A study on IoT integrated project-driven supply chain in Industry 4.0 environment

Abstract

Project-based organisations are facing real-time challenges such as cost overrun, handle deviations and communication gaps to meet the customer requirements. Projects mostly do not have real-time information on labour and material shortage. From the literature, it is identified that project-driven supply chain (PDSC) activities comprise of both on-field activities (i.e., resource and equipment planning, work assignment), and off-site activities (i.e., manufacturing, transportation, and material stocking). Thus, it is imperative to make both on-field and off-site project community are connected to drive the work alignment and ensure to minimise project disruption. The IoT technology bridges the gaps in the current PDSC and assists enterprises for better project planning and implementation. The objective of the paper is to discuss the opportunities that exist with IoT technology for project-driven supply chain organisations in the Industry 4.0 environment. A case study is performed in a project-based organisation. Based on the study, recommendations are given to stakeholders to deploy IoT to track material shortages in real-time and make timely decisions, reduce equipment maintenance costs and improve worker's safety with technology. Overall, IoT embedded PDSC connects the project community in real-time and improves project performance to deliver customer commitments.