Supply Chain and Industry 4.0: Impact and Performance Analysis: Case of BIOMERIEUX

Abstract

With the advent of the Big Data era, the industry sector has seen an increasingly intensive use of data processing, cyber-physical systems, Internet of Things and cloud technology. This digital transformation is fundamentally characterized by automation and the integration of new technologies into the enterprise value chain. From there, there are several challenges for being transformed into a connected and intelligent factory model such as the interconnection of machines, the dematerialization of communication and distribution channels, and the restructuring of the company for flexible and personalized production [P. Hebert and M. Moudallal, 2016]. Moreover, the relational model with the end customer, which is at the center of supply chain management, is thus changing, giving way to new distribution channels. The changes that are occurring for the industry sector are then called the Fourth Industrial Revolution. This article then attempts to analyze the supply chain system in the context of the new standards imposed by Industry 4.0, through a quantitative analysis conducted on the performance of industrial companies Biomerieux having upgraded its supply chain system. The indicators analyzed in this study thus include some of the most important elements of the supply chain impacted by this industrial revolution, namely; inventory management and purchasing management. The goal is to try to measure the real impact of a 4.0 upgrade of the so-called “classic” supply chain system on the performance of industrial companies.