Digital Transformation Empowers SME Supply Chain Management: A Study on the Path and Mechanism for Enhancing Competitiveness

Abstract

Against the backdrop of the rapid evolution of the digital economy and the continuous restructuring of the global supply chain, SMEs have become important carriers of industrial chain resilience and regional economic vitality. However, due to limited resources and weak digital application foundations, they generally face prominent problems in supply chain management, such as insufficient information collection, low data transmission efficiency, imperfect logistics collaboration mechanisms, and delayed risk warnings, which in turn restrict the overall operational efficiency and market competitiveness of enterprises. How to leverage digitalization to achieve efficient collaboration and intelligent upgrading of the supply chain system has become an important issue that urgently needs to be addressed. Based on this, this paper takes SMEs as the research object, systematically sorts out their key pain points in the supply chain operation process, and explores the role mechanism of digital transformation from three core dimensions: information processing, business execution, and risk management. The study suggests that SMEs can follow a three-stage path to digital transformation : The first stage involves strengthening information infrastructure by building digital management systems and improving data collection terminals to enhance internal operational transparency and information visualization. The second stage promotes data sharing and process collaboration across the supply chain by connecting data interfaces with suppliers and customers, optimizing inventory and order management, and achieving dynamic resource allocation and efficient business flow integration. The third stage introduces intelligent algorithms and digital decision-making tools to proactively identify demand fluctuations, logistical bottlenecks, and supply risks, thereby improving the responsiveness and flexibility of the supply chain system. The study further points out that digital transformation not only helps SMEs reduce operating costs and improve resource allocation efficiency in the short term, but more importantly, it significantly enhances their resilience in the face of uncertainties in the medium to long term, providing strong support for their steady development in a complex competitive landscape.