Using graph neural network to conduct supplier recommendation based on large-scale supply chain

Abstract

Driven by economic globalisation, various industries have developed a trend towards high specialisation and vertical division of labor, resulting in vast and intricate supply chain networks. However, unforeseen disasters can cause supply chain disruptions, subsequently impacting the regular production and operations of both upstream and downstream enterprises. To tackle this challenge, this study utilises Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) to synthesise graph structural data within the supply chain network, aiming to identify alternative suppliers to mitigate the impact of disruptions. We construct a large-scale knowledge graph to represent the realistic automotive supply chain network in China. Additionally, we propose a GNN-based framework that utilises information about interactions between buyers and suppliers to recommend alternative suppliers from the knowledge graph. Experimental results show that our approach significantly outperforms state-of-the-art GNN-based models, including Light-GCN and NGCF. Our research provides an intelligent and efficient perspective on supplier selection for the Chinese automobile industry.