Digital Technologies and Supply Chain Management

Abstract

Digital transformation has been called the most important strategic issue for businesses around the world. The recent innovation boom brings together technologies that open up new possibilities for imagining and recreating supply flows. This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of digital transformation, enabling technologies, and the impact on traditional supply chain management (SCM) processes. It starts with the introduction of the SCM, followed by the digital shift and its consequences for organizations. It continues with a more in-depth analysis of digitalization and describes the major waves of technological development and industrial and economic leaps, and relates the most recent changes in the supply chain to these waves. Further, it provides examples and use cases to motivate, excite, and emphasize progress. It describes the difficulties in defining the concept, characteristics, and challenges of current digital supply chain (DSC) management.