adoption of alternative suppliers, optimization of safety stocks and improved communication. Overall, the findings suggested that the pandemic prompted the respondent SMEs to strengthen their supply chain resilience. By learning from the impact of the crisis, these companies have become more resilient and created supply chains that can better withstand future disruptions. This study contributes to understanding how supply chain resilience in Swedish SMEs was affected by Covid-19 and how SMEs can enhance their supply chain resilience

Background: COVID-19 pandemic had a vast and significant impact on today’s societies, in terms of economic, societal, and even environmental aspects. Global supply chains had to adapt to this changing landscape rapidly. Both supply and demand witnessed repercussions. The effects of COVID-19 on supply chains have been evident, with lockdowns and inconsistent supply and demand causing issues for international trade. Indeed, many companies were constrained to stop supply and production and could not deliver their goods.   Purpose: This study aims to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on transportation operations in logistics companies, more precisely by using the case of DHL to emphasize our study. The purpose is to analyze the impacts that the crisis had on Logistics operations, by focusing on DHL and the way the company was impacted, understood and overcame the disruption. This study will take into consideration economic, social and environmental aspects.   Method: The research will be based on a case study and empirical evidence to provide a comprehensive understanding of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on DHL’s supply chain operations and more precisely on logistics and transport. We used the Triple Bottom Line approach to measure the economic, social, and environmental performances of DHL. Further, the analysis used in this paper is an inductive thematic analysis, to emphasize the findings and provide a better accuracy to our results.   Results: The study aims to identify the effects that COVID-19 had on logistics operations, and it more particularly seeks to highlight the strategies used by logistics companies that could be useful for other companies that need to build more resilient and flexible supply chains in the face of future disruptions. The findings of this thesis will be valuable to businesses, supply chain managers, and policymakers seeking to understand the role of improving their supply chains. Thanks to the interviews that were conducted, the findings highlighted several strategies that have been implemented by companies, such as the acceleration in automation, efforts put towards employee conditions, and restructuring companies.

Abstract Background: Supply chain resilience and sustainability have rarely been considered together, neither in literature nor in practice. The need to pursue both approaches is partly due to end- customer pressure for more sustainable practices. Also, Covid-19 demonstrated the importance of a resilient supply chain, especially upstream, which brings sourcing into focus. To achieve both, sourcing strategies need to be effectively changed. This is a challenge especially for family businesses, as they hold on to traditional values and are reluctant to make investments. Purpose: Efforts to achieve resilience and sustainability in sourcing are often accompanied by conflicting goals. In addition, family businesses have special characteristics with a strong focus on social capital. This mentioned combination has not yet been addressed in the literature, which is why the aim of this thesis is to find out how sustainability is integrated into the resilient sourcing strategies of family businesses. Method: To achieve the research objective, a multiple case-study with family businesses from Germany is conducted. For this purpose, semi-structured interviews are used. CPOs or CEOs of different case companies are asked, how they integrate sustainability into their resilient sourcing structures. Conclusion: The result of our study is a pool of different sourcing strategies of the considered family businesses, which are almost exclusively sustainable. This is due to the nature of a family business, which automatically generates sustainability through values such as regionality and long-term orientation. Awareness of the sustainability level of sourcing strategies reveals trade-offs and thus helps practitioners to use them effectively.

Ph. D. (Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / The most important decisions that direct the operations of a nation are made in the public sector. The public sector performs the duty of facilitating the efficient and sustainable delivery of goods and services to the general public. In South Africa, public sector institutions have failed to fulfil their role of providing effective services, and this failure has been attributed to corruption and other inconsistencies inherent within supply chain management (SCM) transactions occurring between government and its suppliers. To streamline SCM, various legislative pieces such as the public SCM Policy Framework, the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework (PPPF) and the Broad-Based Black-Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) Act, among others were implemented in tandem with a host of other interventions. However, the challenges linked to public SCM continue to this day and the intended outcomes are yet to be fully realised, thereby negatively impacting on the effective delivery of services by the public sector. This study investigated the relationship between SCM practices, supplier performance and supply chain resilience in the South African public sector. The study is premised on the need to investigate how SCM practices may be applied to improve the effectiveness of supplier performance, and hence the resilience of the public supply chain in South Africa, in light of the numerous challenges faced by the sector. This study followed a quantitative method in which a cross-sectional survey was applied to collect data to test the relationships between seven SCM practices (supply chain collaboration, supply chain synergies, supply chain innovation, information sharing, information quality, supply chain design, supply chain integration), supplier performance and supply chain resilience. A structured survey questionnaire was developed using adapted measurement scales and administered to 333 SCM professionals recruited from public sector organisations based in the Gauteng Province. The data collected were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Version 25.0) and the Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS Version 25.0) statistical software. The actual data analysis techniques applied included descriptive and inferential statistics and hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling. The results of the study showed that three SCM practices, namely collaboration, innovation and integration exerted a significant positive influence on supplier performance. However, supply chain synergies, information quality and supply chain design were statistically insignificant. Moreover, information sharing exerted a significant negative influence on supplier performance. In turn, supplier performance exerted a significant positive influence on supply chain resilience. The study contributes in various ways to both public SCM theory and practice. Theoretically, it provides information on how the SCM dimensions considered in this study, which are supply chain collaboration, synergies, innovation, information sharing and quality, design, and integration are linked to supplier performance and supply chain resilience within the public sector in South Africa. Given the limited evidence of previous studies of this nature in the South African public sector, the results are an essential addition to the existing body of literature within the public SCM context in developing countries such as South Africa. From a managerial standpoint, the study provides information on which SCM practices deserve attention in the efforts to improve the performance of suppliers, and how the performance of suppliers can be harnessed to enhance the resilience of the public supply chain. Hence, the study offers an important diagnostic framework through which the SCM challenges facing the public supply chain in South Africa can be addressed.

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Yes / Purpose Medicine shortages have a detrimental impact on stakeholders in the pharmaceutical supply chain (PSC). Existing studies suggest that building resilience strategies can mitigate the effects of these shortages. As such, this research aims to examine whether resilience strategies can reduce the impact of medicine shortages in the United Kingdom's (UK) PSC. Design/methodology/approach A sequential mixed-methods approach that involved qualitative and quantitative research enquiry was employed in this study. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews with 23 key UK PSC actors at the qualitative stage. During the quantitative phase, 106 respondents completed the survey questionnaires. The data were analysed using partial least square-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Findings The results revealed that reactive and proactive elements of resilience strategies helped tackle medicine shortages. Reactive strategies increased relational issues such as behavioural uncertainty, whilst proactive strategies mitigated them. Practical implications The findings suggest that PSC managers and decision-makers can benefit from adopting structural flexibility and proactive strategies, which are cost-effective measures to tackle medicine shortages. Also engaging in strategic alliances as a proactive strategy mitigates relational issues that may arise in a complex supply chain (SC). Originality/value This study is the first to provide empirical evidence of the impact of resilience strategies in mitigating medicine shortages in the UK's PSC.

On March 2011 a destructive 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami along with nuclear explosions struck northeastern Japan; killing thousands of people, halting industry and crippling infrastructure. A large manufacturing company operating outside of Japan received the news in the middle of the night. Within a few hours of the tsunami hitting Japan, this manufacturer’s logistics team ran global materials management reports to communicate the precise status of the products originating from Japan to their entire global network of facilities. With this quick and far reaching communication the manufacturer was able to launch a successful contingency plan. Alternative suppliers, already existing as part of their global network, were evaluated and used to mitigate Japan’s disruptive impact. The resiliency of this manufacturer’s trusted network of supply chain trading partners allowed for minimum disruptions, saving countless money and maintaining continuity for its end-to-end supply chain. This manufacturer was part of a cloud-based supply chain that provided the catalyst to quickly shift its resources to allay the impact of no longer being able to receive product from Japan. Today's supply chains are global and complex networks of enterprises that aim to deliver products in the right quantity, in the right place, and at the right time in an increasingly volatile and unpredictable environment. To cope with internal and external supply chain instability and disruptions, supply chains need to be resilient to survive. A supply chain's ability to collaboratively share information with its supply chain partners is one of the most important factors that enhance a supply chain’s resilience. Cloud based supply chain management (SCM) creates a platform that enables collaborative information sharing that helps to identify, monitor and reduce supply chain risks, vulnerabilities and disruptions. However, supply chain academics and practitioners are at its infancy in understanding the capabilities of cloud based supply chains and its impact on resiliency. The goal of this dissertation is to explore how cloud based SCM make supply chains more resilient to disruptions. To achieve this goal the present research addresses the following fundamental research question: What is the impact of cloud based supply chain management (SCM) on supply chain resilience? To address this research question, this dissertation is comprised of three separate but interrelated essays. The first essay uses the systematically literature review (SLR) method to provide clear definitions of supporting constructs of supply chain resiliency (SCRES), classify the capabilities of SCRES, and identify existing research gaps and future SCRES research ideas. The second essay applies resource-based view (RBV) and dynamic capabilities as the theoretical lens to investigate the role of cloud based SCM in establishing SCRES. The second essay develops a theory-driven, conceptual model to illustrate and explain the relationships among cloud based SCM, SCRES, and the supply chain capabilities identified in the first essay. The third essay uses systems dynamics theory to develop two novel casual loop diagrams (CLD) and its equivalent systems dynamics (SD) models to quantitatively analyze the impact of cloud based information sharing on supply chain performance. A hospital supply chain is used as an illustrative example to show the positive impact on performance. Lead-time, inventory spend, and customer service levels are the comparative performance metrics used in this essay and are consistent with the findings of essays 1 and 2. One CLD and its equivalent SD model represent a traditional on-premise hospital supply chain information sharing platform and the other represent a cloud based hospital information sharing platform. The SD models simulate and compare the performance of the traditional and cloud based hospital supply chain platforms.

Independent de la performance remarquable accomplie par la logistique d’aujourd’hui, les réseaux actuels sont majoritairement dédiés à un acteur et donc très peu interconnectés. Cette fragmentation conduit une difficulté de mutualisation des flux et dès lors à une efficacité limitée. Ces organisations dédiées et hétérogènes sont de plus en plus challengées par les nouveaux défis d’aujourd’hui posés à l’efficacité, l’efficience et la résilience. Pour répondre à cet antagonisme, un innovant concept logistique - l’Internet Physique (PI) - a été proposé. Dans ce système, les infrastructures et les moyens de transport peuvent être organisés de façon dynamique et attribués à court ou à long terme en fonction des besoins. Par conséquent, les décisions des opérations logistiques peuvent être prises de façon dynamique, agile, et donc de manière plus optimale. Cette thèse concentre les perspectives de PI concernant la gestion de stocks et du transport par rapport aux défis de l’efficacité et de la résilience.Comme l’étude de l’efficacité de PI par rapport au transport a été déjà effectuée, le premier objectif de cette recherche est d’explorer les potentiels de l’interconnexion des réseaux dans la gestion de stocks, qui n’a par encore été adressé. À cette fin, nous examinons d'abord les trois nouvelles pratiques apportées par PI : 1) les stocks distribués à proximité des clients finaux; 2) le transbordement de stocks entre les hubs; 3) de multiples options dynamiques de sélection de la source pour chaque commande. Deux modèles de gestion de stocks correspondants sont proposés. Cette étude sert de guide pour des décisions de stockage pour les vendeurs dans un tel système logistique ouvert.Après l’analyse d’efficacité de PI, la deuxième partie de cette thèse concerne la résilience des modèles de stockage et de transport dans PI confrontés à des interruptions dans la chaîne logistique. On a étendu les modèles de stockage et de transport avec interruptions imprévisibles dans les infrastructures telles que l’usine ou les hubs. Des stratégies différentes sont développées pour atténuer les risques de perturbation des flux. Des études numériques sont effectuées pour évaluer la performance des modèles proposés.En résumé, cette recherche est la première qui étudie le potentiel de l’Internet Physique pour la gestion de stock et la résilience de ce système. D’après les résultats, il n’y a aucun doute que le PI change le design de chaîne logistique d’aujourd’hui et améliore la performance de gestion de logistique à la fois en efficience et en résilience. / Irrespective of significant performance achieved, today’s logistics networks are overwhelmingly dedicated to an actor and therefore poorly interconnected. This fragmentation exhibits inevitable inefficiency and needs to be changed in respond to today’s new arising challenges in efficiency and resilience. To solve this antagonism, an innovative concept - Physical Internet (PI) - has been proposed which is a fully interconnected, open, dynamic logistics system. In such a system, the facilities and means of transportation can be dynamically organized and allocated in the short-term or long-term according to the economic environment. As a result, decisions can be made dynamically, agilely, and thus optimally. This thesis studies the perspectives of the PI to inventory management and transportation regarding the challenges in efficiency and resilience.As the efficiency of the PI to transportation has been carried out in literature, the first objective of this thesis is to explore the potentials of the PI to inventory management. To this end, we firstly qualitatively examine the new practices brought by the PI and conclude three main characteristics: 1) Distributed stocks near end customers; 2) Transshipment of inventories; and 3) multiple dynamic source options. Corresponding inventory models and solutions are proposed and evaluated with numerical experiments in Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG). This part of study gives a guideline for the vendors applying the PI to make inventory decisions in such an open logistic system.The second objective is to analyze the resilience of the proposed PI enabled inventory and transportation model confronted to disruptions. The proposed inventory and transportation model are extended with different disruptions at facilities including plants and hubs. Different disruption strategies are developed. Numerical studies in FMCG are carried out.In a word, this research investigates the inventory management in the PI and the resilience of PI enabled logistics models. It is the first time such a work is done and it should be upfront. From the results of studies, there is no doubt that the PI changes today’s supply chains design and improve the performance of supply chain management both in efficiency, effectiveness and resilience.