Digital twins' readiness and its impacts on supply chain transparency and sustainable performance

Abstract

Purpose

Production systems occupy geographically dispersed organizations with limited visibility and transparency. Such limitations create operational inefficiencies across the Supply Chain (SC). Recently, researchers have started exploring applications of Digital Twins Technology (DTT) to improve SC operations. In this context, there is a need to provide comprehensive theoretical knowledge and frameworks to help stakeholders understand the adoption of DTT. This study aims to fulfill the research gap by empirically investigating DTT readiness to enable transparency in SC.

Design/methodology/approach

A comprehensive literature survey was conducted to develop a theoretical model related to Supply Chain Transparency (SCT) and DTT readiness. Then, a questionnaire was developed based on the proposed theoretical model, and data was collected from Indian manufacturers. The data was analyzed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to confirm the proposed relationships.

Findings

The findings from the study confirmed a positive relationship between DTT implementation and SCT. This study reported that data readiness, perceived values and benefits of DTT, and organizational readiness and leadership support influence DTT readiness and further lead to SCT.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature and knowledge by uniquely mapping and validating various interactions between DTT readiness and sustainable SC performance.

Citation

Patil, A., Srivastava, S., Paul, S.K. and Dwivedi, A. (2024), "Digital twins' readiness and its impacts on supply chain transparency and sustainable performance", Industrial Management & Data Systems, Vol. 124 No. 8, pp. 2532-2566. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-10-2023-0767