Supply Chain Digitalization and Its Resilience: A Systematic Framework and Empirical Evidence

The supply chain is a complex system formed by the interactive coupling of multiple agents and multiple levels. To investigate the impact of its digitalization on resilience in depth, this study uses a sample of A-share listed companies in China from 2011 to 2024, employs text analysis to measure the level of digitalization covering the five core supply chain links, and constructs a comprehensive index of supply chain resilience from the dual dimensions of resistance and recovery capability. The empirical results show that supply chain digitalization significantly enhances supply chain resilience. The mechanism analysis reveals that supply chain digitalization enhances its resilience through three channels. At the information level, supply chain digitalization improves information transparency, thereby building a stronger foundation for risk warning and coordinated decision-making among supply chain firms. At the collaboration level, it reduces collaboration costs and enhances collaboration efficiency across different entities in the supply chain. At the resource level, it increases resource flexibility, providing a buffer space for rapid reconfiguration and dynamic adjustment of the supply chain system after disruptions. Heterogeneity analysis further indicates that this facilitating effect is stronger for firms in highly marketized regions, non-state-owned firms, and high-tech industries. From a complex system perspective, this study elucidates how supply chain digitalization strengthens its resilience through multi-level mechanisms, offering empirical evidence for advancing systematic supply chain digitalization.