Digital supply chain management optimization for small and medium-sized enterprises in the digital business environment

Abstract

The digital transformation of global business has reconstructed the operation logic of enterprise supply chains, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as the main body of regional industrial economy, face prominent bottlenecks in information symmetry, resource coordination and risk control in supply chain management, which forms the core research background of this paper. This research aims to construct a targeted optimization framework for SMEs’ digital supply chain management, clarify the core optimization paths of digital empowerment, and explore the theoretical and practical value of digital operation modes for small business administration. The study adopts mixed research methods including literature comparative analysis, questionnaire survey and case study of 62 manufacturing and service SMEs in Kazakhstan; it systematically sorts out existing foreign and domestic research gaps on SME supply chain digitization. The research results show that three core dimensions – digital information sharing platform, lean inventory collaborative mechanism and supply chain risk early warning system – can significantly reduce SMEs’ logistics cost and improve capital turnover efficiency. The proposed optimization framework fills the research gap of differentiated supply chain governance for small enterprises in emerging market economies. The research conclusions can provide operable management schemes for SME managers, and offer theoretical reference for industrial and commercial policy makers to formulate digital support policies for micro and small enterprises. The research innovatively integrates digital management tools with traditional SME business administration systems, and provides replicable practical models for similar emerging market economies.