Special Issue of IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management: Resilience and Innovation in Semiconductor Industry, Navigating Global Disruptions

Guest Editors

Prof. Jiuh-Biing Sheu, Managing Guest Editor
National Taiwan University, Taiwan, ROC
jbsheu@ntu.edu.tw

Dr. Qin Zhou
University of Southampton, UK
Q.Zhou@soton.ac.uk

Dr. Chao Meng
University of Southern Mississippi, USA
chao.meng@usm.edu

Dr. Sunil Tiwari
University of Bristol, UK
sunil.tiwari@bristol.ac.uk

Theme

The global semiconductor industry, valued at over $500 billion annually, is projected by McKinsey to grow to $1 trillion by 2030. Despite its significant economic impact, the semiconductor supply chain remains highly vulnerable to disruptions due to its complexity (Cohen et al., 2003; Terwiesch et al., 2005; Chiang et al., 2007; Wenlin and Rivera, 2008; Chen et al., 2017) and global segmentation (Mallik and Harker, 2004; Lee et al., 2006).

Recent events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, port logistics bottlenecks, geopolitical tensions, and climate-induced environmental challenges around the world, have exposed critical weaknesses in this intricate network (Madankumar and Rajendran, 2018; Xu et al., 2022; Chen et al., 2023; Choi and Sheu, 2023; Tse et al., 2024). For example, the global semiconductor chip shortage has severely impacted carmakers worldwide, leading to an estimated revenue loss of over $14 billion in the first quarter and $61 billion in 2021. This crisis prompted the Biden administration to take action to address the shortage, which had forced the shutdown of several U.S. car manufacturing plants. These challenges underscore the urgent need for supply chain strategies that prioritize resilience, adaptability, and innovation (Dou et al., 2024; Moktadir and Ren, 2024; Song and Dong, 2024).

While the semiconductor industry continues to grow in significance, there is a pressing need for research that bridges theoretical frameworks and practical solutions to address these unprecedented challenges (Xiong et al., 2024). This special issue aims to provide a platform for exploring the intersection of semiconductor supply chains and engineering and technological innovation under disruptions. We invite submissions that address the critical challenges and opportunities within the semiconductor supply chain, focusing on resilience, innovation, and strategic management in the face of global disruptions. Original work with different methodologies (e.g., empirical, analytical, qualitative, data analytics, and multi-methodological approaches) that align with the following themes are encouraged, though submissions outside of these themes but within the remit of semiconductor supply chains are also welcome:

1. Understanding Disruptions

• Assessing the impact of geopolitical conflicts on raw material availability, logistics, and production in semiconductor manufacturing.
• Investigating the impacts of disruptions from pandemics on supply-demand imbalances and workforce management of semiconductor supply chains.
• Evaluating the role of natural disasters and climate change in disrupting semiconductor production and logistics.
• Analysing the facility location challenges faced by suppliers and manufacturers in semiconductor supply chains amidst disruptions stemming from geopolitical tensions, policy changes, natural disasters, climate change, pandemics, and other uncertainties.

2. Enhancing Resilience

• Developing strategies to improve semiconductor supply chain agility and adaptability.
• Exploring digital technologies (e.g., blockchain, IoT) for real-time monitoring and risk mitigation in semiconductor supply chains.
• Designing robust frameworks for demand forecasting and inventory management under uncertainty for the semiconductor industry.

3. Promoting Innovation

• Leveraging artificial intelligence, machine learning, and digital twins to optimize production and logistics in the semiconductor industry.
• Examining collaborative strategies among stakeholders, including governments and industry players, to foster innovation in semiconductor industry.
• Highlighting best practices for sustainable and ethical sourcing of critical minerals for semiconductor manufacturing.

4. Policy Implications and Global Collaboration

• Analyzing the role of international trade policies and sanctions in shaping semiconductor supply chains (e.g., building on existing expertise vs. onshoring manufacturing capacity).
• Investigating collaborative frameworks for building regional hubs to mitigate reliance on a single geography for semiconductors.
• Examining the design of coordination mechanisms between stakeholders and the government to address the challenges impacting all participants in the semiconductor supply chain.

Submission Process

Please prepare the manuscript according to IEEE-TEM’s guidelines and submit via the journal’s Manuscript Central site: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/tem-ieee. Clearly state that the submission is for this Special Issue on “Resilience and Innovation in Semiconductor”.

Submission deadline: 31 December 2025

Guest Editor Bios

Jiuh-Biing Sheu

Jiuh-Biing Sheu is a distinguished Professor in Department and Graduate Institute of Business Administration, National Taiwan University, Taiwan, R.O.C. His research areas cover Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), Intelligent Logistics, Emergency Logistics, Green Supply Chain Management, Business-to-Business Relationship Marketing, Quantum Optical Flow Theory and its Applications in ITS, Behavioural Operations Management, Green Marketing, Affect Science and Cognition in Decision Science. He serves as the Advisory Editor (Past Editor in Chief, 2013-2018) for Transportation Research Part E, the Editor-in-Chief for Journal of Management and Business Research (Taiwan), the Department Editor for IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, and the Associate Editor for Transportmetrica B: Transport Dynamics. His research has appeared in journals such as Production and Operations Management, European Journal of Operational Research, Transportation Science, Transportation Research Part A/B/C/D/E, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management.

Qin Zhou

Qin Zhou is a Lecturer in Southampton Business School at University of Southampton. Her research interests include supply chain management, remanufacturing authorization, production outsourcing, and game theory. Her research has appeared in journals such as Transportation Research Part E, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, International Journal of Production Economics, Omega, Expert Systems with Applications.

Chao Meng

Chao Meng is an Assistant Professor with the School of Marketing, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, USA. His research interests include supply chain coordination, logistics network optimization, and multiparadigm simulation. His research has appeared in journals such as Naval Research Logistics, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, International Journal of Production Economics, Journal of the Operational Research Society. His research has been sponsored by federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture and industry. Dr. Meng also serves in the organizing committee of the Winter Simulation Conference for multiple years.

Sunil Tiwari

Sunil Tiwari is a Senior Lecturer in Operations Management at the Department of Operations and Management Science, Healthcare & Innovation, Business School, University of Bristol. His research interests include strategic interactions between stakeholders in supply chains and socially responsible operations, healthcare operations, sustainability, and inclusion in supply chains. His research has appeared in journals such as European Journal of Operational Research, Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, International Journal of Production Economics/Research, Computers and Operations Research, Production Planning and Control, Annals of Operations Research, Journal of the Operational Research Society.

References

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