Overview of supply chain management challenges

Abstract

Purpose: The article aims at presenting possible challenges faced by supply chains in the upcoming years. Design/methodology/approach: The article employs analysis of the literature on the subject. Findings: As a result of the critical analysis of the literature, the authors have highlighted what they consider to be the most significant challenges facing supply chain managers in the coming years. These include meeting increasing customer demands for on-time delivery, the skillful use of new technologies and an increasing emphasis on environmental issues in supply chain management. These are challenges arising from changes in the business environment. The last few years, and many examples of broken supply chains, have shown that changes in the way we think about how supply chains operate are required in many areas. Trends in the environment are forcing the challenges listed above to be addressed urgently. These challenges are closely interconnected. For example, changes in purchasing behaviour are also increasingly concerned with environmental issues, which translates into the need to 'green' supply chains. Also, customer expectations for greater visibility of processes in supply chains and increasing pressure to deliver as quickly as possible (which is linked to the growth of e-commerce), are driving the need for new technologies, including automation. Research limitations/implications: The authors have focused on the most important trends and challenges and the article certainly does not cover all the topics studied. It is to some extent a subjective selection made by the authors. In addition, it should be noted that dynamic changes in the environment may influence the emergence of new challenges that are not presented in the article. Practical implications: The supply chain management challenges presented in the article may be of interest to those responsible for the operations of supply chains within companies. Originality/value: The article is a subjective indication of the most important trends in supply chain management and stems from a review of the literature on the subject. Although the issues analysed are present in other research papers, here we have the authors’ choice. Keywords: supply chain management, smart logistics, GSCM. Category of the paper: Viewpoint.