Background: Digital supply chain twins (DSCT) are gaining increased attention in academia and practice as they emerge as one of the most important trends in logistics and supply chain management (LSCM). Still, there seems to be no common understanding of the term in scientific literature. Moreover, the broad field of LSCM allows for a multitude of feasible application areas and use cases, yet there exists no conclusive list of them as to date. Methods: This study builds upon a systematic literature review of 66 DSCT articles to identify application areas of DSCT in LSCM as well as specific use cases and their respective intended benefits. Results: To start with, the study derives a unified definition of DSCTs, including possible scopes of applications. Afterwards, five application areas of DSCT in LSCM are synthesized as well as 14 individual use cases and their respective intended benefits. Conclusions: The study leads towards a conceptual clarification of DSCT that is of importance for research and practice alike. For managers it additionally provides up-to-date use cases to guide DSCT applications in practice.

One of the main challenges for modern logistics and supply chain management (LSCM) is the automation of processes along the supply chain. Although research on different automation applications in LSCM exists, LSCM managers lack an overall picture of possible application areas as well as the antecedents influencing the successful implementation of applications. The study applied data triangulation through a systematic literature review of 265 articles and a Nominal Group Technique exercise among 18 LSCM professionals in order to extract automation application areas as well as antecedents of successful automation projects. Through a structured synthesis process building on the Q-methodology a conceptual framework of application areas and antecedents of automation in LSCM is proposed. The framework synthesises ten application areas of automation in LSCM and ten antecedents that influence the efficient implementation and use of automation applications. The study proposes that the impact of technological and informational antecedents is moderated by organisational as well as knowledge-related antecedents, and advances propositions outlining the impact of antecedents on the successful implementation and use of automation applications. The study provides a coherent conceptualisation of automation in LSCM which provides a common basis on which to merge further discussions on automation between research and practice.

The world of logistics is changing and entering a new era. The advance of digitalization and technologization enables new business models, increased process efficiencies, novel planning approaches, and much more but, on the downside, there is also the risk of being lost in the maelstrom of developments. Within these developments, the automation of logistics processes and ultimately the design of autonomous logistics systems is one of the most defining trends that has far-reaching consequences for the planning and execution of future logistics processes. This Special Issue aims to contribute to the discussion and to get to the bottom of the question of how the path towards automated and autonomous logistics systems should be designed. This editorial lays a foundation by presenting application areas of automation and discussing the theoretical path towards autonomous logistics systems. The articles that follow provide highly practical insights into current research results on the automation and autonomization of informational and physical logistics processes.

Purpose: A conceptual framework of supply chain volatility (SCV) is developed to help researchers and practitioners converge their discussions and understandings on this vital phenomenon. Sources, dimensions and moderators of SCV are investigated and a conceptual framework is proposed. The paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approach: Data triangulation was performed through reviewing 2,789 peer-reviewed articles and conducting a group exercise with 23 practitioners. Consequently, 364 sources were identified. Through a structured synthesis process that built on the Q-methodology with multiple academics, a framework of meta-level sources, dimensions and moderators of SCV was developed. An additional on-site meeting with 17 practitioners was conducted aiming at delineating the dimensions by their effect on SCV.Findings: The authors propose 20 meta-level sources that contribute to five distinct dimensions of SCV, proposing behavior of customers and decision makers as contextual moderating variables. A classification scheme consisting of three descriptive SCV-affecting characteristics is proposed to delineate the dimension’s effect on SCV: relative deviating impact, repetitiveness and influenceability. Results are summarized in 15 propositions.Research limitations/implications: The paper extends knowledge on SCV and provides a coherent conceptualization of the phenomenon for future research. The proposed framework demands quantitative testing to derive more reliable conclusions.Practical implications: The framework aims at reducing the gap between research and practice. It helps managers to understand researchers’ discussions and how to derive expedient implications from them.Originality/value: It is the first study that systematically synthesizes widely spread literature in this field to derive a conceptual framework that seeks to explain SCV in a holistic way.

The management of international logistics networks poses major challenges for companies

Managing supply chain volatility (SCV) is often identified as one of the major challenges of modern supply chain management. While research has predominantly focused on describing the multidimensional areas of SCV and its negative impacts, clear guidelines on how to manage SCV for efficiency, and prioritize the areas on which to focus, are sparse. This study seeks to fill this gap in the research by: (1) assessing the relative impact of SCV sources, and (2) proposing means to deal with them. Based on an Analytical Hierarchy Process conducted with 17 SCM practitioners, the paper assesses the relative impact of sources of SCV, and further contextualizes them according to factors such as product lead time and production strategy, providing more fine-grained insights for SC managers seeking to manage SCV. Subsequently, the paper applies the Nominal Group Technique with the same group of practitioners in order to identify and condense strategies for dealing with the most impactful sources of SCV (intra-organizational misalignment, inaccurate forecasting, long lead times, erratic behavior of decision makers in the supply chain, erratic behavior of customers, and high level of competition), leading to a set of 44 SCV-management strategies.