Main Article Content

Abstract

Data silos across multi-tier supply chains create significant barriers to operational efficiency and resilience, where information fragmentation undermines collaborative intelligence and increases disruption vulnerability. This research investigates data silo formation mechanisms and develops an intelligent collaborative trust framework leveraging artificial intelligence to address integration challenges. The study employs mixed-methods analysis across 47 manufacturing organizations selected through stratified purposive sampling from China's industrial regions. A hybrid architecture combining blockchain with federated learning enables secure cross-organizational information exchange while preserving competitive advantages through reputation-based smart contracts and algorithmic trust mechanisms. Network analysis identifies six primary data silo types, with technological barriers most prevalent at 31.4 percent and organizational barriers at 23.8 percent. Randomized controlled trials demonstrate significant performance improvements over conventional approaches. Supply chain visibility increases by 39%, while coordination costs decrease by 28%. The neural network ensemble achieves a 7.3-day average disruption prediction lead time improvement, with pharmaceutical manufacturers experiencing 9.8 days of early warning enhancement. Mean absolute prediction error reduces by 42 percent, and inventory optimization shows 156 percent cost efficiency improvement. This research contributes to supply chain digitalization theory by reconceptualizing trust as an algorithmically-mediated construct, establishing selective transparency frameworks that enable distributed intelligence architectures to achieve.

Keywords

Data silos Multi-tier supply chains Federated learning Algorithmic trust Blockchain integration

Article Details

Author Biographies

Qiuya Ma, Faculty of Business, Hospitality, Accounting and Finance (FOBHAF), MAHSA University, Malaysia

Qiuya Ma is currently pursuing the pursuing Ph.D. at the Faculty of Business, Hospitality, Accounting and Finance (FOBHAF), Mahsa University, Malaysia. Her research interests is The transformative role of information technology in public sector governance and SME development, with particular emphasis on e-government adoption, digital infrastructure construction, institutional evolution, and their impact on organizational performance.

Danqing Wu, Faculty of Business, Hospitality, Accounting and Finance (FOBHAF), MAHSA University, Malaysia

Danqing Wu is currently pursuing the pursuing Ph.D. at the Faculty of Business, Hospitality, Accounting and Finance (FOBHAF), MAHSA University, Malaysia. Her research interests are The transformative role of information technology in the development of the hospitality industry, with particular emphasis on ‌digital transformation strategies‌, ‌data-driven service experience optimization‌, ‌intelligent service robotics‌, and their impact on organizational innovation and customer engagement.

How to Cite
Ma, Q., & Wu, D. (2025). Breaking data silos in multi-tier suppliers and designing intelligent collaborative trust . Future Technology, 4(3), 54–66. Retrieved from https://fupubco.com/futech/article/view/370
Bookmark and Share

References

  1. A. Samuels, "Examining the integration of artificial intelligence in supply chain management from Industry 4.0 to 6.0: a systematic literature review," Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence, vol. 7, p. 1477044, 2025.DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/frai.2024.1477044
  2. E. Hofmann, H. Sternberg, H. Chen, A. Pflaum, and G. Prockl, "Supply chain management and Industry 4.0: conducting research in the digital age," International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, vol. 49, no. 10, pp. 945-955, 2019.DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPDLM-11-2019-399
  3. S. Fosso Wamba, M. M. Queiroz, C. Guthrie, and A. Braganza, "Industry experiences of artificial intelligence (AI): benefits and challenges in operations and supply chain management," vol. 33, ed: Taylor & Francis, 2022, pp. 1493-1497. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09537287.2021.1882695
  4. K. Govindan, M. Kadziński, R. Ehling, and G. Miebs, "Selection of a sustainable third-party reverse logistics provider based on the robustness analysis of an outranking graph kernel conducted with ELECTRE I and SMAA," Omega, vol. 85, pp. 1-15, 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.omega.2018.05.007
  5. R. Aldrighetti, D. Battini, D. Ivanov, and I. Zennaro, "Costs of resilience and disruptions in supply chain network design models: a review and future research directions," International Journal of Production Economics, vol. 235, p. 108103, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2021.108103
  6. W. Yu, C. Y. Wong, R. Chavez, and M. A. Jacobs, "Integrating big data analytics into supply chain finance: The roles of information processing and data-driven culture," International journal of production economics, vol. 236, p. 108135, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2021.108135
  7. E. D. Zamani, C. Smyth, S. Gupta, and D. Dennehy, "Artificial intelligence and big data analytics for supply chain resilience: a systematic literature review," Annals of Operations Research, vol. 327, no. 2, pp. 605-632, 2023. DOI:
  8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-022-04983-y
  9. A. Brintrup, E. Kosasih, P. Schaffer, G. Zheng, G. Demirel, and B. L. MacCarthy, "Digital supply chain surveillance using artificial intelligence: definitions, opportunities and risks," International Journal of Production Research, vol. 62, no. 13, pp. 4674-4695, 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2023.2270719
  10. H. Chen, Z. Chen, F. Lin, and P. Zhuang, "Effective management for blockchain-based agri-food supply chains using deep reinforcement learning," IEeE Access, vol. 9, pp. 36008-36018, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3062410
  11. H. Jahani, R. Jain, and D. Ivanov, "Data science and big data analytics: a systematic review of methodologies used in the supply chain and logistics research," Annals of Operations Research, pp. 1-58, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-023-05390-7
  12. A. Yadav, R. K. Garg, and A. Sachdeva, "Artificial intelligence applications for information management in sustainable supply chain management: A systematic review and future research agenda," International Journal of Information Management Data Insights, vol. 4, no. 2, p. 100292, 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jjimei.2024.100292
  13. S. Punia, S. P. Singh, and J. K. Madaan, "A cross-temporal hierarchical framework and deep learning for supply chain forecasting," Computers & Industrial Engineering, vol. 149, p. 106796, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cie.2020.106796
  14. G. Baryannis, S. Dani, and G. Antoniou, "Predicting supply chain risks using machine learning: The trade-off between performance and interpretability," Future Generation Computer Systems, vol. 101, pp. 993-1004, 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.future.2019.07.059
  15. X. Li and W. Wu, "A Blockchain-Empowered Multiaggregator Federated Learning Architecture in Edge Computing With Deep Reinforcement Learning Optimization," IEEE Transactions on Computational Social Systems, 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/TCSS.2024.3481882
  16. C. Düsing and P. Cimiano, "Rethinking federated learning as a digital platform for dynamic and value-driven participation," Future Generation Computer Systems, vol. 171, p. 107847, 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.future.2025.107847
  17. J. Wen, Z. Zhang, Y. Lan, Z. Cui, J. Cai, and W. Zhang, "A survey on federated learning: challenges and applications," International Journal of Machine Learning and Cybernetics, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 513-535, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13042-022-01647-y
  18. I. Ahmed, M. A. Syed, M. Maaruf, and M. Khalid, "Distributed computing in multi-agent systems: a survey of decentralized machine learning approaches," Computing, vol. 107, no. 1, p. 2, 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00607-024-01356-0
  19. S. A. R. Khan, K. Zkik, A. Belhadi, and S. S. Kamble, "Evaluating barriers and solutions for social sustainability adoption in multi-tier supply chains," International Journal of Production Research, vol. 59, no. 11, pp. 3378-3397, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2021.1876271
  20. M. M. Orabi, O. Emam, and H. Fahmy, "Adapting security and decentralized knowledge enhancement in federated learning using blockchain technology: literature review," Journal of Big Data, vol. 12, no. 1, p. 55, 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40537-025-01099-5
  21. M. Huang, Q. Peng, X. Zhu, T. Deng, R. Cao, and W. Liu, "Ensuring Trustworthy and Secure IoT: Fundamentals, Threats, Solutions, and Future Hotspots," Computer Networks, p. 111218, 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comnet.2025.111218
  22. P. Gopal, N. P. Rana, T. V. Krishna, and M. Ramkumar, "Impact of big data analytics on supply chain performance: an analysis of influencing factors," Annals of Operations Research, vol. 333, no. 2, pp. 769-797, 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-022-04749-6
  23. A. Aziz, E. E. Kosasih, R.-R. Griffiths, and A. Brintrup, "Data considerations in graph representation learning for supply chain networks," arXiv preprint arXiv:2107.10609, 2021. DOI:
  24. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2107.10609
  25. A. W. Al-Khatib, "Internet of things, big data analytics and operational performance: the mediating effect of supply chain visibility," Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 1-24, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JMTM-08-2022-0310
  26. T.-M. Choi and Y. Chen, "Circular supply chain management with large scale group decision making in the big data era: The macro-micro model," Technological forecasting and social change, vol. 169, p. 120791, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.120791
  27. D. Li et al., "Blockchain for federated learning toward secure distributed machine learning systems: a systemic survey," Soft Computing, vol. 26, no. 9, pp. 4423-4440, 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00500-021-06496-5
  28. G. Mirabelli and V. Solina, "Blockchain-based solutions for agri-food supply chains: A survey," International Journal of Simulation and Process Modelling, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 1-15, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1504/IJSPM.2021.120838
  29. K. Yavaprabhas, M. Pournader, and S. Seuring, "Blockchain and trust in supply chains: a bibliometric analysis and trust transfer perspective," International Journal of Production Research, pp. 1-28, 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2024.2389544
  30. F. Marmolejo-Ramos et al., "Factors influencing trust in algorithmic decision-making: an indirect scenario-based experiment," Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence, vol. 7, p. 1465605, 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/frai.2024.1465605
  31. C. Lahusen, M. Maggetti, and M. Slavkovik, "Trust, trustworthiness and AI governance," Scientific Reports, vol. 14, no. 1, p. 20752, 2024. DOI: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
  32. J. Chen, W. Cai, J. Luo, and H. Mao, "How does digital trust boost open innovation? Evidence from a mixed approach," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, vol. 212, p. 123953, 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2024.123953
  33. G. Zheng, L. Kong, and A. Brintrup, "Federated machine learning for privacy preserving, collective supply chain risk prediction," International Journal of Production Research, vol. 61, no. 23, pp. 8115-8132, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2022.2164628
  34. D. C. Nguyen et al., "Federated learning meets blockchain in edge computing: Opportunities and challenges," IEEE Internet of Things Journal, vol. 8, no. 16, pp. 12806-12825, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/JIOT.2021.3072611
  35. D. Hellwig, K. Wendt, V. Babich, and A. Huchzermeier, "Playing with disaster: A blockchain-enabled supply chain simulation platform for studying shortages and the competition for scarce resources," in Creating Values with Operations and Analytics: A Tribute to the Contributions of Professor Morris Cohen: Springer, 2022, pp. 169-196. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08871-1_9
  36. Y. Pang, T. Huang, and Q. Wang, "AI and Data-Driven Advancements in Industry 4.0," vol. 25, ed: MDPI, 2025, p. 2249. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/s25072249