MECHANISMS TO BOOST SUPPLY CHAIN RESPONSIVENESS: THE NEXUS BETWEEN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES AND SUPPLY CHAIN STRATEGIES

Abstract

Con el fin de arrojar luz sobre los mecanismos que pueden utilizarse para mejorar la capacidad de respuesta de la cadena de suministro, esta tesis doctoral pretende identificar y comprender el papel que desempeñan las tecnologías de la información relacionadas con la Industria 4.0 en el desarrollo de estrategias lean y ágiles de la cadena de suministro. Al mismo tiempo, esta tesis analiza las implicaciones de dichas relaciones para los resultados de la empresa. Con ese propósito, en primer lugar, este estudio ha sintetizado y clasificado la investigación sobre la integración entre las tecnologías de la información y las estrategias lean y ágiles de la cadena de suministro a través de dos revisiones sistemáticas de la literatura. En la segunda parte de la tesis doctoral se han abordado algunas de las lagunas previamente identificadas mediante el desarrollo de estudios empíricos.

To shed light on the mechanisms that can be used to enhance supply chain responsiveness, this doctoral thesis aims to identify and understand the role that Industry 4.0 information technologies play in the development of the lean and agile supply chain strategies and examine the implications of the relationships between them for firm performance. Accordingly, this study has first synthesized and classified the research on the integration of information technologies and lean and agile supply chain strategies through two systematic literature reviews. In the second part of this doctoral thesis, some of the previously identified gaps have been addressed through the development of survey-based studies. The hypotheses are tested through structural equation analysis using a database of Spanish manufacturing companies. This doctoral thesis raises managerial and academic implications by moving knowledge of the supply chain management field a step forward and guiding manufacturing companies as to the most appropriate processes to achieve superior supply chain responsiveness.