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The fourth Industrial Revolution is driving the creation of fully connected ecosystem. Organizations are now reshaping their strategies to become fully transparent, including their supply chain management. The area of supply chain digitalisation is starting to attract growing attention; however, its research status remains unclear. We set out this study to understand what constitutes the underlying structure of its research, what topics have been investigated, what areas need further attention, how the existing literature can be classified, and how the discipline can move forward. We applied a mixed-method approach using both quantitative and qualitative techniques to achieve this. A bibliometric analysis of 331 articles with 12709 references was first conducted to discover the underlying knowledge foundation and evolution of supply chain digitalisation, current attention, and grouping of research into distinct clusters. Further, a qualitative review through content analysis was performed to interrogate our quantitative results. Research implications, and directions for future research are also discussed.

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PurposeThis research aims at investigating the common practical problem of how procurement can be transformed from tactical and administrative to becoming an organizational strategic partner and indeed a competitive weapon, using modern technologies in particular. We investigated how procurement can be reinvented, from being digitized to digitalized to digitally integrated, ultimately contributing in business terms beyond supply chain effectiveness but also to profit generation.Design/methodology/approachA case study approach was designed to investigate three firms, each at very different stages of digital maturity in procurement. Interviews with managers, investigation of processes and documentary materials and in-depth follow-up discussions were conducted.FindingsThe iterative digitalization transformation discovered encompasses complexities rooted in organizational structure, supply chain design and the management of the technology for employees' uptake. There are both operations and strategy implications as a result. This initial research phase led to mapping a model of digital maturity as well as identifying its underlying constructs.Originality/valueThis research discovered that the implementation of digital technologies can lead the procurement function of the supply chain to completely grow out of its administrative and clerical shell into a strategic, consultative, value-adding and potentially revenue-generating function, thereby contributing to the well-being of not only the supply chain but also the entire organization.

PurposeIn this paper, the authors examine the impact of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies on the relationship between total productive maintenance (TPM) practices and maintenance performance.Design/methodology/approachData collection was carried out through a multinational survey with 318 respondents from different manufacturing companies located in 15 countries. Multivariate data techniques were applied to analyze the collected data. Diffusion of innovations theory (DIT) was the adopted theoretical lens for our research.FindingsThe authors’ findings indicate that I4.0 technologies that aim to process information to support decision-making and action-taking directly affect maintenance performance. Technologies oriented to sensing and communicating data among machines, people, and products seem to moderate the relationship between TPM practices and maintenance performance. However, the extent of such moderation varies according to the practices involved, sometimes leading to negative effects.Originality/valueWith the advances of I4.0, there is an expectation that several maintenance practices and performance may be affected. Our study provides empirical evidence of these relationships, unveiling the role of I4.0 for maintenance performance improvement.