Logistics

Since the turn of the millennium companies are confronted with a tightly interwoven network consisting of changed framework conditions. Thus, for many companies it is necessary to form a network, together with a simultaneous securing of liquidity. Additionally, it is important to consider ecological values. The selection of adequate concepts in the supply chain management in combination with the right extent in logistic services poses a major challenge. However the dynamic assessment and selection of logistic concepts is quite possible. This article presents such an approach.

environment poses huge challenges to production enterprises, especially with regards to logistics. The Logistic Operating Curve Theory, developed at the Institute of Production Systems and Logistics (IFA), is a recognized approach to describing logistic interactions, nevertheless, it reaches its limits when it comes to the dynamic aspects. In order to facilitate a timely and optimal Logistic Positioning a method is developed for quickly and reliably identifying dynamic processing states.

The vision of the “Internet of Things” describes networked, interactive objects which are capable of autonomous decision-taking. The potentials of this vision for logistics in the automotive and food sector go from tracking and tracing throughout the supply-chain, via quality assurance and monitoring through to new service models and consequently completely novel sources of revenue. Key elements of the “Internet of Things” such as auto-identification technology or sensors are already mature and ready to be used in logistics. On the basis of a series of industry case studies, this article describes the current situation in industry with regards to these technologies and identifies future potential. To facilitate the analysis, it presents an instrument by which the level of implementation of the technologies of the “Internet of Things” can be measured.

Nowadays, every partner in a global supply chain storages the logged information central. Due to the increasing complexity in supply chains, the central storage of information doesn’t fulfill the high requirements. Therefore it is essential to get a more transparent supply chain by exchanging important information. On the one hand, a technical part for exchanging information is needed and on the other hand, a standardization of which information should be exchanged is necessary. This paper presents a framework for the information management of global supply chains at the example of automotive logistics. The framework describes which information and where this information should be exchanged in a supply chain.

Several logistics service providers are involved in the handling process at the seaport terminal in Bremerhaven, Germany. This process includes the arrival of the vehicles by vessel from the automotive manufacturer followed by the storage and the technical treatment ending with the transport to the automotive retailer. A cross-company approach of the complete process is necessary in order to improve the qua-lity of services and to enhance the utilization of the terminal as a holistic system. A control centre is used in order to generate information transparency. This is the basis for the development of cross-company planning and scheduling method. The simulation study was used to investigate the effectiveness of the developed method towards process and economic performance indicators of the supply chain.

Sourcing flexibility, i.e., the capability of a company’s procurement processes to respond rapidly to changing supply requirements is one of the building blocks of supply chain agility. In today’s decentralized supply chains, companies increasingly depend on their suppliers for value creation. Hence, understanding the causes and consequences of sourcing flexibility is critical. Based on a survey of 336 companies from Europe and the U.S., we show that sourcing flexibility is curvilinearly (U-shaped) related to supply chain performance. Companies with either low or high levels of sourcing flexibility exhibit high supply chain performance, whereas medium levels of sourcing flexibility reduce a company’s supply chain performance by up to 30%. That is, the “stuck in the middle” phenomenon, which is frequently observed in areas of strategy and organization, is evident in procurement decisions as well.

Logistic Performance has become a key factor for the success of producing companies. As shown by several surveys, it is particularly challenging for small and medium sized enterprises to reach their logistic objectives. This has various reasons. Therefore a new method is required in order to evaluate the level of maturity in production logistics and identify essential adjusting levers. On this basis it is possible to deduce consistent measures to improve the logistic performance.

Today`s complex and dynamic logistic processes are largely addicted to the efficient management of relevant information. Integrated into centralised planning and control structures, the flow and management of information is mostly handled in separate processes or sub processes. This proceeding results in an additional effort for the information processing and in corresponding delays during the process execution. This is especially the case for mobile work processes. Wearable computing systems offer the possibility to use modern information and communication technologies for a direct integration of the information processing and information management into the mobile work process. In this way the mobile user is discharged and able to concentrate on his logistical main task.

An optimized working capital aims to activate tied capital, capital which is frozen in account receivables and payables as well as in inventories. Often the ability to deliver anytime is a top priority for firms so that the tied capital is not optimized which increases the potential of bankruptcy in economic recessions. The potential to release tied capital can only be mastered by a tight company-wide collaboration, including the finance purchasing, production, sales and accounting department. Furthermore a holistic approach taking the whole supply chain into consideration must be realized to achieve a superior working capital performance. We show how firms can benefit from an optimal working capital in order to turn their supply chains into gold veins.

Today, the logistics performance especially of manufacturing companies is becoming a distinctive success factor in the marketplace. Perceiving this development Siemens’ Electronics Manufacturing plant in Amberg (EWA) implemented a comprehensive logistics KPI system supporting the controlling of production processes. The tools used, however, fall short of considering the interdependencies between different logistics KPIs. The article reports on a project conducted in cooperation between EWA and the Institute for Production Systems and Logistics of Leibniz University at Hannover. Presenting the project’s approach, conclusions and resulting experiences, the theoretical background as well as the fundamental impact production operating curves can offer for the competitiveness of a manufacturing company are outlined.