Nicolò Saporiti

Recent years have seen a growing interest among academics and practitioners in the approaches of Industry 4.0 (I40), Lean Production (LP), and Circular Economy (CE). Scientific studies have largely examined these approaches separately, or in a dual, pairwise combination. More recent research has also shown how I40 technologies and LP practices affect the implementation of CE strategies. In particular, it has been noted that I40 technologies and LP practices mutually not only enhance each other's efficacy but also have a positive impact on CE strategies. Despite this evidence, many of the existing works leave a critical gap in our knowledge about an integrated perspective among these three approaches. In other words, a more synergistic interaction among the I40 technologies, LP practices, and CE strategies is not yet well explored in the existing academic literature and needs to be developed. To address this research gap, this study leverages a multiple case study analysis of six companies operating in the manufacturing sector that operate with I40 technologies, LP practices, and CE strategies. Our results confirm that I40 technologies and LP practices foster each other and enable CE strategies. In addition, our empirical analysis adds to the existing studies that the synergistic interaction among the three approaches lies in the fact that the implementation of one approach triggers another one sequentially. In other words, the implementation of I40 technologies contributes to the activation of LP practices, which in turn enable the adoption of CE strategies. The evidence of our results has been visualized in empirically based framework that highlights for scholars and managers how manufacturing companies can optimize their transition pathway towards CE through I40 technologies and LP practices and paving thus the way for a more sustainable and effective industrial environment.

This study examines the impact of Additive Manufacturing (AM) on supply chain resilience (SCR) using Pettit et al.'s framework, which links SCR to supply chain (SC) vulnerabilities and capabilities. Given the lack of quantitative and empirical research on this topic, a Delphi study was conducted to determine whether AM has a positive or negative effect on these factors. The findings indicate that AM generally enhances SCR by improving key SC capabilities and vulnerabilities such as “Adaptability” and “Efficiency”. However, it also presents challenges as it negatively affects SC capabilities and vulnerabilities like “Resource limitations” and “Flexibility”. As such, AM adoption is not universally beneficial. Managers should hence assess their companies' SC capabilities and vulnerabilities, and invest in AM only if it strengthens their weakest areas. Furthermore, this study explores potential future scenarios for AM adoption in SCR. The findings identify two potential scenarios, with expected increases in AM use for SCR of up to 30 %. The study also outlines the required interventions and investments for the realization of these scenarios, offering practical insights for companies and policymakers. These insights guide stakeholders in identifying necessary interventions and understanding how these investments will impact the use of AM for SCR. The focus is on the impact of AM on supply chain resilience (SCR).•AM is found to positively affect most of the SC capabilities and vulnerabilities.•However, AM also negatively affects relevant SC capabilities and vulnerabilities.•Potential future scenarios for the use of AM for SCR have been derived.•The results are obtained empirically, for the first time in the literature.

The pharmaceutical sector is experiencing rapid growth in global medicine usage and spending. As the sector expands, so do risks. Blockchain technology promises significant benefits for addressing key issues in the pharmaceutical supply chains, such as enhancing traceability, preventing counterfeit drugs, and securing sensitive data. However, its adoption is not without criticism, facing challenges such as high implementation costs, regulatory uncertainties, and even skepticism about its purported benefits. This study provides the first empirical analysis of blockchain adoption challenges and countermeasures in the pharmaceutical industry. The research aims to identify key challenges and propose effective solutions to support broader implementation. A three-step methodology was employed: a systematic literature review to identify challenges, followed by a Delphi study to assess their relevance, and finally, a questionnaire collecting practical countermeasures. Seventeen major challenges and eight sets of countermeasures were identified and prioritized, with "IT security" being ranked as the most critical challenge and "Education and training" as the most effective countermeasure as it tackles more pressing challenges. The results were then analyzed using the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework and the Stakeholder Theory. The use of these complementary frameworks allowed to shed light on how different stakeholders can address the different challenges based on their roles, emphasizing the importance of their collective and collaborative efforts. This integration of theoretical frameworks provides valuable practical insights for addressing blockchain-related challenges and accelerating its adoption. Moreover, this research compares the pharmaceutical sector with other application areas, extending insights into blockchain adoption across industries.

Purpose: This works provides a thorough understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with Additive Manufacturing (AM) adoption in the medical sector. Through this analysis, we aim to better understand when to adopt AM, how to do so, and how such adoption might change in the future. Design/methodology/approach: This research first conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) to identify AM challenges and opportunities in the medical sector, which were then validated through a Delphi study. The 18 Delphi study participants were also asked to suggest countermeasures for the challenges and help identify future AM adoption scenarios. Finally, these findings were analyzed according to the ecosystem pie model to design an ecosystem model for AM in the medical sector. Findings: Among the 13 challenges and 13 opportunities identified, the lack of a skilled workforce and the responsiveness achievable via AM were by far the most relevant challenge and opportunity. Moreover, the participants identified countermeasures for 10 challenges, as well as three future AM adoption scenarios. Finally, leveraging these findings, an ecosystem model was developed. Originality/value: This work contributes to the limited understanding of the AM challenges and opportunities in the medical sector. It helps medical practitioners to better understand the challenges and opportunities associated with AM and AM manufacturers to better identify where to focus their R&D efforts and how this would impact future AM adoption levels. Furthermore, this work extends current theory supporting the design of an ecosystem model for AM in the medical sector following the ecosystem pie model.

The years 2021 and 2022 showed that maritime logistics are prone to interruptions. Ports especially turned out to be bottlenecks with long queues of waiting vessels. This leads to the question of whether this can be (at least partly) mitigated by means of better and more flexible terminal operations. Digital Twins have been in use in production and logistics to increase flexibility in operations and to support operational decision-making based on real-time information. However, the true potential of Digital Twins to enhance terminal operations still needs to be further investigated. A Delphi study is conducted to explore the operational pain points, the best practices to counter them, and how these best practices can be supported by Digital Twins. A questionnaire with 16 propositions is developed, and a panel of 17 experts is asked for their degrees of confirmation for each. The results indicate that today’s terminal operations are far from ideal, and leave space for optimisation. The experts see great potential in analysing the past working shift data to identify the reasons for poor terminal performance. Moreover, they agree on the proposed best practices and support the use of emulation for detailed ad hoc simulation studies to improve operational decision-making.

Digital Twin (DT) implementation in manufacturing plants has attracted increasing attention. Owing to advancements in the use of technologies related to Industry 4.0 pillars, such as the Internet of Things, Big Data analytics, and simulation, the potential of DTs to profoundly impact manufacturing has been recognised. However, DT implementation is challenging. In practice, manufacturing companies that consider DT implementation may encounter several challenges, which can prevent the achievement of its potential benefits and impede its successful realization. Research on this topic lacks empirical evidence and models to guide practitioners to overcome this problem. Therefore, the aim of this study was to map the key challenges related to DT implementation in manufacturing contexts and propose a set of possible countermeasures. To achieve this objective, we conducted a Delphi study involving 15 experts, both practitioners and academics. The process required three rounds. In the first round, the experts were requested to provide a personalized list of potential challenges to DT implementation. In the second round, the experts evaluated the challenges from the literature and their suggested potential challenges, providing a measure of relevance. Furthermore, experts were asked to propose possible countermeasures to these challenges. Finally, a third round achieved consensus. The study identified 18 key challenges divided into four categories and proposed a set of possible countermeasures to overcome these problems. Moreover, a relevance/agreement matrix of the key challenges was proposed to establish a relative impact.