Identification of critical nodes in supply chain networks

In a supply chain network (SCN), the failure of one node may result in cascading failures and lead to the paralysis of the entire network. The accurate identification of the critical nodes in a SCN is important for securing the supply chain. This study proposes a new method for identifying critical nodes in SCNs based on the topological and functional characteristics of SCNs. The effectiveness of this method is verified using an underloaded cascade failure process. A comparison with the results obtained from other critical node identification methods confirms that the proposed method could effectively identify the key nodes in the SCN. Thus, this study provides a more objective and accurate method for evaluating the importance of enterprise nodes in SCNs.