Reconfigurable supply chain: the X-network

Abstract

The research on supply chain (SC) digitalization, resilience, sustainability and leagility has remarkably progressed, most of it focused on the individual contributions of these four major determinants to the firm's profitability and competitiveness. Though, there appears to be a lack of conceptual guidance surrounding their roles and interplays as an integrity. We hypothesize that such an integrity frames a new kind of SC networks, or even a new understanding of the SCs. We theorize a new notion-a Reconfigurable SC or the X-networkthat exhibits some crucial design and control characteristics for complex value-adding systems in highly vulnerable environments. Utilizing abductive approach and a systematic bibliometric co-occurrence analysis of 1383 articles along with tertiary studies, we review and investigate contextual factors of designing the X-networks. We propose respective frameworks and discuss the implementation principles and technologies at the macro and micro levels. Two novel conceptsdynamic SC metastructures and dynamic autonomous servicesare introduced and formalized. Distinctively, we go beyond the existing knowledge to predict proactively the future directions in the reconfigurable SCs. Alike our results can be of value for decision-makers to decipher systematically the chances and barriers in contemporary SC transformations.

Analysis of resilience strategies and ripple effect in blockchain-coordinated supply chains: An agent-based simulation study

“…One example is the COVID-19 pandemic, which has recently threatened global and intertwined supply networks ( Ivanov, 2020 ; Ivanov and Dolgui, 2020a ). The vulnerability of SCs to disruptions has grown over the last decades due to intensified collaboration and a stronger focus on SC efficiency ( Kamalahmadi and Parast, 2016 ; Papadopoulos et al, 2017 ; Stecke and Kumar, 2009 ) and the effects of disruptions no longer only affect individual members but tend to spread across the entire network, a phenomenon known as the ripple effect ( Dolgui et al, 2018 , Dolgui et al, 2020b ; Ivanov, 2018a ; Pavlov et al, 2019 ). In response, SCs are investing in increasing SC resilience by developing capabilities such as redundancy, multi-sourcing, collaboration, and inventory or capacity flexibility, which promise to better protect SCs against unforeseen disruptions ( Ivanov, 2018a ; Tukamuhabwa et al, 2015 ).…”

Exploring supply chain structural dynamics: New disruptive technologies and disruption risks

“…The management and optimization of structural dynamics plays a crucial role in determining a firm's competitiveness in the markets. This research stream has also been extended by coining two new theoretical lens, i.e., supply chain viability ( Ivanov 2020b ; Ivanov and Dolgui, 2020 ) and supply chain reconfigurability ( Dolgui et al, 2020 ). Moreover, the Covid-19 virus outbreaks and the global pandemic are likely to result in wide ranging structural changes to global supply networks, making the topic of this Special Issue very timely.This Special Issue has sought to attract new research in supply chain structural dynamics, considering disruptions in supply chains from both positive and negative perspectives.…”

Designing dynamic reverse logistics network for post-sale service

“…sustainability, resilience, and agility. Seminal work by Dolgui et al (2020) proposes a conceptual model for reconfigurable supply chain. They focussed on the integration of resilience, digitalization, sustainability and leagility in a supply chain network.…”