Exploring digital supply chain barriers: case study in automotive industry

Abstract

Businesses across diverse industries are grappling with the intricacies of an ever-expanding digital economy. The objective of this study is to conduct an examination of the barriers hindering the adoption of digital supply chain (DSC) in the automotive industry. To analyse these barriers, an integrated approach utilising the Best-Worst method (BWM) was employed. By reviewing relevant literature and experts feedback, a total of 26 barriers to the adoption of digitalisation in the automotive supply chain were identified. Subsequently, the BWM was used to determine the relative importance of each barrier. The findings showed that high investment cost and lack of digital skills are the highest-ranked digital supply chain barriers (DSCB) that needs to be overcome on a priority basis. The proposed framework has significant potential to help business managers identify and address the key obstacles that must be overcome for the successful digitalisation of the automotive supply chain.