Lean supply chain based on IoT and blockchain: Quantitative analysis of critical success factors (CSF)

Today, due to industrial development in the world, the variety of products has increased and products have special complexities. Lean supply chain is an approach aimed at producing and delivering products in the fastest possible time with the least production waste. The lean supply chain approach is one of the most important strategies to help managers in the organization due to the nature of its activities and the volume and variety of products, suppliers, and customers within the organization, with very diverse needs and very high geographical dispersion. This approach can, as an effective tool, play a very functional role in reducing waste from the supply chain and reducing organizational costs. Today, evolving technologies such as the Internet of Things and blockchain play a significant role in facilitating lean supply chain creation. The Internet of Things (IoT), along with blockchain technology, provides instant insight into every move of the goods made in the supply chain and more responsibility than ever before. In addition, IoT eliminates many of the paperwork requirements prone to supply chain management error and simplifies processes for less efficient product management from warehouse to final destination. In this study, a framework for a lean supply chain based on these technologies was first proposed. Then, the critical success factors in this lean supply chain were extracted using the literature and expert opinions. In order to evaluate these factors and study their internal relationships, a nonlinear fuzzy approach and fuzzy DEMATEL method were used. The results show that quick response to customer needs is one of the most important critical factors for the success of the lean IoT- blockchain based supply chain.