Alternative Development Paths for Supply Chains in 2030

Many different megatrends such as digitalization, are posing specific challenges and opportunities for supply chains creating the urgent need to adapt and rethink the way they are organized. This paper aims to define development paths (DPs), which constitute projections into the future. The DPs are based on the analysis of megatrends, which might have an impact on the design of supply chains until the year 2030. The results are 51 possible DPs, which are derived from the identified megatrends and clustered under 22 descriptors, which are in turn assigned to the PESTLE (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, and Environmental) dimensions. These DPs consider the underlying criteria reasonability and conceivability. They describe how the future might look like in 2030 and can be used to address developments, challenges and opportunities that may arise in supply chains. Thus, this paper creates the starting basis for further research that deals with the creation of holistic industrial scenarios affecting future supply chains.