Increasing Resilience in Logistics with IT

Investigating supply chain risk management information systems

Alexander Baur, Jasmin Hauser, Dieter Uckelmann ORCID Icon
JournalIndustry 4.0 Science
Issue Volume 41, Edition 4, Pages 36-42
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Abstract

The blockage of the Suez Canal in 2021, caused by the accident involving the container ship Ever Given, clearly illustrates the need to design global supply chains in such a way that they can respond quickly to disruptions. In a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environment, conventional logistics processes that focus on efficiency, and supply chain management methods in particular, are increasingly reaching their limits. Resilience, achieved through a combination of robustness and agility, is essential to ensure responsiveness. This article analyzes how risk management information systems (RMIS) can increase resilience. The analysis covers data availability, data transparency, modeling and simulation of risk scenarios, and the development of appropriate emergency action plans. Despite existing challenges in designing IT infrastructure, the measures mentioned have the potential to increase resilience in logistics.

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Article

The blockage of the Suez Canal is just one of many recent examples that show how important it is for global supply chains to be prepared for unforeseeable events and to be able to respond quickly to the resulting supply chain disruptions. According to a 2020 McKinsey analysis on risk and resilience in supply chains, such disruptions occur every 3.7 years on average and add up to a loss of up to 40% of annual profits over a ten-year period [1].  The efficiency-oriented and complexity-driven methods of conventional supply chain management …

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Potentials: Dynamics Globalization Strategy
Solutions: Logistics Logistics Technology Process Management Risk Management

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