Digitalisation of Development and Supply Networks: Sequential and Platform-Driven Innovations

Harrington, Tomás Seosamh; Joglekar, Nitin; Srai, Jagjit Singh

doi:10.2139/ssrn.3238907

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…We assume that the required synthesis pathways for algae-based biofertilisers, along with the acoustic extraction technology of omega-3 oils from microalgae, are applied at an industrial-scale level. Regulations about the safe exploitation of blue-green algae for biofertilisers and omega-3 oils for feed are also assumed to be flexible, in a similar fashion to end-to-end digital demonstrators (facilitated by pre-competitive consortia in the pharmaceuticals sector) that are not constrained by current regulations (Harrington, Joglekar, and Srai 2018). The system and network model descriptions are detailed in Appendix I.…”

Section: Case Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Digital supply network design: a Circular Economy 4.0 decision-making system for real-world challenges

Tsolakis

Harrington

Srai

2021

Production Planning & Control

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This research introduces the idea of 'Circular Economy 4.0' to reflect the emergence of 'digitalised' sustainable supply networks. While often characterised by enhanced productivity and resource/energy efficiency, current perspectives are largely descriptive with limited practical relevance. A hierarchical decision-making framework and a multi-level simulation modelling and optimisation technique are constructed to explore the interplay between Circular Supply Chains and Industry 4.0. The real-world case of blue-green algae as renewable feedstockto derive value-added omega-3 oils and biofertilisersis investigated to develop 'Circular Economy 4.0' perspectives. The emerging circular supply network utilises micro-factories (i.e., photobioreactors), continuous manufacturing technologies (i.e., piezoelectric transducers), and drone operations for feedstock availability monitoring. This study contributes to theory and practice by building on the limited empirical research exploring determinants of successful transitions in Circular Economy-Industry 4.0 network contexts. Four design principles are proposed that capture the interplay between digital technologies and network design configurations, e.g., centralisedsemi-centraliseddecentralised. Modelling is developed across macro-, meso-, and micro-levels of analysis. Results demonstrate significant gains in terms of resources utilisation and market dynamics, enabled by the adoption of digital operations in a circular economy context, with initial insights on the evolution of such networks.

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Section: Case Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Digital supply network design: a Circular Economy 4.0 decision-making system for real-world challenges

Tsolakis

Harrington

Srai

2021

Production Planning & Control

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“…This limits the creation of a critically sized user base for which the operation of blockchain concepts make sense (Zhu and Iansiti, 2019). For similar reasons, it is difficult to provide test beds including a larger number of players that sufficiently represent all facets of the real-world user base (Harrington et al, 2018;Skowronski and Benton, 2018). There is good progress on simulation tools 67 .…”

Section: Challenges and Solutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Open Platform Concept for Blockchain-Enabled Crowdsourcing of Technology Development and Supply Chains

et al. 2020

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We outline the concept of an open technology platform that builds upon a publicly accessible library of fluidic designs, manufacturing processes, and experimental characterization, as well as virtualization by a "digital twin" based on modeling, simulation, and cloud computing. Backed by the rapidly emerging Web3 technology "Blockchain," we significantly extend traditional approaches to effectively incentivize broader participation by an interdisciplinary "value network" of diverse players. Ranging from skilled individuals (the "citizen scientist" and the "garage entrepreneur") and more established research institutions to companies with their infrastructures, equipment, and services, the novel platform approach enables all stakeholders to jointly contribute to value creation along more decentralized supply chain designs including research and technology development (RTD). A blockchain-enabled token economy efficiently leverages the "Wisdom of the Crowds" and secures "trust" and transparency by reputation systems requiring "skin in the game" from contributors. Prediction markets are created for guiding decision making, planning, and allocation of funding; competitive parallelization of work and its validation from independent participants substantially enhances quality, credibility, and speed of project outcomes in the real world along the entire path from RTD, fabrication, and testing to eventual commercialization. This novel, Blockchain-backed, open platform concept can be led by a corporation, academic entity, a loosely organized group, or even "chieflessly" within a smart-contract encoded Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO). The proposed strategy is particularly attractive for highly interdisciplinary fields like microfluidic Lab-on-a-Chip systems in the context of manifold applications in the Life Sciences. As an exemplar, we outline the centrifugal "Lab-on-a-Disc" technology. Rather than engaging in all sub-disciplines themselves, many smaller, highly innovative actors can focus on strengthening the product component distinguishing their unique selling point (USP), e.g., a particular bioassay, detection scheme, or application scenario. In this effort, system integrators access underlying commons like fluidic design, manufacture, instrumentation, and software from a more resilient and diversified supply chain, e.g., based on a verified pool of community-endorsed or certified providers.

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“…High-tech RTD projects are often classified according to the vagueness associated with value creation outcomes (conventional versus novel) and associated risk (low versus high) (Chandrasekaran et al, 2015;Harrington et al, 2018). Experimentation, in the face of uncertainty and risk, has been extensively studied in individual projects (Pich et al, 2002).…”

Section: Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a "Guinea pig" or genesis project, TheDAO undeniably exposed a major deficiency of DLTs; blockchain still struggles to find suitable test beds that can source a sufficiently large and diverse user base, including friendly and malicious actors, in particular when significant monetary incentives may irreversibly be siphoned off. Given the potential diversity of actors and their contributions here, platforms and associated governance protocols play key roles in ensuring equitable distribution of value, and in mitigating 'appropriability' concerns for specific use cases (e.g., safeguarding from opportunism) (Harrington et al, 2018;Skowronski and Benton, 2018).…”

Section: Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Blockchain for Organizing Effective Grass-Roots Actions on a Global Commons: Saving the Planet

Ducrée

Etzrodt²,

Gordijn

et al. 2020

Front. Blockchain

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An overwhelming majority of experts has been flagging for decades that "Saving the Planet" requires immediate, persistent and drastic action to curb a variety of catastrophic risks over the 21st century. However, despite compelling evidence and a range of suggested solutions, transnational coordination of effective measures to protect our biosphere continues to fall short. To remedy, we propose a novel platform for addressing the central issue of affording trust, transparency and truth while minimizing administrative overheads. This will empower an even loosely organized, global grassroots community to coordinate a large-scale project on a shared goal ("Commons") spanning the digital and real world. The Web3 concept is based on the swiftly emerging "Blockchain" and related cryptographic, distributed and permissionless technologies. "Wisdom of the crowds" mechanisms involving competitive parallelization and prediction markets are enabled by formalized reputation and staking to incentivize high-quality work, fair validation and best management practice. While these mechanisms have been (mostly separately) applied to science, business, governance, web, sensor, information and communication technologies (ICT), our integrative approach around Blockchainenabled 'operating principles and protocols' sets the basis for designing novel forms of potentially crowdfunded Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs).

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Digitalisation of Development and Supply Networks: Sequential and Platform-Driven Innovations

Cited by 3 publications

References 76 publications

Digital supply network design: a Circular Economy 4.0 decision-making system for real-world challenges

Digital supply network design: a Circular Economy 4.0 decision-making system for real-world challenges

Open Platform Concept for Blockchain-Enabled Crowdsourcing of Technology Development and Supply Chains

Blockchain for Organizing Effective Grass-Roots Actions on a Global Commons: Saving the Planet

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