Background: In today’s complex and rapidly changing global markets, supply chain resilience (SCR) has become critical for businesses aiming to maintain continuity and competitive advantage. Disruptions and challenges in the supply chain will always exist; therefore, preparing in advance and improving resilience for the upcoming consequences should be the utmost important goal. Methods: Digital twins (DTs) provide a comprehensive view of product performance, enabling companies to adopt an end-to-end approach to product management. To maximize product and service value, supply chains must also be managed holistically. Results: Therefore, companies will need smarter strategies to balance inventory costs, availability and lead times. The optimal setup of suppliers, manufacturing, logistics and stock locations will ensure high service levels and meet customer expectations. Additionally, supply chains must be resilient, and capable of maintaining performance during disruptions and adapting to demand changes. Conclusions: This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of the state of the art in digital twin applications within supply chains, focusing on their role in improving visibility, agility and decision-making. This paper explores how digital twins might integrate with emerging technologies such as IoT, AI and blockchain, fostering a more adaptive and robust supply chain ecosystem.
Transport infrastructure is commonly viewed as a key driver of development, alt-hough its actual contribution remains debated and appears to be dependent on geo-graphical and economic context. This study investigates the impact of transport infra-structure on regional economic growth in Romania, with a particular focus on spatial spillover effects Using panel data for Romanian regions over the period 2000–2024, the analysis applies spatial econometric techniques to capture both direct and indirect ef-fects of transport infrastructure and economic factors. A structured model selection procedure, based on Lagrange Multiplier tests and robust diagnostics, supports the use of the Spatial Autoregressive Model (SAR) as the preferred specification. The results reveal significant spatial dependence in regional economic performance, indicating that growth processes extend across regional boundaries. Nonetheless, the findings show that transport infrastructure does not exert a statistically significant direct effect on economic growth once spatial and structural factors are controlled. Instead, labor and private gross capital formation emerge as the primary drivers, generating both strong local impacts and substantial spillover effects. These results suggest that transport infrastructure acts mainly as an enabling factor rather than a standalone driver of growth, making the concept of “political mythification” of transport infra-structure effectiveness relevant in the Romanian context.
Transport infrastructure is commonly viewed as a key driver of development, although its actual contribution remains debated and appears to be dependent on geographical and economic context. This study investigates the impact of transport infrastructure on regional economic growth in Romania, with a particular focus on spatial spillover effects. Using panel data for Romanian regions over the period 2000–2024, the analysis applies spatial econometric techniques to capture both direct and indirect effects of transport infrastructure and economic factors. A structured model selection procedure, based on Lagrange Multiplier tests and robust diagnostics, supports the use of the Spatial Autoregressive Model (SAR) as the preferred specification. The results reveal significant spatial dependence in regional economic performance, indicating that growth processes extend across regional boundaries. Nonetheless, the findings show that transport infrastructure does not exert a statistically significant direct effect on economic growth once spatial and structural factors are controlled. Instead, labor and private gross capital formation emerge as the primary drivers, generating both strong local impacts and substantial spillover effects. These results suggest that transport infrastructure acts mainly as an enabling factor rather than a standalone driver of growth, making the concept of “political mythification” of transport infrastructure effectiveness relevant in the Romanian context.