Keynote Speeches

Supply Chain Management and Digitalization

Abstract of the Speech:

Considering the digitalization trend in business and operations, this speech tries to highlight and deepen the contributions and our understanding on digitalization and supply chain management by focusing on Industry 4.0 applications, implementation challenges, and future trends Prof. 4th industrial revolution is known through cyber-physical production systems which merges real and virtual worlds. While in some ways it’s an extension of the computerization of the 3rd Industrial Revolution (Digital Revolution), the important characteristic of Industry 4.0 is cyber-physical systems that connect real worlds to virtual one in tremendous speed. The major technologies driving Industry 4.0 are Additive Manufacturing (AM), Augmented Reality (AR), Autonomous Robots, Big Data and Analytics (BDA), Cloud Computing, Cybersecurity, Blockchain Technology, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and Simulation.

Supply Chain refers to a network of companies that together create the chain of production and the delivery of a product or service. There are many components of a supply chain, including: producers, vendors, warehouses, transport companies, and distributors. The biggest challenge of the traditional supply chains was managing their communication. As a result, the supply chains used to operate with much less efficiency. In this regard, the impact of Industry 4.0 on the supply chain is profound. Integrating Industry 4.0 in the supply chain has connected the missing dots from procurement to the final delivery. It creates an agile supply chain that responds to real-time customer needs. There are many benefits for supply chain management in Industry 4.0 including Improved efficiency, optimum resource utilization, lower costs, prompt customer service, adapt quickly, saves time & effort, enhanced visibility, and better integration & collaboration. In this talk, we will try a suitable image of the mentioned benefits of the integration of Industry 4.0 and supply chain management called supply chain digitalization.

Short Bio:

Mehdi Seifbarghy is a Professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering at Alzahra University of Iran. In teaching, he has been focusing on facility location problems and supply chain management and analytics. In research, his current interests include location and supply chain management, inventory control, machine learning and fuzzy modeling of optimization problems. Dr. Seifbarghy received his PhD degree in Industrial Engineering from Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran. He has been the guest editor of the Digital Business Journal of Elsevier for the special issue of Industry 4.0 and Supply Chain Management.