IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v17y2025i7p2998-d1622230.html

Barriers to Visibility in Supply Chains: Challenges and Opportunities of Artificial Intelligence Driven by Industry 4.0 Technologies

Author

Listed:
  • Fernanda Delgado

    (Production Engineering Department, São Paulo State University, Bauru 17033-360, Brazil)

  • Susana Garrido

    (Centre for Business and Economics Research (CEBER), Coimbra University, 3004-512 Coimbra, Portugal)

  • Barbara Stolte Bezerra

    (Civil Engineering Department, São Paulo State University, Bauru 17033-360, Brazil)

Abstract

Advancements in e-commerce and Industry 4.0 technologies have significantly improved communication and connectivity in supply chains. These technologies, particularly artificial intelligence driven by Industry 4.0 technologies (AI-IT4.0), have reshaped how products, services, and financial transactions are managed, emphasizing the importance of information sharing among supply chain participants to enhance inventory management, sales, and demand forecasting. However, sharing comprehensive information across supply chain stakeholders presents persistent challenges due to various barriers. This study seeks to review the current understanding of visibility barriers in supply chains, identify key obstacles, and suggest directions for future research. Using the PRISMA methodology, the study analyzed 20 articles, identifying 12 critical barriers to visibility. Bibliometric analysis has revealed growing interest in the topic since 2021, although evidence of collaborative research remains limited. A keyword co-occurrence analysis highlighted strong connections between visibility, supply chain management, sustainability, and artificial intelligence driven by industry 4.0 technologies, such as machine learning, predictive analytics, and digital twins. Future research should empirically investigate visibility barriers and explore the interplay between AI-TI4.0, visibility, and sustainable performance through case studies and quantitative approaches.

Suggested Citation

  • Fernanda Delgado & Susana Garrido & Barbara Stolte Bezerra, 2025. "Barriers to Visibility in Supply Chains: Challenges and Opportunities of Artificial Intelligence Driven by Industry 4.0 Technologies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-20, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:7:p:2998-:d:1622230
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/7/2998/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/7/2998/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kalaiarasan, Ravi & Olhager, Jan & Agrawal, Tarun Kumar & Wiktorsson, Magnus, 2022. "The ABCDE of supply chain visibility: A systematic literature review and framework," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 248(C).
    2. Rashmi Ranjan Panigrahi & Avinash K. Shrivastava & Karishma M. Qureshi & Bhavesh G. Mewada & Saleh Yahya Alghamdi & Naif Almakayeel & Ali Saeed Almuflih & Mohamed Rafik N. Qureshi, 2023. "AI Chatbot Adoption in SMEs for Sustainable Manufacturing Supply Chain Performance: A Mediational Research in an Emerging Country," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-18, September.
    3. Imadeddine Oubrahim & Naoufal Sefiani & Ari Happonen, 2023. "The Influence of Digital Transformation and Supply Chain Integration on Overall Sustainable Supply Chain Performance: An Empirical Analysis from Manufacturing Companies in Morocco," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-24, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Singh, Angel & Ramtiyal, Bharti & Jain, Vipul & Vijayvargy, Lokesh & Khan, Surbhi B., 2026. "Examining circular economy principles to transform public sector pharmaceutical supply chains for flexibility: A multi-method approach," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 223(C).
    2. Fatemeh Vardan & Seyed Mohammad Hassan Hosseini, 2025. "A bi-objective model for designing a green closed-loop supply chain network in a petroleum complex considering transportation constraints: a case study," International Journal of System Assurance Engineering and Management, Springer;The Society for Reliability, Engineering Quality and Operations Management (SREQOM),India, and Division of Operation and Maintenance, Lulea University of Technology, Sweden, vol. 16(3), pages 1020-1039, March.
    3. Hala Hmamed & Anass Cherrafi & Asmaa Benghabrit & Sunil Tiwari & Pankaj Sharma, 2024. "The adoption of I4.0 technologies for a sustainable and circular supply chain: an industry‐based SEM analysis from the textile sector," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(4), pages 2949-2968, May.
    4. Moustafa Elnadi & Mohamed Hani Gheith & Ciro Troise & Yasser Omar Abdallah & Mahmoud Abdelaziz Ahmed Abdelaziz, 2026. "Digital Transformation and Sustainable Supply Chain Performance for Sustainable Development: The Mediating Role of Supply Chain Capabilities," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(S1), pages 611-637, January.
    5. Karishma M. Qureshi & Bhavesh G. Mewada & Sumeet Kaur & Saleh Yahya Alghamdi & Naif Almakayeel & Ali Saeed Almuflih & Mohamed Rafik Noor Mohamed Qureshi, 2023. "Sustainable Manufacturing Supply Chain Performance Enhancement through Technology Utilization and Process Innovation in Industry 4.0: A SEM-PLS Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-20, October.
    6. Xiaoli Guo & Weili Xia & Taiwen Feng & Jianyu Tan & Fenggang Xian, 2024. "Blockchain technology adoption and sustainable supply chain finance: The perspective of information processing theory," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(4), pages 3614-3632, July.
    7. Jolanta Słoniec & Monika Kulisz & Marta Małecka-Dobrogowska & Zhadyra Konurbayeva & Łukasz Sobaszek, 2025. "Awareness of the Impact of IT/AI on Energy Consumption in Enterprises: A Machine Learning-Based Modelling Towards a Sustainable Digital Transformation," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-24, October.
    8. Tiwari, Manisha & Bryde, David J. & Stavropoulou, Foteini & Dubey, Rameshwar & Kumari, Sushma & Foropon, Cyril, 2024. "Modelling supply chain Visibility, digital Technologies, environmental dynamism and healthcare supply chain Resilience: An organisation information processing theory perspective," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    9. Al-khatib, Ayman wael & AL-Shboul, Moh'd Anwer & Khattab, Mais, 2024. "How can generative artificial intelligence improve digital supply chain performance in manufacturing firms? Analyzing the mediating role of innovation ambidexterity using hybrid analysis through CB-SEM and PLS-SEM," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    10. Kristína Kleinová & Martin Straka, 2024. "Streamlining Distribution Routes Using the Language Model of Artificial Intelligence," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-17, August.
    11. Hui Jing & Yuwei Fan, 2024. "Digital Transformation, Supply Chain Integration and Supply Chain Performance: Evidence From Chinese Manufacturing Listed Firms," SAGE Open, , vol. 14(3), pages 21582440241, September.
    12. Qing, Lingli & Shen, Pin & Nam, Eun-Young & Ma, Xiang, 2025. "Does supply chain digitalization improve corporate energy performance? A quasi-natural experiment from Chinese supply chain innovation and application pilot policy," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    13. Uddin, Mohammad Rajib & Akter, Shahriar & Lee, Wai Jin Thomas, 2024. "Developing a data breach protection capability framework in retailing," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 271(C).
    14. Pablo Emilio Mora Lozano & Jairo R. Montoya-Torres, 2024. "Global Supply Chains Made Visible through Logistics Security Management," Logistics, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-39, January.
    15. Yaniv Proselkov & Liming Xu & Alexandra Brintrup, 2026. "Modelling viable supply networks with cooperative adaptive financing," Papers 2601.13210, arXiv.org.
    16. Bag, Surajit & Rahman, Muhammad Sabbir & Srivastava, Gautam & Chan, Hau-Ling & Bryde, David J., 2022. "The role of big data and predictive analytics in developing a resilient supply chain network in the South African mining industry against extreme weather events," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 251(C).
    17. Zhang, Tianze & Zhao, Xueqi & Xi, Yue, 2025. "Greening the chain: How digital transformation of supply chains drives corporate innovation in China's A-share market," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    18. Dawit Udessa Gede, 2025. "Enhancing Organizational Performance Through Effective Supply Chain Management: Insights from the Adola Branch of Ethiopian Magnesium Oxide," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 25(2), pages 579-594, June.
    19. Wang, Shaofeng & Zhang, Hao, 2025. "Enhancing environmental, social, and governance performance through artificial intelligence supply chains in the energy industry: Roles of innovation, collaboration, and proactive sustainability strategy," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 245(C).
    20. Nikita Osintsev & Aleksandr Rakhmangulov, 2025. "Supply Chain Sustainability Drivers: Identification and Multi-Criteria Assessment," Logistics, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-45, February.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:7:p:2998-:d:1622230. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.