Developing pharmaceutical supply chain resilient capabilities: the role of Industry 4.0 technologies

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to advance understanding of how PSCs can re-imagined, re-designed and strengthened by leveraging industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies. Building resilience in Pharmaceutical Supply Chains (PSCs) has become imperative in the wake of COVID-19 and other global disruptions.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopted a qualitative approach using thematic analysis and the Gioia method on a corpus of data from 114 articles published in 84 peer-reviewed academic journals. The authors conducted a problematising review to critically analyse the contributions of I4.0 technologies to PSCs and demonstrate the distinctiveness of PSC resilience.

Findings

The thematic analysis revealed the advantages and barriers to I4.0 implementation in PSCs, emphasising on how these technologies support sensing, seizing and reconfiguring capabilities. Drawing on dynamic capability theory, this study proposes the pharmaceutical supply chain resilient capabilities (PSCRC) model, which conceptualises the capability building required to withstand and adapt to disruption.

Originality/value

The authors argue that the PSCRC model provides i) a theoretical contribution by clarifying the micro foundations of resilience, and ii) a practical roadmap for supply chain leaders seeking to deploy I4.0 technologies to coordinate processes, secure materials and build sustainable and adaptive PSCs. The paper also outlines future research avenues to advance scholarly and managerial understanding of PSC resilience.