BLOCKCHAIN-ORCHESTRATED CYBER-PHYSICAL SUPPLY CHAIN NETWORKS FOR MANUFACTURING RESILIENCE

Abstract

This study examines how blockchain-orchestrated cyber-physical supply chains (CPSCs) contribute to manufacturing resilience by translating blockchain capabilities into measurable antecedents and testing their relationships with visibility, agility, robustness, and recovery outcomes. Drawing on dynamic capabilities and information-processing theories, the research conceptualizes blockchain orchestration as a multi-dimensional capability encompassing traceability, smart-contract automation, IoT–ledger interoperability, and governance quality. These dimensions collectively function as coordination mechanisms that enhance supply chain visibility and agility, thereby reinforcing resilience under environmental turbulence. Using a quantitative, cross-sectional, multi–case design embedded in active manufacturing consortia, the study surveyed 204 firms and plants across OEMs, suppliers, and logistics partners engaged in production-grade blockchain implementations. Measurement scales were validated for reliability, convergent, and discriminant validity, and hierarchical regression models were employed to test direct, mediated, and moderated effects, with robustness checks incorporating fixed effects, alternative indices, and bootstrap estimation. Results indicate that traceability, interoperability, and governance quality significantly predict visibility; smart-contract automation and visibility predict agility; and together, these coordination capabilities explain variance in robustness and a composite resilience index. The agility–resilience relationship is found to intensify under greater environmental turbulence, confirming agility’s contingent value in volatile contexts. Mediation tests reveal that visibility partially transmits the effects of traceability and interoperability to agility, highlighting its role as a keystone coordination capability. Collectively, the findings provide the first empirically validated framework linking blockchain orchestration capabilities to measurable resilience outcomes in CPSCs. Conceptually, the research reframes blockchain from a technological artifact to a configurable coordination layer that improves inter-firm information integrity, synchronization, and adaptive performance. Practically, the study offers a roadmap for manufacturers: invest first in traceability and interoperability, then extend to smart-contract automation under strong governance. This evidence-based approach positions blockchain orchestration as a foundational capability for building auditable, agile, and resilient digital supply networks in manufacturing ecosystems.