Digital innovations in sustainable supply chain business models

The aim of this work is to identify the new innovative phenomena affecting Supply Chain Business Model Systems (SCBMSs), with reference to supply chain relationships that become digital. The focus is on upstream supply chain operators and leading supply chain firms. We hypothesize that leading firms (almost always small and medium-sized) providing these technologies need to search for external knowledge, improve cooperation, develop servitized offers and connectivity along the value chain. These approaches allow wider customer contact, easier communication, and automated value-capturing and value co-creation processes. Supply chain platform development, and servitization are important in providing advanced digital technologies solutions. We focus on the notion of knowledge complexity, which reflects both the variety and newly-rarity of the knowledge stock available in a given supply cain ecosystem. Existing research on the relationship between strategic renewal and corporate purpose appears fragmented and provides mixed insights. Some evidence points to purpose-driven firms as being more flexible in navigating change better able to radically reinvent themselves. Regarding the methodology, this research used theoretical sampling for case selection since the objective is to build concepts and theory regarding the mechanisms involved in supply chain business model (SCBM) when digital technologies challenge factors are present. Therefore, the main criterion for sample definition was to search for cases representative of I4.0 technology provision regarding key technologies offered with leading representativeness of the technologies and companies analysed in the manufacturing supply chain (SC). Our results show that the I4.0 technologies and solutions impact the whole SCBMSs. This paper can contribute to both theory building and provide important practical implications by: (a) enriching the conceptual understanding of the unintended consequences of digital transformation; (b) providing managers important insights and practical advice for riding on the digitalisation to enhance operations-supply side relationships and supply chain value offered.