Computers & Industrial Engineering 187 (2024) 109768

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Computers & Industrial Engineering

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/caie

Digital twins for logistics and supply chain systems: Literature review,
conceptual framework, research potential, and practical challenges
Tho V. Le ∗, Ruoling Fan
School of Engineering Technology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA

ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT

Keywords: To facilitate an effective, efficient, transparent, and timely decision-making process as well as to provide
Digital twins guidelines for industry planning and public policy development, a conceptual framework of digital twins (DTs)
Logistics for logistics and supply chain systems (LSCS) is needed. This paper first introduces the background of the
Supply chain
logistics and supply chain industry, the DT and its potential benefits, and the motivations and scope of this
Framework
research. The literature review indicates research and practice gaps and needs that motivate proposing a new
Strategic planning
System
conceptual DT framework for LSCS. As each element of the new framework has different requirements and
goals, it initiates new research opportunities and creates practical implementation challenges. As such, the
future of DT computation involves advanced analytics and modeling techniques to address the new agenda’s
requirements. Finally, ideas on the next steps to deploy a transparent, trustworthy, and resilient DT for LSCS
are presented.

1. Introduction
The last decade has observed rapid technology development, in-
cluding Industry 4.0, blockchains, 3D printing, new materials, and
others. Many sectors of society are moving to digitize because there
could be enormous potential benefits, such as faster access to in-
formation, improved customer experience, increased productivity and
efficiency, improved decision-making, lower operating costs, and im-
proved safety (Khan, Khan, & Aftab, 2015; Rosin, Proksch, Stubner,
& Pinkwart, 2020; Sabbagh et al., 2012). However, digitization also
faces challenges, for example, legal issues, a growing labor force gap
in digital skills, security risks, and a shortage of technological re-
sources (Parviainen, Tihinen, Kääriäinen, & Teppola, 2017). Some lo-
gistics and supply chain companies have digitized parts or whole chains
to manage their business.
Digital systems are surrounded by uncertainties that create chal-
lenges for stakeholders to make prudent and timely decisions. Stake-
holders need to be informed of uncertain situations and often need to
act fast to respond to market challenges. An outstanding example of
uncertainty is the pandemic that started in early 2020 when the Covid-
19 disease spread worldwide. The supply chain was disrupted because
of panic demand (e.g., hoaxed buying) and delay supply (e.g., lack of
labor force in the manufacturing and supply chain system) (Chowd-
hury, Paul, Kaisar, & Moktadir, 2021; Guan et al., 2020). In addition
to the supply chain crisis during the pandemic, the Ever Given ship
blocked the Suez Canal in Egypt for about a week in March 2021 further
disrupting the global supply chain Lee and Wong (2021). Furthermore,
the Ukraine and Russia war started in February 2022 first created
worries about the wheat supply chain, but then quickly generated
an energy crisis for European countries which heavily influenced the
supply chain of the area and worldwide (IEA, 2022; OECD, 2022).
More recently, tension and the trade war between the US and China
have created significant changes in manufacturing and business which
have led to shifts in the global supply chain towards on-shoring, near-
shoring, and friend-shoring (Mao & Görg, 2020; Steinbock, 2018; Wu,
Wood, Oh, & Jang, 2021; Yuan, Rodrigues, Wang, & Behrens, 2023).
Natural disasters, such as wildfires, hurricanes, and floods, that are
happening more frequently have also created additional challenges for
supply chain performances (Gunessee & Subramanian, 2020; Ye & Abe,
2012). To cope with the situation and support local industry, the US
government established Freight Logistics Optimization Works (FLOW)
in March 2022 with the aim of reducing delivery costs and generating
benefits for the supply chain system (The White House, 2022). Canada
established the National Supply Chain Task Force 2022 to inform the
future actions and measures (Government of Canada, 2022). The Euro-
pean Union has also drafted the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence
Directive (CSDD) (i.e., the European Supply Chain Act) to facilitate
the fairness and sustainable global economy (European Commission,
Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers, 2022). These initiatives
were created for handling a lack of supply chain transparency and

∗ Correspondence to: 401 N. Grant St. Knoy Hall Room 145, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.
E-mail address: thovle@purdue.edu (T.V. Le).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cie.2023.109768
Received 15 July 2023; Received in revised form 9 November 2023; Accepted 21 November 2023
Available online 29 November 2023
0360-8352/© 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
T.V. Le and R. Fan
to address vulnerability in responding to uncertain human-made and
natural events.
The logistics and supply chain system is becoming more complex
because it is a highly connected and inter-operated system of systems.
For instance, different parts of a Japanese car made in Thailand are
supplied by several local factories. Therefore, when a flood occurred in
Thailand in 2011, in total, Nissan, Honda, and Toyota lost more than
420,000 cars, and closed their factories for 245 days. Some of these
factories were not flooded but lacked parts from local suppliers that
were directly affected by the flood (Haraguchi & Lall, 2015). There
were also consequences and impacts on other factories, such as those
in Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia. Another exam-
ple of a complex supply chain system is the semiconductor industry.
Semiconductors are the heart of modern electronic devices which are
widely used in communications, computing, transportation, manufac-
turing, healthcare, and military applications, among others. However,
most semiconductors are supplied by only a few foundries in Taiwan,
South Korea, and China. Therefore, the global semiconductors supply
chain is vulnerable to an extreme event in that region (e.g., epidemic,
wildfire, or flood). Complex systems are difficult to render transpar-
ent. DTs provide an environment for tracking material/product flows;
testing solutions; and exposing pre-existing vulnerabilities. DTs allow
stakeholders to streamline operations, create transparency, and build
resilience for LSCS.
1.1. Overview of digital twins
Over the course of human history, many have imagined the creation
of a virtual world that can reflect reality. For example, in 1993, a
book named Mirror World written by David Gelernter depicted such
an indistinguishable world (Gelernter, 1993). Recently, with the rapid
development of technology, humans can make such imagination come
true. For the Apollo 13 mission, the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) first used 15 simulators to train astronauts and
mission controllers. NASA initiated the Digital Twins (DTs) concept
which the aerospace domain later adopted as a key element in the 2010
technology roadmap (Singh et al., 2021). In reality, DT techniques were
used to simulate the actual spacecraft conditions, explore solutions, and
predict results, which were important in planning, designing, operation,
and management (Allen, 2021).
DT techniques have been defined in multiple ways. The common
definition of DT is a virtual representation of physical assets (Glaess-
gen & Stargel, 2012; Lee, Lapira, Bagheri, & Kao, 2013). NASA first
introduced it as ‘‘An integrated multi-physics, multi-scale, probabilistic
simulation of a vehicle or systems that uses the best available physical
models, sensor updates, fleet history, etc., to mirror the life of its flying
twin.’’ (Machining4.0, 2023). Later, researchers proposed alternative
definitions of DT: ‘‘The digital twin is a set of virtual information constructs
that fully describes a potential or actual physical manufactured product from
the micro atomic level to the macro geometrical level’’ (Grieves & Vickers,
2017). Our paper adopted the universal definition provided by IBM:
‘‘A digital twin is a virtual representation of an object or system that spans
its lifecycle, is updated from real-time data, and uses simulation, machine
learning, and reasoning to help decision-making ’’ (IBM, 2022). DT can also
be used for designing, modeling, visualizing, testing, and implementing
new ideas without disrupting the current process.
DT has three basic layers (Far & Rad, 2022; Lv, Qiao, Li, Yuan,
& Wang, 2022; Zheng, Lu, & Kiritsis, 2022): (i) the physical layer
contains all the real information, including data, decisions, actions, etc.;
(ii) the communication layer contains the data transmission tools, pro-
cesses for converting the real information to machine-readable informa-
tion and vice versa; and (iii) the digital layer includes computational
and simulation techniques to process information, analysis, calcula-
tion, and predictions. DT has applications in many different fields
including aeronautics and space (Glaessgen & Stargel, 2012; Tuegel,
2012), robotics (Schluse & Rossmann, 2016; Wang, Jiao, Wang, &
The paper "Digital Twins for Logistics and Supply Chain Systems: Literature Review, Conceptual Framework, Research Potential, and Practical Challenges" presents a comprehensive exploration
of the application of digital twin technology in the context of logistics and supply chain management.
2
The study begins with a thorough literature review, synthesizing existing research on digital twins and their relevance to logistics and supply chain systems. This review likely covers various
aspects, including the definition of digital twins, their evolution, and their potential benefits in optimizing supply chain operations.
Computers & Industrial Engineering 187 (2024) 109768
Zhang, 2020), manufacturing (Rosen, Von Wichert, Lo, & Bettenhausen,
2015; Schroeder, Steinmetz, Pereira, & Espindola, 2016), informat-
ics (Canedo, 2016), and transportation (Schwarz & Wang, 2022; Wang,
Gupta et al., 2022). DT also has strong potential in the logistics and
supply chain domain since its highly dynamic and closed interaction
features correspond well to the strengths of DT.
1.2. Potential benefits of digital twins
Establishing a DT could lead to potential benefits to society, econ-
omy, business, and environment (Centre for Digital Built Britain, 2022).
DTs provide opportunities to improve LSCS modeling, simulating, op-
erating, and managing tools by allowing greater interactions between
various data sources and models as well as different stakeholders. As
the interactions become intimate, communications among stakeholders
will grow more efficient. Consequently, the operational efficiency of the
LSCS will increase, allowing end-users to receive products quicker and
in a timely manner (especially for perishable goods and medicines).
Meanwhile, the DT techniques connect virtual representations to the
physical infrastructure and the surrounding environment in near real-
time. The virtual LSCS provides an opportunity to test and experiment
with various scenarios, enhancing the theoretical and practical basis
for each decision and minimizing disruption to the real system. The
DT techniques also enhance the understanding of analytical results
and facilitate tracking and tracing the origins of products/materials
(e.g., where do raw materials really come from?) by the end-users.
Therefore, the LSCS becomes more transparent, increases the systems’
credibility, and lays the foundation for further development. Addition-
ally, the DT techniques support predictive maintenance, repair, and
risk mitigation, and improve sustainability and robustness. As a result,
the system will become resilient to resist emergencies (e.g., epidemics,
natural disasters, and damages), which is vital to maintain the effective
and efficient operations of LSCS in the context of global trending and
economic fluctuation.
Furthermore, DT will boost the operational excellence and human
excellence in LSCS. Operational excellence in LSCS refers to the sys-
tems’ capacity to maintain consistent and resilient operations in the
face of unforeseen risks, fluctuations, and challenges. It implies that the
systems ensure competitive and productive procedures in dynamic and
uncertain environments (Eisenhardt & Martin, 2000; Mishra, Singh, &
Subramanian, 2022; Sabahi & Parast, 2020; Sandberg, 2021). Human
excellence in LSCS, on the other hand, refers to the stakeholders and
managers in LSCS sectors who are able to develop deliberate policies
and utilize human resources to allocate responsibilities so that the
systems operate efficiently (Rahman, Hamid, Sahin, Wang, & Islam,
2022). Operational excellence and human excellence have a close
reciprocal relationship as human excellence is the foundation of op-
eration excellence and operation excellence can boost human excellent
development (Maré, 2004). DT implementations facilitate employees
in different parts of the system working with high efficiency that es-
sentially comes to high-quality decisions to achieve human excellence.
Consequently, the LSCS will be in effective and efficient operations and
will achieve operational excellence.
1.3. Motivations and research goals
The planning, design, and implementation of a DT face challenges
and barriers. For instance, protection for the business secrets of data
providers (Ha & Tran, 2023; Moshood, Nawanir, Sorooshian, & Ok-
falisa, 2021), computation time and storage (Abideen, Sundram, Pye-
man, Othman, & Sorooshian, 2021; Liu, Yeoh, Qu, & Gao, 2022),
establishment of a common platform for data and information ex-
change (Cirullies & Schwede, 2021; Lyovin & Efimova, 2017), data
format standardization, requirement of a large amount of data (Car-
lan & Vanelslander, 2021), complex integration, and cyber security
concerns (Del Giorgio Solfa, 2022; Liu et al., 2022), among others.
Building on the literature review, the paper likely proposes a conceptual framework that outlines how digital twins can be applied within logistics and supply chain systems. This framework may
encompass the key components of digital twins, such as data acquisition, modeling and simulation, real-time monitoring, and decision support.
Furthermore, the paper likely explores the research potential of digital twins in logistics and supply chain management. This could involve identifying areas where digital twin technology can offer
significant improvements, such as inventory management, predictive maintenance, or demand forecasting.
T.V. Le and R. Fan
Fig. 1. Outline of research scope.
Such barriers and challenges not only impede the way for the de-
velopment of DT in LSCS but are also an obstacle to operational
excellent and human excellence development. The stakeholders could
not make effective decisions under insufficient communication, limited
information-sharing systems, or the unavailability of the relevant infor-
mation at the right place and time in the right amount. Such delays in
decisions could weaken the performance of the LSCS (Rahman et al.,
2022). To overcome those challenges and barriers, there is a need to
review the state of the art and practice of efforts to build a DT for LSCS.
There is also a need to identify gaps in the DT development efforts
to develop a framework, identify research opportunities and current
practical challenges, and identify technologies needed.
This research provides a comprehensive and systematic review of
DT for LSCS. It focuses primarily on developing a DT framework for
the deployment of a transparent, trustworthy, and resilient DT for
LSCS. This paper identifies research and practical opportunities for the
logistics and supply chain industry and for academic research.
1.4. Scope and paper organization
This research includes four topics which are depicted in Fig. 1.
The literature review indicates state-of-the-art and -practice gaps and
needs that essentially motivate the development of a new DT framework
for LSCS. In addition, since each element of the new framework has
different requirements and goals, it initiates new research opportunities
and creates practical implementation challenges. As such, the future of DT
computation ties up with advanced analytics and modeling techniques
to address the new agenda.
The remainder of this paper is organized as follows. Section two
presents the literature review. Section three envisions a future DT and
develops a DT framework for LSCS. Section four discusses the research
and practical foci of elements of the suggested DT framework. Section 5
discusses the future of DT computation. Section six suggests the next
steps in building a transparent, trustworthy, and resilient DT for LSCS.
The final section concludes the research.
2. Literature review
This section provides a review of the literature (journal papers,
white papers, industry reports, etc.) to support the development of a
DT framework for LSCS. Only papers that address DTs for logistics or
supply chain issues at the system level are included in this review paper
as it focuses on DT strategic planning. A strategic planning ‘‘is used to
set priorities, focus energy and resources, strengthen operations, ensure
that employees and other stakeholders are working towards common
goals, establish agreement around intended outcomes/results, and as-
sess and adjust the organization’s direction in response to a changing
environment’’ (Balanced Scorecard Institute, 2023). The system level
refers to the interrelationships and interactions of multiple elements
of either DT logistics or DT supply chain systems. The effective and
efficient DT operations could be improved by adopting techniques at
the system level, thereby boosting the development of the logistics and
supply chain industry.
2.1. Literature identifications
Six keywords were defined and selected to perform the search on
Google Scholar and Web of Science (WoS): ‘digital twin system’, or
3
Computers & Industrial Engineering 187 (2024) 109768
‘digital twin logistics’, or ‘digital twin supply chain’, or ‘digital twin
technique’, or ‘digital logistics’, or ‘digital supply chain’. On Google
Scholar, for each keyword search, the first 1000 papers were screened,
resulting in a total of 6000 papers. Fig. 2 shows the paper selection
process under different topics following the PRISMA approach (Page
et al., 2021). From Google Scholar and Web of Science databases under
the six pre-mentioned topics, the total identified papers were 28,884,
as of Apr. 1st, 2023. Before the screening, 302 papers were identified
as duplicated and were excluded from the databases. Upon a cursory
review, 19,714 papers were excluded as they were not related to the
logistics and supply chain domain (e.g., they are about equipment
building, machine operation monitoring, etc.), and a subset of papers
did not employ DT techniques. Even though these papers were omit-
ted, some of them present new research approaches relevant to DTs,
therefore, they are cited in the research opportunities sections. Since
this paper focuses on the system level, 7973 papers were excluded for
only concentrating only on specific parts of the system, for example,
manufacturing or processing. On checking the keywords and abstracts
for simultaneous mention of ‘digital twin’ and ’supply chain’, or ‘digital
twin’ and ‘logistics’, the pool of papers was narrowed down to 34
papers. In addition, the connectedpapers.com website was utilized to
obtain additional relevant papers connected to the 34 papers as well
as papers connected to the additional relevant papers themselves. As a
result, additional 14 relevant papers were identified and incorporated
into the review. Therefore, a total of 48 papers were examined in
detailed analyses.
2.2. Literature summary and analysis
Table 1 presents 48 papers about DTs for LSCS. Each paper is
assessed according to Scope, Domain, Objective, Method/technique, Focus
problem, Dataset, Validation, and Online/offline. The abbreviations used
in the table are explained below it.
The Scope elucidates the primary purpose of each paper which is
divided into four categories: Framework, Implementation, a combina-
tion of both Framework and Implementation, and Review. The Domain
represents the specific area or field to which the paper is related. It
is noteworthy that within the principal application domains of supply
chain and logistics, there are only 3 papers focusing on maritime
delivery, suggesting an area for future research.
Except for the review papers, other papers’ Objective are classi-
fied into Design, Model, and Theory. For papers that are not re-
views, most incorporate Computer Science or Operations Research
methods/techniques, which is expected given that DT is inherently an
AI and data-driven area.
The Focus Problem highlights the main issue addressed in the paper.
Some papers aiming at developing frameworks or implementations
employ data to validate the work, hence, the Dataset column shows the
size of the dataset used in the paper. Validation refers to the methods
used to validate the findings or results of the study. Online/offline
indicates whether the simulation was conducted in an online or offline
environment.
In summary, as can be observed from Table 1, about half of the
efforts (25/48 papers) are either to develop DT frameworks or DT
frameworks and implementation, which apply to urban delivery, mar-
itime delivery, or general logistics and supply chain fields. Except for
literature review papers, nearly all papers adopt operations research
T.V. Le and R. Fan
Fig. 2. Identification of studies via Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Connectedpaper.com.
and data-driven techniques, like optimization, big data, simulation,
and artificial intelligence. With the progress of science and technology,
the methodologies and techniques applied to DT in LSCS have un-
dergone significant innovations, moving from traditional approaches,
such as optimization, cyber–physical, and data mining, to AI-related
techniques, such as deep reinforcement learning, deep learning, sim-
ulation, and advanced optimization algorithms. Such advancements
expand the capabilities and benefits of DT in LSCS and enhance the
systems’ working efficiency. The 48 papers are chronologically and
alphabetically classified into different clusters of methodologies to
investigate emerging and commonly used technologies and techniques
as well as the methodology gaps in the next section. Additionally, there
are a few papers on fresh foods, fruits, and perishable products but very
limited research on DTs for LSCS of other essential and high-priority
areas, such as basic goods and services for physiology and safety
needs (based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs) (e.g., medicine, shelter,
energy) and semiconductors. Limited research is on conceptualized
DT for infrastructure (data, communication, computing, and storage),
vehicles, trucking drivers, bottleneck identifications, risk mitigation,
cybersecurity, and network resilience. There is also a lack of studies
on implementation roadmap; literature on DT predictive maintenance,
repair, and management strategies; and methods for assessing DT op-
erations and benefits. There are few efforts to propose standards,
protocols, and strategies for integrating current systems, such as En-
terprise Resource Planning (ERP), Warehouse Management Systems
(WMS), and Transportation Management Systems (TMS), to create a
comprehensive DT. Finally, only a few papers employ actual data sets
Finally, the paper likely addresses the practical challenges associated with implementing digital twins in logistics and supply chain systems. These challenges may include data integration issues,
privacy and security concerns, scalability, and the need for interdisciplinary collaboration.
4
Overall, the paper provides a comprehensive overview of digital twins in logistics and supply chain management, offering insights into their theoretical foundations, practical applications, research
opportunities, and challenges that need to be addressed for successful implementation.
Computers & Industrial Engineering 187 (2024) 109768
for validation whereas the majority of papers utilize generative data
sets. This revealed a potential shortfall in the practical implementation
of DTs for LSCS.
2.3. The trend
Fig. 3 presents a summary of literature papers by year. The blue
bars illustrate the publication frequency.
This graphical representation indicates a rising trend in DT research
concerning LSCS, which demonstrates the escalating importance and
interest in this area.
2.4. The current DT methods
For a deeper analysis of the methodology employed in the literature,
VOSviewer is adopted. In VOSviewer, there are three ways to collect
keywords: Author Keywords, All Keywords, and Keywords Plus. Author
Keywords refer to the keywords that are defined by the authors when
publishing. All Keywords are the keyword occurrences in the given
articles and references in WoS database. Keywords Plus is the keyword
label provided by the WoS platforms.
Fig. 4 represents 61 Author Keywords in descending order of their
Total Link Strength which is the ‘‘total strength of the co-authorship links
of a given researcher with other researchers’’ in WOS database (van Eck
& Waltman, 2017). All Author Keywords were derived from the Web
of Science, and their total link strength values were calculated using
VOSviewer.
T.V. Le and R. Fan Computers & Industrial Engineering 187 (2024) 109768

Table 1
Summary of studies focus on DT in logistics and supply chain systems.
Paper Scope Domain Objective Method/Technique Focus Problem Dataset Validation On-
line/Offline
Cichosz et al. (2018) RE LO – – Summarized some changes in the logistics – – –
market when applying DT and other
digitization tools
Defraeye et al. (2019) IMP SC MOD Simulation Designed a DT fruits model on simulation to 24 days CS OFF
optimize the logistics process, reducing waste.
Gorodetsky, Kozhevnikov, FW LO DS Cyber-physical Designed a multi-agent system to enhance the – – OFF
Novichkov, and Skobelev multi-agent system operations in uncertain and dynamic
(2019) environments, which could be applied to smart
logistics or supply chain systems
Barykin, Bochkarev, RE SC – – Summarized the DT technique in supply chain – – –
Kalinina, and Yadykin management to reduce the operational risks
(2020) and risks caused by force majeure.
Jeong, Flores-Garcia, and FW LO DS – Presented design processes of DT in production – – –
Wiktorsson (2020) logistics, containing 5 dimensions of DT
Lind et al. (2020) RE MD MOD Optimization Used optimization techniques to improve the – – ONL
arrangement of the maritime ports to improve
the supply chain efficiency
Marmolejo-Saucedo (2020) FW LO MOD Simulation Developed decisions based on the DT to robust – CS OFF
the business process.
Yang et al. (2020) FW SC MOD Cyber-physical Introduced a CPS-based integration platform for – CS ONL
system global DT system in automotive parts suppliers
Wang, Wang, Yang, Zhu, BO SC DS Data mining Used big data-driven and DT techniques to – CS OFF
and Liu (2020) address the problem in the remanufacturing:
like the uncertainty reduction and lack of
innovative enabling technology applications.
Abideen et al. (2021) RE LO – – Summarized the papers related to the – – –
reinforcement learning application and
provided a research framework
Belfadel, Hörl, Tapia, and FW LO MOD Adaptive modeling Last Mile Urban Delivery – CS OFF
Puchinger (2021)
Bolender, Bürvenich, FW SC MOD Heuristic Designed an adaptive framework based on the 20 cases CS OFF
Dalibor, Rumpe, and optimization DT to reduce the manufacturing time and
Wortmann (2021) avoid waste
Busse et al. (2021) FW SC MOD Multimodel and Developed a model enabled improvements, – SIM OFF
intermodel simulations, and evaluations for the whole
supply chain
Chen and Huang (2021) RE SC – – Summarized the DT applied to remanufacture – – –
supply chain systems, including the challenges
and opportunities
Dai, Zhang, Maharjan, and BO SC MOD Deep reinforcement Applied DT to the IIoT to reduce the energy 2000 EXP OFF
Zhang (2021) learning consumption and improve data processing episodes
efficiency
Gutierrez-Franco, FW LO DS Reinforcement Provided a framework based on reinforcement 50 Nodes CS OFF
Mejia-Argueta, and Rabelo learning learning to maintain the sustainability of
(2021) last-mile logistics
Kegenbekov and Jackson FW SC DS Reinforcement Used some smart agents under reinforcement 30 periods EXP OFF
(2021) learning learning algorithms maintain the (modeling
demand-supply balance in the supply chain days)
system
Moshood et al. (2021) RE LO – – Summarized the papers about applying DT to – –
deal with the issues of the supply chain in
logistics
Nguyen, Tran, Thomassey, IMP SC MON Deep Learning Applied two data-driven methods for decisions 20 631 EXP OFF
and Hamad (2021) making in supply chain management
Pan, Zhou, Piramuthu, RE SC – – Summarized some new techniques in the – – –
Giannikas, and Chen sustainability of the smart city, containing the
(2021) supply chain and logistics
Park, Son, Ko, and Noh FW SC MOD Reinforcement Applied DT and reinforcement learning will 10 samples CS OFF
(2021) learning decide the ‘‘what-next’’ and ‘‘where-next’’ with
highly robust and efficiency
Rudskoy, Ilin, and FW SC MOD ArchiMate notation Designed a reference model for analyzing the – CS OFF
Prokhorov (2021) Intelligent Transport Systems
Shahat, Hyun, and Yeom RE LO – – Summarized the present and future benefits – –
(2021) and challenges of DT cities
Yao, Wang, Su, and Qi RE MD – – Summarized the techniques and research – – –
(2021) directions of DT applied to ports, showing the
way to improve it
Bányai (2022) RE LO – – Summarized the DT techniques and algorithms – – –
in supply chain and logistics in different
scenarios.
(continued on next page)

The rationale for the paper "Digital Twins for Logistics and Supply Chain Systems: Literature Review, Conceptual Framework, Research Potential, and Practical Challenges" stems from the
growing importance of digital transformation in the logistics and supply chain industry. As businesses increasingly rely on efficient and responsive supply chain operations to meet customer
demands and remain competitive, there is a need to explore innovative technologies that can optimize processes and enhance decision-making.
5
Digital twin technology has emerged as a promising approach to address these challenges by creating virtual replicas of physical assets, processes, and systems. However, while digital twins
have gained traction in various industries, their application within logistics and supply chain systems remains relatively underexplored. 1
T.V. Le and R. Fan Computers & Industrial Engineering 187 (2024) 109768
Therefore, the paper seeks to fill this gap by providing a comprehensive examination of digital twins in the context of logistics and supply chain management. By conducting a literature review, the
paper aims to synthesize existing research, theories, and case studies related to digital twins, offering insights into their conceptual foundations and practical applications.

Furthermore, by proposing a conceptual framework, the paper aims to provide a structured approach for understanding and implementing digital twins within logistics and supply chain systems.
This framework serves as a guide for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers interested in leveraging digital twin technology to optimize supply chain operations. 2
Table 1 (continued).
Paper ScopeDomainObjectiveMethod/Technique Focus Problem Dataset ValidationOnline/Offline
Binsfeld and Gerlach (2022) FW SC DS – Provided a quantitative way to evaluate – EXP OFF
the advantages when applying DT
supply chain on several experiments
Cheng, Yang, Zou, and Zuo (2022) RE SC – – Summarized the developments of – – –
applying 5G and the DTs in
manufacturing in supply chain fields,
boosting communications and its
security in the future.
Dy, Olivares-Aguila, and Vital-Soto (2022) RE SC – – Summarized current research of the DT – – –
supply chain in different fields under the
disruption risks, focusing on the
improvements of resilience and agility
Garrow and Mohan (2022) BO LO DS Developed a Combined a heuristic method with DT to80 nodes SIM OFF
heuristic reduce time-consuming of drone delivery
optimization
Grieves (2022) RE SC – – Discussed that AIDT will facilitate in – – –
operations of complex systems.
Kamble et al. (2022) RE SC – – Summarized the DT techniques in – – –
sustainable manufacturing supply chain
systems, providing a framework to guide
future research
Leung, Lee, and Ouyang (2022) FW LO DS Machine Learning Presented a framework to simplify the 600 PI-SKUs EXP OFF
PI-hub in the city logistics system.
Lv, Li, Feng, and Lv (2022) FW LO THE Deep learning Applied improved deep learning 20 iterations SIM OFF
algorithms to solve the security
problems in DT cooperative intelligent
transportation systems.
Marmolejo-Saucedo (2022) FW SC MOD Optimization Designed a framework to integrate 366 days CS OFF
large-scale optimization problems in a
digital platform to make decisions in the
supply chain.
Shen et al. (2022) IMP SC MOD System dynamic Established a system dynamic model to 2942 CS OFF
model demonstrate the positive effect of
digitization on the tobacco supply chain
Tzachor, Sabri, Richards, Rajabifard, and Acuto (2022)IMP LO THE – Summarized the benefits and limitations – – –
when applied DT to sustainable
development in an urban and non-urban
environment
Vilas-Boas, Rodrigues, and Alberti (2022) RE LO – – Focused on the techniques used to – – –
deliver fresh food and their difference
Wang, Deng, Shen, Hu, and Qi (2022) FW LO MOD Optimization Designed a DT supply chain framework 20 days CS OFF
with optimization and data
collaboration, applying it to JD company
during the pandemic period.
Yao, Sun, and Wu (2022) FW LO DS Machine learning Designed a multi-mode intelligent – – OFF
storage and retrieval system in
automated three-dimensional
warehouses, facilitating efficient and
intelligent warehouse operations
Zhao, Zhang, Chen, Qu, and Huang (2022) FW LO DS Deep learning Developed a knowledge graph about 96 gateways CS OFF
production logistics resource allocation
on DT and deep learning
Belfadel et al. (2023) RE LO – – Summarized the literature to fill the – – –
gaps of the lack of a framework for
urban logistics arrangement
Grosse (2023) RE SC – – Summarized the papers about using DT – – –
techniques to facilitate warehouse
selection in supply chain systems
Kalaboukas, Kiritsis, and Arampatzis (2023) FW SC THE – Provided a holistic management – CS OFF
approach combining three different
perspectives
Kajba, Jereb, and Obrecht (2023) RE SC – – Provided a conceptual model to analyze – – –
the trends of DT techniques in supply
chain and logistics for investment
assessment.
Klar, Fredriksson, and Angelakis (2023) RE MD – – Used data analysis to make sure the – – ONL
three core requirements of ports DT and
the way using DT to improve the port
resources, facilities and arrangement
Marinagi, Reklitis, Trivellas, and Sakas (2023) FW SC – – Provided some factors to evaluate the – – OFF
resilience of DT supply chain
(continued on next page)
Moreover, the paper explores the research potential of digital twins in logistics and supply chain management, identifying areas where further investigation is needed to unlock their full
capabilities. By highlighting research gaps and opportunities, the paper aims to inspire future studies that contribute to advancing the field and driving innovation.

Finally, by addressing practical challenges associated with implementing digital twins, such as data integration, privacy, and scalability issues, the paper aims to provide actionable insights for
overcoming barriers to adoption. This practical focus ensures that the research is not only theoretically grounded but also relevant and applicable to real-world scenarios.
6
In summary, the rationale for the paper lies in its potential to advance understanding, drive innovation, and inform decision-making in the field of logistics and supply chain management by
exploring the application of digital twins and addressing the associated opportunities and challenges. 3
T.V. Le and R. Fan
Table 1 (continued).
Paper Scope Domain Objective Method/Technique
Shrivastava et al. (2023) FW SC MOD Simulation
Zdolsek Draksler, Cimperman, and Obrecht (2023) FW LO DS Machine learning
Note: FW = Framework; IMP = Implementation; BO = Framework & Implementation; RE = Literature Review; SC = Supply Chain; MD = Maritime Delivery; LO = Logistic; IoT
= Internet of Things; UL = Urban Logistics; THE = theoretically; DS = Design; MON = Monitor; MOD = Model; CS = Case Study; SIM = Simulation; EXP = Experiments; OFF =
Offline; ONL = Online
Fig. 3. Publications on DT in logistics and supply chain systems by year.
Initially, there were 310 keywords about both methodology and
application fields. To select the keywords displayed in Fig. 4, two rules
were adopted: (i) Select the methodology-related keywords; and (ii)
Combine nearly the same keywords (e.g., cyber physical system and
cyber–physical system).
General terms, such as ‘‘simulation’’, ‘‘digitization’’ and ‘‘artificial
intelligence’’ have high link strength. Domain-specific keywords with
high link strength include ‘‘self-driving’’, ‘‘internet of things’’, and
"automated control". And top methodology-related keywords include
‘‘neural network’’, "self-optimization", and "random forest’’. Fig. 4 pro-
vides valuable information about the current methodological directions
of research in DTs for logistics supply chain systems.
To cluster the current DT methodologies and techniques, VOSviewer
was used for All Keywords analysis. Fig. 5 reveals clusters and linkages
of all methodology-related keywords from the literature presented in
Table 1. In this clustering process, VOSviewer firstly calculates the
frequencies of all the keywords from the papers and references and
presents the keywords as nodes in the network. The non-technical
keywords are manually removed. VOSviewer then analyzes the co-
occurrence technical keywords and connects them with weighted links.
Finally, the closely related keywords are presented near each other with
similar colors under the mapping technique and clustering algorithm in
VOSviewer’s visualization. Each color code represents one cluster and
each cluster reveals one methodology/technical category (van Eck &
Waltman, 2017). There are eight main clusters that can be observed
from the figure. The larger the size of the node, the greater the
frequency of the keyword. The thicker the link between the nodes, the
stronger the relationship between the two keywords.
As can be seen from Fig. 5, Optimization, Simulation, and Big Data
are the three largest clusters that lead the methodological framework
used in the literature for addressing problems and challenges of DTs for
LSCS. These three largest methodology clusters serve as the foundation
for more specialization and innovation. For example, Simulation gives
rise to more detailed methodology, such as Genetic Algorithms and
Distributed Simulation. Meanwhile, further extensions of Big Data are
in control, such as Model-Predictive/adaptive Control and Control Sys-
tems. From a different angle, some novel methods are developed based
on combinations of primary methodologies. For example, heuristic
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Computers & Industrial Engineering 187 (2024) 109768
Focus Problem Dataset Validation Online/Offline
Simulated the conditions of fresh food 21 ventilated SIM OFF
delivery to make the supply chain packages
intelligence and high efficiency
Provided a simulation framework to – EXP OFF
analyze and improve the interruption of
logistic
optimization and neural network are combinations of Optimization
and Simulation. Further, there are emerging methods in other clusters
including Cloud Computing, Blockchain, Control, Decision Making,
Network Design, Digitization, AI, and ML.
More advanced technologies and methods are limited or absent
in the current literature and applications, for instance: (i) critical
enablers: (hyper-scale) edge computing, quantum computing, neuro-
morphic computing, and 6G; (ii) productivity revolution: edge AI,
generative AI, and self-supervised learning; (iii) transparency and pri-
vacy: responsible AI, digital ethics, and cybersecurity; and (iv) smart
world: AR/VR, metaverse, digital human (AI avatars). These technolo-
gies and methods, that enable transparent, trustworthy, and resilient
DTs for LSCS, are further investigated and analyzed in Section 5 of this
paper.
In summary, the literature review reveals DT gaps in vital indus-
try sectors, implementation roadmap and management, and advanced
methods and techniques that future research and practice need to
address. Motivated by the gaps and needs from research and practice,
the next section presents a conceptual DT and provides a framework of
DTs for LSCS.
3. Conceptual DT framework for logistics and supply chain
This section emerges from several questions: What does the future
DT for LSCS look like? How does it work? What are the stakeholders
in the DT system? What is a framework that operationalizes a DT for
LSCS?
Essentially, a DT has three layers: the physical, the digital, and the
communication layers. Fig. 6 shows a DT of a product flow of a supply
chain. The physical layer includes all physical entities in the supply
chain (e.g., vehicles, buildings, and companies), starting from raw
materials to products’ end-users. The transportation/logistics service
plays a vital linkage between the entities. The digital layer contains
the digital replica of the entities, their relationships and functions, and
the real-time working environment. The communication layer enables
the communication between the physical entity and its DT.
The three layers form a closed loop to enable the DT function that
has seven processes: sampling, storage, modeling, simulation, learning,
T.V. Le and R. Fan Computers & Industrial Engineering 187 (2024) 109768

Fig. 4. All Author Keywords related to methodology.

Note: IM Systems: Intelligence Manufacturing Systems; AI-decision making: Artificial Intelligence-based Decision-making Algorithm; N-ANP: Neutrosophic Analytic Network Process.

prediction, and actuation. The beginning of this closed loop is sam- equipment). Then the sensory data is sent to the digital layer through
pling, where the physical entity is in charge of sampling data from its the communication layer, which is stored in databases, and also used
equipped sensors (e.g., on trucks, warehouses, and handling material for modeling the DT. Simulation of the DT adopts algorithms, such as

8
T.V. Le and R. Fan
Fig. 5. High-Level Literature Clustering (All Methodology-related Keywords).
Fig. 6. Conceptual DT for logistics and supply chain systems.
machine learning/AI, and the prediction results are generated and sent
back to the physical layer. Such results are then utilized by the physical
entity to actuate and support the decision-making process of the LSCS.
The impacts of such decisions can be sampled by sensors in the next
round (thus completing the loop).
Stakeholders in this DT system could include the government, the
DT operator, data providers, and data users. The government may reg-
ulate the DT system to ensure ethical and transparent operations. The
DT operator manages the DT platform where advanced techniques and
computation methods are embedded. The DT operator takes informa-
tion inputs from data providers and provides processed information to
data users. The data providers supply data to the DT operator whereas
the data users request useful information from the DT operator. In
some cases, the data owner (any entity in the physical layer, such as
companies, manufacturing, and enterprises) and data user are the same.
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Computers & Industrial Engineering 187 (2024) 109768
In this study, the components of the DT for LSCS are structured
into three dimensions following the Reference Architectural Model for
Industry 4.0 (RAMI 4.0) approach (Hankel & Rexroth, 2015). This
approach is well accepted for showing the deployment of Industry 4.0
in a systematic way. Even though RAMI is developed and mainly used
for industries that produce physical products, it still makes sense to
apply RAMI to the both manufacturing and service industries. There-
fore, RAMI 4.0 ideas are adapted and modified as mechanisms to
operationalize the DT framework for the LSCS which are presented in
Fig. 7.
The three dimensions of this RAMI framework are Layers, Hierarchy
Levels, and Life Cycle and Value Stream. The Layers dimension presents
the structures of DT comprising six inter-related components (assets,
integration, communication, information, functional, and business),
which are categorized into three layers: physical (Assets and Integra-
tion), communication (Integration, Communication, and Information),
T.V. Le and R. Fan
Fig. 7. Framework of the DT for logistics and supply chain systems with its components structured following RAMI approach.
Source: Adapted and modified from Hankel and Rexroth (2015).
and digital (Functional and Bussiness). The Assets component refers to
physical equipment, goods, vehicles, etc., in the physical layer. Data
collected by sensors and other equipment is transformed into digital
format within the Integration component. Whereas the Communication
component handles the information exchange between the physical and
digital layers. Data is processed and integrated to provide accurate and
useful information. In the Functional component, data is utilized for
predictions, system management, route optimization, etc. The Business
component digitally represents the business processes and services
with data analytical results in LSCS. The Layers dimension depicts the
vertical relationship and information exchange flows among the three
layers in the LSCS.
The Life Cycle & Value Stream dimension represents different states
from ideas to service development until the end life of the service
(e.g., the end of the contract). Specifically, this dimension focuses on
processes in LCSC from initial concepts to final service delivery. The
aim of the Life Cycle & Value Stream dimension is to maximize flows of
business value through the service life cycle. Whereas, the Hierarchy
Levels dimension provides a perspective from operations to decision-
making, illustrating the different management levels in LSCS. Within
the Hierarchy Levels dimension, the Services refer to transportation,
logistics, and supply chain services where the start of the chain is raw
materials, then suppliers, manufacturing, distribution, retail, and end
users. Flexible systems provide the service and integrate it into the
connected world.
An operational activity can be pinpointed in the Hierarchy Levels
and the Layers dimensions. In LSCS, an operational activity is referred
to as one part of the Hierarchy Levels. Meanwhile, the technique
associated with this operation can be located in the Layers dimension.
For example, ‘‘tracking shipment’’ can be at the ‘‘Work center’’ in the
Hierarchy Levels dimension, while the tracking techniques that ensure
accurate and timely information exchange belong to the ‘‘Communica-
tion’’ of the Layers dimension. The Layers dimension and the Hierarchy
Levels dimension specify what activities and the corresponding re-
quired techniques are in a certain operational and management process
in LSCS. Meanwhile, the activity is located in its corresponding Life
Cycle & Value Stream dimension. Furthermore, the Hierarchy Levels
and the Life Cycle & Value Stream depict which states are associated
with a specific operation of the given process.
In conclusion, the proposed framework represents a holistic ap-
proach where the three dimensions of a DT for LSCS are strongly
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Computers & Industrial Engineering 187 (2024) 109768
related and closely integrated. Layers help categorize and structure the
various functional aspects of an LSCS. Hierarchy Levels provide a way
to organize and manage the complexity within each layer, allowing
for modularization and scalability. Whereas, Life Cycle & Value Stream
cut across Layers and Hierarchy Levels, emphasizing the importance
of considering the entire lifecycle of a system to maximize its value
and efficiency. The suggested framework combines these dimensions
to provide a comprehensive framework for understanding, designing,
and implementing DT solutions for LSCS, ensuring that technology,
organization, and processes work together harmoniously to achieve
the goals of increased automation, transparency, efficiency, and value
creation.
The next section discusses in more detail the elements of the frame-
work.
4. Research and practical foci
Motivated by the new proposed framework, this section discusses
the research potentials and practical challenges for the implementation
of transparent, trustworthy, and resilient DTs for LSCS. Three subsec-
tions feature RAMI framework dimensions: Layers, Hierarchy Levels,
and Life Cycle and Value Stream. Because the boundaries between
some framework’s elements are porous, some literature studies are
presented in the related work of an element, but not the others to
prevent duplication.
4.1. The layers dimension
The layer dimension comprises three main parts: the physical layer,
the digital layer, and the communication layer. The physical layer
includes physical assets and their digital integration into the network.
The digital layer incorporates two sub-layers which are functions of
services and businesses (the things that customers are willing to pay
for). The communication layer involves information/data, ways to
access information, and partial integration of assets into the digital
network.
• The physical layer (in Fig. 7: Assets and Integration)
Goals/motivations: Vehicles and infrastructure in LSCS aim to max-
imize usage by making them more efficient and effective while
minimizing empty trips, waiting time, transaction time, etc.
T.V. Le and R. Fan
Related work: The current literature presents two directions for
handling assets and integration problems in the logistics and
supply chain physical layer. One direction is increasing the syn-
chronization of each element. Leung et al. (2022) designed a
Digital twin-based Total Inbound Synchronization (DTIS) model,
in which components are divided into three targets: order syn-
chronization, process synchronization, and information synchro-
nization. The authors lay a foundation for the future research on
highly efficient data pre-processing, prediction, and optimization
in the digital layer.
A few studies handle uncertainty and asymmetric problems in
the physical layer. For instance, Wang, Wang et al. (2020) used
a data-driven control mechanism and cyber–physical system to
reduce uncertainty in transportation.
Research opportunities: During DT operations, the physical layer
generates dynamic information which is analyzed in the DT layer.
However, this information is complex and hard to deal with
directly. Therefore, automatic information pre-processing, includ-
ing data cleaning and data selection, plays a crucial role in the
physical layer. Additionally, developing algorithms with weak
assumptions will be more practical (Leung et al., 2022). Further-
more, it is essential to improve supply chain systems’ automation
to increase productivity. The deep learning algorithms developed
by Nguyen et al. (2021) were universal and could be used in
different supply chain fields which needed abnormal forecasting
and detection. These algorithms could connect with GPS or social
networks to acquire and analyze data automatically, enhancing
the model learning and prediction ability.
Challenges for practical implementation: First, enhancing data pro-
cessing, including city socio-economic, and building integration
between the physical and digital layers are challenging (Shahat
et al., 2021). Second, when designing the inbound warehouse
synchronization strategy, Leung et al. (2022) made assumptions
including the number of Store Keeping Units (SKU), the size of the
forward and reserve areas, order fulfillment cycle time, and re-
plenishment policy. These assumptions could be more relaxed for
more flexible practical implementation. Meanwhile, evaluating
stochastic factors in logistics is a complicated process. Therefore,
adding a proper statistical model to the synchronization strategy
is helpful (Leung et al., 2022).
• The digital layer (in Fig. 7: Functional and Business)
Goals/motivations: The digital layer processes information using
algorithms (e.g., AI/ML), simulation, and reasoning to inform
the decision-making of stakeholders given the complex, uncer-
tain, and stochastic characteristics of the physical layer. The
data need to be processed quickly to provide timely support for
decision-making.
Related work: AI techniques and algorithms facilitate the DT for
LSCS by utilizing historical data to enrich real-time data for better
analysis and prediction. As a result, the DT capacity is expanded,
especially under abnormal situations. For example, reinforcement
learning can enhance automatic functions in LSCS (Abideen et al.,
2021), and facilitate stakeholders to decide the next steps under
certain curriculums (Park et al., 2021). Kegenbekov and Jackson
(2021) provided an adaptive supply chain system using smart
agents to maintain the demand-supply balance which was trained
under the reinforcement learning algorithms. Chen and Huang
(2021) found that the DT is a valuable tool for dealing with
physical information sharing in the supply chain of the manu-
facturing industry, especially for handling dynamic asymmetric
information. Chen and Huang (2021) combined the IoT and DT
in the supply chain to enhance the efficiency of information
communication.
Furthermore, combined with deep learning algorithms, like GNN
or CNN, a DT can analyze historical data to support current
decision-making. Nguyen et al. (2021) proposed two approaches
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Computers & Industrial Engineering 187 (2024) 109768
for supply chain management to make predictions using time
series data: Long-Short-Term-Memory (LSTM) and One-Class Sup-
port Vector Machine (OCSVM). The LSTM model was used for
forecasting, while the OCSVM was used for anomaly detection.
Taking numerical generated and real data into experiments, these
two algorithms improved the performance of supply chain man-
agement.
Improving algorithm efficiency is another important topic within
the digital layer. The system needs to process a considerable
amount of data in a short period. Nikolopoulou and Ierapetri-
tou (2012) used a hybrid simulation approach to overcome the
complexity of solving mixed integer linear problems, which al-
lowed highly efficient solutions to supply chain management
problems. Lv, Li et al. (2022) invented a new model, Coop-
erative Intelligence Transportation System (CITS) and DTs, to
solve security problems in transportation. Compared with previ-
ous models, CITS-DT has higher prediction accuracy and lower
data transmission delay.
Research opportunities: Ideas for advanced algorithms in the digital
layer can be drawn from similar systems. Dai et al. (2021) applied
the Lyapunov optimization technique to transfer the stochastic
problems to a deterministic per-time slot problem in IoT systems,
then used a deep actor-critic algorithm to solve it. Qiao and
Riddick (2004) designed and tested a simulation model aiming
at the manufacturing supply chain system.
Challenges for practical implementation: First, many stochastic fac-
tors exist in LSCS because of humans and nature. Therefore, the
approach to dealing with stochasticity is the first challenge. The
LSTM algorithm of Nguyen et al. (2021) minimized the computa-
tional complexity and showed meaningful results in real-time, but
it ignored some stochastic elements, which became a limitation.
In addition, the LSTM algorithm has high requirements for the
input data that should be sequential. Consequently, data pre-
possessing is an essential part of LSTM which is time-consuming.
• The communication layer (in Fig. 7: Integration, Communication,
and Information)
Goals/motivations: The communication layer contains three as-
pects: internal communication within DT, data transmission from
the physical layer to the digital layer, and data transmission
from the digital layer back to the physical layer. The integration,
communication, data, and information are expected to be fast,
stable, and secure.
Related work: (1). Internal communications within DT: A DT
system contains elements for optimization, storage, and predic-
tion. These elements should communicate and transfer informa-
tion efficiently. Layaq, Goudz, Noche, and Atif (2019) used the
blockchain method to solve the information transmission in sup-
ply chain systems, then Dietrich, Turgut, Palm, and Louw (2020)
compared blockchain-based solutions in supply chain manage-
ment. The convolution method had fast implementation but could
not control complex systems. The extended method could con-
trol complex systems with low efficiency. Both methods could
avoid some risks under information opaque. Moreover, cloud
computing techniques can accelerate the communication speed
in dealing with dynamic information in logistics supply chain
systems (Campos et al., 2020).
(2). Data flow from the physical layer to the digital layer: Sensors
collect data (of trucks, robots, material handling machines, con-
tainer temperature, etc.) in LSCS and transfer it to the digital layer
for analysis and prediction. Lu, Olofsson, Jensen, and Simonsson
(2011) combined the Building Information Model (BIM) with the
Discrete Event Simulator (DES), providing symmetric information
(for example, delivery time and cost) in the logistics supply chain
systems. Lee and Lee (2021) clarified that the BIM acquired
information in the supply chain system, including the locations
and connections of elements, and converted the information to
T.V. Le and R. Fan
computer-readable signals under the Internet of Things (IoT)
sensors, sharing with all DT participants.
Moreover, augmented reality (AR) is another development di-
rection that brings potential benefits for DTs for logistic supply
chain systems. AR enhances the connection between the real and
the virtual, improves processes, and saves time spent to optimize
every element in the systems (Kajba et al., 2023).
(3). Control flow from the digital layer back to the physical layer:
After completing analysis and prediction in the DT layer, the
results are transferred to reality. Lee and Lee (2021) proposed a
framework that comprises IoT, BIM, and GIS to convert results
into reality decisions (for example, an optimal delivery route or
strategy).
Research opportunities: There are several research opportunities,
including the combination of data flow and control flow, how
to improve communication efficiency, and adopting algorithms
from similar fields. First, the control and data flow can be in-
tegrated under back-end architectures (Lee & Lee, 2021). Under
this integration, simulator predictions are not only much more
accurate but they reduce risks and provide more reliable results.
This integration approach can be applied to other industries be-
cause of its flexibility and easy construction. Moreover, enhancing
communication efficiency is also needed, as it is one of the critical
factors that promotes the wide use of DT for logistics supply chain
systems.
Lastly, some useful algorithms or systems in the communica-
tion layer of DT from other fields can also be applied to logis-
tics supply chain systems. Lv, Chen, Feng, Wei, and Lv (2022)
designed a marine communication network system to collect
and transmit underwater monitoring data. Redelinghuys, Bas-
son, and Kruger (2020) developed a DT six-layer architecture of
the Cyber-physical Product System (CPPS) with the Internet of
Things (IoT) to improve communication with minimum process
disruption. O’Dwyer, Pan, Charlesworth, Butler, and Shah (2020)
designed a Sustainable Energy Management System (SEMS) to
avoid system constraint violations during coordination in differ-
ent sectors through timely data communications.
Challenges for practical implementation: The communication layer
between the digital layer and the physical layer needs to convert
the machine-readable language to human-readable language (and
vice versa). Therefore, the development of a precise interpretation
and reliable communication technique is one of the Challenges for
practical implementation.
Another challenge is the security in the communication layer.
Security is always a topic of concern for data/information trans-
mission. Careful data security measures are needed.
4.2. The hierarchy levels dimension
The hierarchy dimension presents integrations between stakehold-
ers in the chain.
• Service (transportation, logistics, and supply chain services)
Goals/motivations: Transportation, logistics, and supply chain ser-
vices should be accessible to society, regardless of urban deliv-
eries (e.g., same day, next day, first-last mile, etc.) or long-haul
transport (air, maritime, road, rail, pipeline).
Related work: In the LSCS for agriculture, building a DT for food
logistics, including monitoring processes and decision-making,
improves on-time delivery and food freshness (Shrivastava et al.,
2023; Vilas-Boas et al., 2022). In the maritime supply chain
systems, DT facilitates shipping companies to optimize transporta-
tion fleets, port arrangements, terminal scheduling, etc. (Lind
et al., 2020) that help to reduce the total freight delivery time
in the supply chain. Moreover, DT can be applied to the port
organization to facilitate collaborations and governance (Klar
et al., 2023) and promote cost reduction (Yao et al., 2021).
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Computers & Industrial Engineering 187 (2024) 109768
Regarding methodology, Belfadel et al. (2023) designed a data-
driven conceptual framework facing urban logistics, and divided
it into three parts: the physical world, data and model manage-
ment, and storage, to minimize the cost and delivery time. The
authors also developed models to simulate empirical decisions
made by stakeholders.
Research opportunities: Firstly, empirical decisions could be con-
sidered for integration into the DT framework. During logistic
and transportation processes, empirical functions and decisions
are generated. Incorporating empirical decision-making into DT
could improve their reliability (Belfadel et al., 2023). de Bok and
Tavasszy (2018) built an agent-based urban logistic framework
called MASS-GT which includes simulation of empirical decisions,
and performed well after testing (Davidsson, Henesey, Ramstedt,
Törnquist, & Wernstedt, 2005). Secondly, improving DT robust-
ness and stability are important research directions. Only after
intensive training, empirical decisions can be effectively included
in a DT framework.
Challenges for practical implementation: Some frameworks are de-
veloped for unique fields that make transferring results to other
fields difficult. Conversely, studies that developed models under
strong assumptions make them less practical.
• Flexible Systems
Goals/motivations: A flexible system has the ability to respond to
supply chain uncertainties and disruptions. The system is resilient
to extreme events. It could also handle high-demand seasons
while adjusting to lean operations during low-demand seasons.
The system’s functions are distributed through the network that
crosses company boundaries where stakeholders interact across
hierarchical levels.
Related work: The synergy between cloud computing and DT can
bolster interactions among the various components within LSCS,
thereby fostering flexibility. DT could serve as a platform for
homogenizing datasets, that facilitates more streamlined and ef-
fective subsequent analysis. This combination of cloud computing
and DT holds great promise for improving the robustness and
adaptability of LSCS (Mylonas et al., 2021; Qian, Luo, Du, & Guo,
2009; Tzachor et al., 2022).
Research opportunities: First, data standardization is a key topic to
achieve flexible DT logistic and supply chain systems. Different
companies or agencies provide related data to the DT platform.
To create a flexible data exchange process that supports com-
putational techniques, a win-win collaboration model should be
developed. Second, promoting full-scale digitalization is a poten-
tial research direction. The flexible system is not only limited to
one country but could expand globally. If the technique of DT is
owned privately or handled by only a few agencies or companies,
it challenges the construction and operation of the global DT
flexible system.
Challenges for practical implementation: It is challenging to en-
sure all stakeholders in the system share a common perspective,
understanding, and responsibility. The communication, standard-
ization, and integration in the system facilitate a big volume
of data and information to be quickly and efficiently processed
and interpreted. However, international co-operations towards a
global standard seem to be a challenging mission to be achieved
soon.
• Connected World (interconnected global supply chain)
Goals/motivations: To establish an interconnected and resilient
global supply chain where information is processed at the local
level before integrating at the global level.
Related work: Busse et al. (2021) claimed that synchronization
of transport and transshipment processes is the key factor in
global supply chain systems. The authors designed a Digital Sup-
ply Chain Twin (DSCT) to handle a multi-model supply chain.
T.V. Le and R. Fan
Under the technical combination (5 Generation [5G] technolo-
gies, Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence, etc.), the DSCT
had good performance in predicting delivery time and optimizing
delivery networks, especially in maritime transportation–the main
component of the global supply chain systems.
Research opportunities: In the realm of global supply chain man-
agement, the application of graph theory offers valuable insights
into network characteristics, including but not limited to connec-
tivity, centrality, network diameter and spread, detours, and the
identification of industry-specific sub-networks. These insights
can significantly augment the resilience of the DT system, par-
ticularly in instances of disruptions such as broken links or nodes
within the network.
Challenges for practical implementation: There are several chal-
lenges, such as the bullwhip effect, misleading information, and
data policies. Even with a small discrepancy in demand fore-
casting at the retail level, it can cause significant impacts on
operations of the lower chain level, including wholesale, distri-
bution, manufacturing, suppliers, and the raw material industry.
Additionally, if the information submitted to the system by the
data providers is wrongly created either on purpose or by in-
cident/innocent, it may cause severe impacts on a global scale.
Moreover, data-sharing policies vary and could be more strict
in one place than in others making the DT even more frag-
ile. Keeping a DT up-to-date, universal data policies is a real
challenge.
4.3. The life cycle and value stream dimension
The life cycle of transportation, logistics, and supply chain services
starts from the service development and ends after the service is
delivered to customers. The business value created during this life cycle
is provided across the temporal (i.e., time) and spatial (i.e., space). This
dimension includes service development, quality assurance, service
creation, and maintenance and usage.
• Development
Goals/motivations: In this first stage of the life cycle, new ser-
vices are developed, prototyped, and constructed. Continuous
development adds value to the chains by improving efficiency,
reducing costs, and gaining more benefits. New technologies, such
as connected and automated vehicles, electric vehicles, delivery
robots, and drones could improve transportation, logistics, and
supply chain services.
Related work: Literature presents several works that focus on
developing new DT algorithms or systems. Rudskoy et al. (2021)
designed a new intelligent transport system (ITS) with the help of
DTs. Compared to the original control system, ITS could improve
traffic flow and control the service in an emergency. Meanwhile,
ITS could make predictions based on the DT data with artificial
intelligence algorithms. Marmolejo-Saucedo (2020) developed a
DT for a pharmaceutical company based on mathematical models
and data analysis, using optimization and dynamic programming
to facilitate decision-making. With the help of this DT technology,
the information shared is more accurate and predictable, which
brings financial benefits to companies. Recently, Kalaboukas et al.
(2023) developed a cognitive DT focuses on holistic supply chain
governance.
Research opportunities: Some obstacles impede the implementa-
tion of DT development and will become future research op-
portunities: sensor installation (Rudskoy et al., 2021), mecha-
nism of liability sharing (Kalaboukas et al., 2023), and possible
modifications of the model (Kajba et al., 2023).
Challenges for practical implementation: Even though computation
methods and DT technologies have developed for several years,
producing rich theoretical research related to algorithms and
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Computers & Industrial Engineering 187 (2024) 109768
simulation models, productions, and applications still faces un-
predictable challenges like material, environmental, and ethical
issues (Kajba et al., 2023).
• Service provision and sales
Goals/motivations: New supply chain and logistics services are
needed to fulfill different niche-market segments (e.g., different
sectors or industries) whose requirements change from time to
time. The new supply chain and logistics services need to keep
up and be well-integrated with the technology and development
of the sector/industry/customer that it serves. At this stage, the
services are offered to the market.
Related work: (Jeong et al., 2020) designed a logistics process
for the production industry based on DTs. The design work con-
tained all the elements in the logistics tasks, including warehouse
locations, storage and material handling, etc. Through DT imple-
mentations, the logistics process could avoid wasting resources
and opportunities, then improve the operation efficiency. Thus,
this design was helpful for the technical and beneficial problems
in logistics. In addition, Marmolejo-Saucedo (2022) applied DTs
jointed with complex large-scale optimization algorithms (3D-BPP
and GVRP) focusing on the parking supply chain, accelerating
information processing in real-time.
Wang, Deng et al. (2022) developed a DT supply chain system
(DTSC) that contains suppliers, manufacturing factories, etc. This
DT includes basic features (e.g., organized levels) and business
processes (e.g., transportation available) of fundamental supply
chain systems. The DTSC platform was applied to the JD com-
pany, and reported excellent performance in high-efficiency data
processing and disruptions prediction, especially during COVID-
19.
Research opportunities: Building a DT to support the development
of resilient LSCS is a potential research opportunity. A small dis-
ruption in a system element may break the balance of the whole
Logistics and supply chain system, not to mention a large shock,
such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, it is worthwhile to
investigate how to increase the systems’ resilience using DTs and
minimize the negative influence when a disruption happens.
Challenges for practical implementation: It is challenging to collect
useful big data for customer service improvement. It is also a
challenge to apply new technology, such as DNA tracking, arti-
ficial intelligence, and blockchains to trace raw materials from
the original source to the store.
• Maintenance and usage (Quality assurance and customer service)
Goals/motivations: In the Type phase in Fig. 7, maintenance and
usage refer to the quality assurance steps that model the mainte-
nance by preparing software, instruction manuals, product
changes, etc. In the Instance phase, maintenance and usage refer
to customer service (e.g., optimization, updates, troubleshooting)
which plays a significant role in retaining customers.
Related work: The nature of the usage and maintenance of DT
LSCS is to promote sustainable development. Pan et al. (2021)
highlighted the essence of sustainability in LSCS and provided
the emergence of DT techniques that facilitate the maintenance
and usage of these systems. Another direction to improve the
maintenance and usage of the systems is to optimize the last-
mile delivery that is the most time-consuming and expensive
part of the logistics system (Gutierrez-Franco et al., 2021). More-
over, Cho, Lee, Ahn, and Hwang (2012) provided a framework
based on the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (fuzzy-AHP), which
focuses on the service measurement in a supply chain. Under this
framework, the service processes can be visualized and accessible.
Research opportunities: First, to enhance the service quality in
logistic and supply chain systems, it will be helpful to improve
the quality assurance approaches. Effective and sufficient ser-
vice measurement methods will improve the efficiency of the
T.V. Le and R. Fan
Fig. 8. Data and information flows between physical and digital layers.
LSCS. Second, as the 5G cellular network is more popular, in-
vestigating ways to utilize customer information (e.g., searching
activities, location sharing, feedback) to improve the LSCS is an-
other interesting research direction. Third, more research efforts
are suggested to take advantage of blockchain technologies to
improve the efficiency of the LSCS.
Challenges for practical implementation: Technologies change over
time and create challenges for maintenance, as software, devices,
etc., need to be updated regularly and the related labor force
needs to be retrained.
5. The future of DT computation
The proposed DT framework creates new research opportunities
and practical challenges that initiate a new agenda for future DT
computation. The DT guiding computational techniques discuss how the
future DT requirements will facilitate robust, reliable, and explainable
computation. The computational techniques guiding DT considers how
advanced techniques enable transparent, efficient, and trustworthy DT
systems. We also discuss the design and evaluation of a future DT
platform at the end of this section.
Fig. 8 illustrates a conceptualization of the DT computation. The
data flow transfers real-time information from the physical layer to
the digital layer. Real-time information can be captured by sensors,
cameras, etc., equipped on assets and infrastructure systems or from
information management systems. After being processed by computa-
tional techniques, the data is converted to a machine-readable format
for further computation and prediction in the digital layer. The control
flow, on the other hand, is directed from the digital layer to the physical
layer. Within the digital layer, AI computational models utilize both
historical and real-time data to forecast and make predictions. The ac-
tuators’ interpretations translate predictive results to assist stakeholders
in the physical layer in making reliable decisions (thus completing the
whole loop).
• DT guiding computational techniques
Goals/motivations: The need to design, build, implement, and
operate DT for LSCS requires computational techniques to be
robust, reliable, and explainable. More data flows in from dif-
ferent sources and maybe even in different formats requiring
computational techniques to handle timely and effectively. The
predictive technique that was trained and tested from DT will be
converted by an actuator to guide the real system as can be seen
from Fig. 8.
Related work: The developments of DT for LSCS would stimu-
late computation technique inventions. On one hand, sensors
collect abundant data from various sources to train different
algorithms in the systems. For instance, images can be gathered
14
Computers & Industrial Engineering 187 (2024) 109768
to train the computer version to make better predictions. Such
improvements are beneficial for the construction of sustainable
and flexible LSCS, especially by incorporating 3D images and
VR techniques (Shekari & Rajabzadeh Ghatari, 2013; Xu, Qi,
et al., 2022). Moreover, videos or text messages were used to
train natural language processing (NLP) algorithms for improving
production logistics resource allocation (Zhou, Awasthi, & Stal-Le
Cardinal, 2021). On the other hand, DT possesses the capability to
rapidly analyze and visualize data, thereby offering an effective
platform for the validation of complex questions or algorithms
through experiments without disrupting the real system. For in-
stance, DT can be utilized to find a solution with a minimal
cost objective function under soft assumptions derived from real
data in the first and last-mile delivery (Garrow & Mohan, 2022).
Or DTs could also facilitate experimentation aimed at tackling
complex logistical challenges, such as the traveling salesman
problem (Garrow & Mohan, 2022).
Research opportunities: In literature, scientists designed a DT sys-
tem named Automatically Configuring DT, which breaks the re-
strictions of the reinforcement learning model. The model op-
timizes the final decisions based on the human experience or
relevant contextual information and has been verified as effec-
tive in manufacturing (Bolender et al., 2021) and human-in-the-
loop adaptive systems (Yigitbas, Karakaya, Jovanovikj, & Engels,
2021). Those techniques could be adapted to improve DT for
LSCS. Additionally, real-time simulation techniques that support
decision-making should also be developed.
Challenges for practical implementation: The physical facilities or
hardware of DT should be durable and easy to update. For ex-
ample, as the techniques update, the data transmission facilities
should be easily adapted to maintain high transmission efficiency.
As computation methods and techniques are also changed over
time, it is challenging to maintain harmonious operations be-
tween new hardware and software without causing delay or
disruption to the DT system.
• Computational techniques guiding DT
Goals/motivations: On the other hand, computational techniques
will guide DT in the sense that the descriptive computation tech-
nique is informed by information from sensors embedded in the
real system as presented in Fig. 8. The computational techniques
will facilitate the DT to be designed, performed, and managed.
Related work: As the LSCS are applied to many new fields, the
complexity of the systems is increasing dramatically (Grieves,
2022). Computational techniques are used to design algorithms
and integrated network flow to handle complex systems (Kittur
et al., 2013). Grieves (2022) provided a conceptual model called
the Intelligence Digital Twins system (IDT), combining AI, model-
ing, and simulation techniques, which can dynamically calculate
T.V. Le and R. Fan
and monitor the DT status and avoid emergency disruption sit-
uations of the real system. Almasan et al. (2022) summarized
algorithms for solving DT network problems; for example com-
bining the traditional algorithms (e.g., Constraint Programming
(CP) and Integrated Linear Programming (ILP), etc.) with some
new algorithms (e.g., Graphical Neural Networks (GNN), etc.).
These algorithms would help to integrate and optimize the DT
system and make it more efficient. Besides that, some AI can
be treated as a reflective tool. Compared with purely utilizing
reinforcement learning or machine learning in AI, Deng et al.
(2021) provided a self-optimization model with better perfor-
mance, combing the experts’ knowledge, reinforcement learning,
and DT, to solve high-dimensional network problems. Research op-
portunities: Explainability is one of the key parts of computational
techniques guiding DT. Even though deep learning models have
great performance in prediction and optimization, especially for
some neural network models, the explainability of their results
is still a big challenge. Future research should find a balance
between the number of model layers and the model’s explain-
ability. Furthermore, computationally tractable models should be
developed to address uncertainty and transparent issues.
Challenges for practical implementation: Operations of a large-scale
DT can be a challenge for computation methods and techniques.
Moreover, the complexity of the real system together with an
uncertain environment create obstacles for computational tech-
niques.
• DT platform
Goals/motivations: In the near term, building a fully compre-
hensive DT platform, including all aspects of supply chain and
logistics, including R&D, is a big and ambitious mission that
involves many stakeholders. A DT platform is expected to be
secure, reliable, and resilient to provide benefits for all partners.
Related work: DT platform can be integrated into an ecosystem
to optimize routes, predict performance, and make decisions by
analyzing the current and historical data (Marmolejo-Saucedo,
2020). A reliable DT platform needs a high organizational level
to manipulate every part of LSCS simultaneously. Currently, there
are only a few research papers focusing on virtual simulation of
DT platforms. Marmolejo-Saucedo (2020) modeled a DT platform
of a pharmaceutical company, from purchasing raw materials to
market sales. This research was primarily based on computer
simulations and lacked practical applications. On the other hand,
some major scientific companies have invented general DT plat-
forms, such as the Omniverse Enterprise by NVIDIA (Nvidia,
2023) and Azure Digital Twins by Microsoft (Baanders, 2023),
for various purposes. These platforms have been used to optimize
distribution center throughput and train autonomous warehouse
robots, among other applications.
Research opportunities: In the literature, some DT platforms have
been applied to solve industrial problems, but there is still a lack
of work that builds a DT platform for LSCS, as it has special
features compared to other industrial fields, such as long-distance
collaboration and making joint decisions timely (Marmolejo-
Saucedo, 2020). To fulfill such special features, there are much
more strict requirements for DT platforms in logistics and sup-
ply chain than in other industrial fields regarding inter-sector
collaborations, computing efficiency, and predictive accuracy.
Challenges for practical implementation: Challenges and obstacles
still remain as some key questions that need to be addressed, such
as who should build and manage this DT platform? What contri-
butions of different stakeholders are expected to make the system
work effectively and efficiently? How to assess the performance
and robustness of the DT models? How to protect the DT system
from cyber-attacks?
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Computers & Industrial Engineering 187 (2024) 109768
6. Next steps
This section is motivated by several questions: How can we move
towards building a DT for LSCS that is integrated, secure, and reliable?
More importantly, what technologies and techniques are needed to
design a DT system that is fair, transparent, and resilient; protects
business secrets, and benefits all stakeholders? What is the roadmap
for implementation? and What are the maintenance and management
strategies for the DT life cycle? This section presents initial ideas for
the next steps that facilitate the deployment of a DT for LSCS.
Fig. 9 presents initial ideas on the next steps to build a reliable
and transparent DT for LSCS that comprises data-driven value (orange
triangle in the middle) and data-informed value (green triangle on
the right) methods. In a complex system, technology may be allowed
to make some decisions (i.e., data-driven decisions) whereas other
decisions should be made by humans (i.e., data-informed decisions).
Because tacit knowledge is still hard to be adequately modeled by
current methods and techniques. Humans are informed by the data and
use their experience to evaluate the situation and make decisions ac-
cordingly. Therefore, data-driven and data-informed value approaches
should both be utilized for decision-making to take the strengths while
overcoming the limitations of the two approaches.
The ideas of the data-driven value are motivated by Maslow’s
Hierarchy of Needs as the ultimate goal is to build a responsible,
trustworthy, and resilient DT. Data and information are the foundation
of the process: good data, good decisions. There is a need to collect
and prepare quality data for analytics which essentially provides a
better understanding of the physical systems. Communication needs
to ensure smooth transactions and linkages of the physical and the
digital layer while safely and securely preserving the information. As
an engine of a DT, modeling and data-driven methods and techniques
(e.g., explainable AI, metaverse) enable prediction requirements and
explainability.
On the other hand, the data-informed value approach dictates a
sequence of using data to inform decision making and create value
which is essentially the ultimate goal of for-profit businesses. Data
is processed and converted into information that informs employees.
Based on the provided information and the employee’s experience and
insights, further searches and investigations are conducted to inform
decisions. Actions would be made accordingly that result in outcomes
and value creations.
Data-driven value and data-informed value play essential roles in
enhancing operational excellence and human excellence in LSCS. The
data-driven value and data-informed value in DT can boost operational
excellence and human excellence. The two values facilitate improve-
ment and (i) maintain favorable customer relationships and make
improvements in the systems’ revenue growth; (ii) integrate the systems
and form firm cooperation between companies among LSCS; (iii) high-
light the essential of human resources, cultivation, and management for
making constructive decisions; (iv) provide a measurement for opera-
tions, such as the cycle time for delivery, the timeliness of after-sales
service, and the productivity (Rai, Patnayakuni, & Seth, 2006); and (v)
ensure transparent, trustworthy, sustainable, and resilient operations
regards to the uncertain and dynamic environment under which the
LSCS is operated. While (i) and (iii) refer to human excellence, the other
items concern operational excellence.
Above all, there are maintenance and management needs that sus-
tain the operations of a DT system in its life cycle. More detailed
discussions on methods and techniques that enable the implementation
of a DT for LSCS are left for future research, together with maintenance
and management strategies.
T.V. Le and R. Fan
Fig. 9. Initial ideas on the next steps for building a transparent, trustworthy, and resilient DT for logistics and supply chain systems that comprise data-driven value (orange
triangle in the middle) and data-informed value (green triangle on the right-texts adapted from Wells (2023)) methods.
7. Conclusions
DT has garnered considerable attention for its systematic integra-
tion, collaborations, and promising benefits. Applications of DT tech-
niques have spanned diverse sectors, from autonomous systems to
manufacturing, robotics, transportation, etc. Logistic and supply chain
systems, with their stringent requirements for timely corporation and
information sharing, are in line with the features of DT. Moreover, such
innovative DT could stimulate the advancement of global logistics and
supply chain development, potentially boosting the global economy.
Consequently, this paper concentrates on the DT applied to LSCS aiming
to collect and synthesize useful information and techniques to guide
future developments in this domain and to support industry planning
and government decision-making.
This paper first systematically reviewed and synthesized literature
studies concerning methodologies, frameworks, and implementations
of DT techniques for LSCS in several ways, such as comparison form,
keywords link strength, and keywords cluster. Then, this paper pro-
posed a conceptual framework of DT for LSCS, divided into three
dimensions: the hierarchy levels dimension, the layers dimension, and
the life cycle and value stream dimension. Detailed analysis of elements
in the three dimensions enriched by structuring discussions to include
goals/motivations, related research, research opportunities, and Challenges
for practical implementation. Several research and implementation gaps
were identified, for instance, only a few studies on the DT targeting
real-time/online simulations or lack of practical experiment capacity in
the current DT techniques and methods. The syntheses and analyses of
the DT for LSCS facilitate researchers to develop innovative method-
ologies and new research directions addressing the identified gaps.
Future DT computation requires stronger interaction and integration
of advanced technologies/methods to build a transparent, responsible,
trustworthy, and resilient DT system.
The paper’s systematic review and synthesis of literature studies
provide a comprehensive understanding of existing methodologies,
frameworks, and implementations of DT techniques for LSCS. This
offers a valuable resource for decision-makers in LSCS by providing
insights into proven strategies and best practices. The proposed con-
ceptual framework for DT in LSCS serves as a practical guide for
decision-makers. This framework helps in structuring and aligning
decision-making processes within logistics and supply chain opera-
tions. The framework provides the technical depth (Layer dimension),
the organization width (Hierarchy Levels), and the temporal continu-
ity (Life Cycle & Value Stream). To build DT for LSCS, stakeholders
should adopt essential techniques, adjust the LSCS organization and
construction, and optimize operational states in LSCS. These three
steps correspond to the three dimensions of the proposed framework,
16
Computers & Industrial Engineering 187 (2024) 109768
and the components in each dimension guide the DT construction
step by step. Furthermore, the research identifies crucial research and
implementation gaps in the field that can help inform future research
efforts and investments, enabling decision-makers to focus on areas
where innovation and improvement are most needed. By highlighting
these gaps, the research encourages researchers to develop innovative
methodologies and explore new research directions. Decision-makers
can leverage these emerging technologies and strategies to enhance
their logistics and supply chain operations. Moreover, the research em-
phasizes the need for stronger interaction and integration of advanced
technologies and methods to build a transparent, responsible, trustwor-
thy, and resilient DT system. This insight can guide decision-makers in
adopting and integrating cutting-edge technologies to optimize their
supply chain operations. In summary, the research paper provides
valuable insights and a structured approach to decision-makers in the
field of logistics and supply chain operations. It not only reviews
existing knowledge but also encourages innovation and the integration
of advanced technologies to enhance decision-making processes and
overall performance in this critical industry.
Future research should provide more details about emerging tech-
nologies and techniques that enable transparent, trustworthy, and re-
silient DTs for LSCS. Another direction for future research is to propose
a roadmap for implementing a DT. Finally, maintenance and manage-
ment strategies need to be suggested to ensure effective and efficient
operations as well as sustain the DT life cycle.
CRediT authorship contribution statement
Tho V. Le: Conceptualization, Investigation, Methodology, Project
administration, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – orig-
inal draft, Writing – review & editing. Ruoling Fan: Investigation;
Formal analysis, Visualization, Writing – original draft.
Declaration of competing interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing finan-
cial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to
influence the work reported in this paper.
Data availability
No data was used for the research described in the article.
T.V. Le and R. Fan
Acknowledgment
The authors want to thank Professor. Matthew Roorda of the Uni-
versity of Toronto; Professor. Lóri Tavasszy, Associate Professor. Aaron
Ding, and Assistant Professor. Mahnam Saeednia of the Delft University
of Technology for reading and commenting on an earlier draft of this
paper. There is no funding associated with this research.
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