The Role of Smart Logistics Technologies in Enhancing Operational Efficiency in Food and Beverage Supply Chains: Implications for U.S. Firms
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54536/ajlsc.v1i1.8353Keywords:
Blockchain, Food And Beverage Supply Chains, Iot, Operational Efficiency, Smart Logistics, Warehouse AutomationAbstract
This qualitative systematic review synthesizes evidence on how smart logistics technologies (IoT sensing, blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI) and big-data analytics, and warehouse automation) relate to operational efficiency in food and beverage supply chains, with attention to conditions relevant to U.S. firms. Following PRISMA-informed procedures, the review synthesizes 39 peer-reviewed articles published between 2007 and 2024. Rather than presenting new quantitative measurements, the review organizes and interprets findings that the underlying articles themselves report, identifying where the literature converges, diverges, and which contextual factors shape outcomes. IoT-enabled monitoring is most consistently associated with improved cold-chain visibility; blockchain applications concentrate on traceability and provenance verification, with adoption constrained by partner-participation and integration costs; AI and analytics capabilities link to forecasting improvements, contingent on data quality and organizational maturity; and warehouse automation shows productivity gains alongside substantial capital and change-management barriers. The review’s contribution is to organize this fragmented, technology-specific literature around operational efficiency dimensions relevant to food and beverage logistics, surface implementation success factors and barriers recurring across technology categories, and translate this synthesis into prioritization guidance for practitioners. Limitations, including reliance on secondary literature not specific to the U.S. food and beverage sector, are discussed alongside directions for future research.
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