Unboxing the hyper-connected supply chain: a case study in the furniture industry

Abstract

This work aims to investigate the role of digital technologies, specifically enhanced interconnectivity, in supply chains (SC)s and their management. With a case study of an international company leading the home furniture industry and its suppliers, we explore the development of (new and integrated) practices and routines in operational processes for heading to a hyper-connected SC. The study builds on the notion of absorptive capacity to frame the SC transformation brought by the assimilation of specific digital technologies (i.e. Internet of Things, Cloud-based platforms, Augmented and Virtual Reality, and Artificial Intelligence). We analyze how SC actors combine these technologies to develop their SC processes and routines in terms of real-time data exchange and end-to-end visibility between globally distributed companies, devices, products, and people. Key theoretical implications rely on identifying interconnection levels across SC processes that allow incorporating technological knowledge at the SC level, building on trustful collaboration and secure and reliable communications beyond the boundaries of every single factory. Results also provide practitioners with a set of collaborative practices and related challenges to integrate digital technologies at different (and complementary) levels as guidelines for a transformation towards SC hyper-connectivity aimed at improving the overall SC performance.

Keywords:

• Digital supply chain
• hyper-connectivity
• Industry 4.0
• interconnection
• collaboration

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Elena Pessot

Elena Pessot, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Management Engineering at the University of Siena, where she teaches Manufacturing Strategies and Operations and Laboratory and Business Management. She holds a master's degree in Management Engineering and a PhD in Industrial and Information Engineering from the University of Udine. She was Senior Post-doc Researcher at CNR (National Research Council of Italy). Her scientific interests are in the areas of Industry 4.0 and digital transformation, complexity management, and strategic and innovation management. Her main publications appeared in Journal of Business Research, International Journal of Operations and Production Management, Production Planning and Control, Technological Forecasting and Social Change.

Andrea Zangiacomi

Andrea Zangiacomi, works as a researcher at CNR-STIIMA, he has a degree in Industrial Engineering and his research interests are related to Supply Chain Management, I4.0 and Digitalization. These topics have been explored in different national and EU-funded research projects. He has been involved in roadmapping activities for the manufacturing sector at regional and national level. He also has a degree in Psychology of work and organizations. Interests in this field are mainly related to the impact of new technologies on organizations and interaction design. He has more than 40 publications, including papers in academic journals and conference proceedings.

Rosanna Fornasiero

Rosanna Fornasiero is senior researcher at CNR (National Research Council of Italy) in the area of Supply Chain Management, technology management with focus on product customization, sustainable processes and digitalization. She has experience as project coordinator and principal investigator of several EU projects in H2020 and Horizon Europe to study the role of technologies in industrial processes. She is coordinator of the Roadmapping group of the National Cluster of Intelligent factories in Italy and coordinator of the technical groups of the cluster. She collaborates with industrial associations and companies to support national and regional research projects and technology transfer. Author of scientific publications in journals like PP&C, IJPR, IJCIM. Editor of a Springer book ‘The next generation Supply chain’. She is member of the IFIP5.5 working group.