The Influence of Digitalization on Machine Manufacturers' Supply Chain to Mitigate Pandemic Challenges

The COVID-19 pandemic had put pressures on manufacturers within the disposable glove industry in Malaysia, leading to order backlogs and uncertainty in supply lead times due to limited supply chain visibility. Machine manufacturers supporting the glove industry, heavily reliant on offshore partners for materials and components, are especially affected. Given the global shortages of PPE products, including gloves, this research aims to explore how digitalization can mitigate supply chain risks for these machine manufacturers. It seeks to identify how digitalization can improve supply chain performance during and after the pandemic in the disposable glove industry in Malaysia, providing valuable insights into digitalization as a risk mitigation strategy and its impact on the supply chain with specific examples from glove manufacturing.