Roadmap to Digital Supply Chain Resilience Under Investment Constraints: Analyzing Trade-Offs, and Industry 4.0 Technologies

Today’s global economies are grappling with a myriad of unprecedented challenges, including pandemics, natural disasters, cyber-attacks, and geopolitical issues, which rendered conventional supply chain resilience (SCR) inadequate to combat such complexities. Consequently, investment (INV) in digital supply chain resilience (DSCR) became vital to harness Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies to augment organizations' abilities to detect, avoid, manage, and recover from disruptions promptly and efficiently. Unlike conventional SCR, the literature on DSCR remains nascent. Thus, this study undertakes classic and bibliometric literature reviews to examine the interplay between SCR, I4.0, and INV to identify potential research gaps. The research presents a structured 5-stages roadmap that delineates the path towards DSCR, coupled with 7-layers verification channels that examines I4.0 technologies effectiveness and fitness-for-purpose in the roadmap to DSCR under INV constraints. The research also presents a structured empirical analysis that captures the perspectives of supply chain (SC) experts from business and academic domains. The research reveals that the integration of SCR-I4.0-INV is a multifaceted and complex process. The research uncovers several research gaps, including the need for further empirical studies on the impact of DSCR and digital transformation, the role of organizational culture in supporting digital transformation, and the potential trade-offs between investment and resilience. Overall, this research provides valuable insights for policy and decision-makers seeking to develop and implement strategies for promoting resilient supply chains in the digital era.