Implementation barriers of smart technology in Indian sustainable warehouse by using a Delphi-ISM-ANP approach

Abstract

PurposeIn the digitalization era, supply chain processes and activities have changed entirely, and smart technology impacts each sustainable supply chain movement. The warehouse and distribution of various organizations have started adopting smart technologies globally. However, the adoption of smart technologies in the Indian warehousing industry is minimal. The study aims to identify the implementation barriers of smart technology in the Indian warehouse to achieve sustainability.Design/methodology/approachThis study employs an integrated Delphi-ISM-ANP research approach. The study uses the Delphi approach to finalize the barriers identified from the detailed literature review and expert opinion. The finalized 17 barriers are modeled using interpretive structural modeling (ISM) to get the contextual relationship. The ISM method's output and analysis using the analytical network process (ANP) illustrate priorities.FindingsThe study's findings showed that the lack of government support, lack of vision and mission and the lack of skilled manpower are the most significant barriers restricting the organization from implementing smart and sustainable supply chain practices in the warehouse.Practical implicationsThis study would help the practitioners enable the sustainable warehousing system or convert the existing warehouse into a smart and sustainable warehouse by developing an appropriate strategy. This study would also help reduce the impact of different barriers that would strengthen the chance of technology adoption in the warehouses.Originality/valueThe literature related to adopting smart and sustainable practices in the warehouse is scarce. Modeling of adoption barrier for smart and sustainable warehouse using an integrated research approach is the uniqueness of this study that have added value in the existing scientific knowledge.

Technology-Driven Responsiveness in Times of COVID-19: A Fuzzy Delphi and Fuzzy AHP-Based Approach

“…The smart warehousing (V2) enabler ranks third amongst the list of enablers in the technology enablers of supply chain responsiveness in the food sector. The very distinction between the traditional and smart warehouse is that of efficiency with which the smart warehouse operates, unlike their counterparts which are inefficient due to manual handling of tasks (Kumar et al, 2021a(Kumar et al, , 2021b. Smart warehouse pride on minimal manual handling and integration of best practices resulting in maximum efficiency (Jabbar et al, 2018).…”

“…The findings of the study are in line with the extant literature. For example, authors have argued that the solutions from big data also increase the real-time end-to-end visibility in the supply chain, thereby enhancing its responsiveness (Kumar et al, 2021a(Kumar et al, , 2021b. Further, the analytics provided by big data drive time compression, which is the essential characteristic of a responsive supply chain to react efficiently in the wake of external environmental shocks (Kache & Seuring, 2017).…”

Industry 4.0 technologies and sustainable warehousing: a systematic literature review and future research agenda

“…Winkelhaus and Grosse (2020) offer a review of logistics 4.0, including the definition of logistics 4.0, state-of-the-art around logistics 4.0, and further research opportunities around the topic. Kumar et al. (2021) conducted a review of literature on warehouse transformation in the era of Industry 4.0.…”

“…The success of sustainable warehousing lies in the realisation of all three pillars of sustainability: economic, environmental and social (Mostafa et al. , 2019; Kumar et al. , 2021a, b).…”

Supply chain firm performance in circular economy and digital era to achieve sustainable development goals

“…However, limited studies have addressed the relation among SCF, AI-IoT, and CE for improving SCFP. In the digitalization and CE environment, where the organization is rushing towards adopting sustainable, intelligent, and smart technologies, the balance between flexibility and automation becomes crucial for practitioners (Kumar, Raut, Narwane, et al, 2021). It would be interesting to explore the role of AI and BD in shaping the CE business environment and its impacts on manufacturers.…”