Adaptability

In order to realize future improvements in circular product properties such as lifespan extension, continued use or high-quality recycling, industrial product development and design processes must take the entire ecological and economic life cycle of products into account. This article uses a company example to explain how such processes can be captured and analyzed using the Makigami method to support a comprehensive “Design for Circularity” concept. The chosen approach facilitates the identification of the application points of circular design decisions and the implementation of validated circular economy principles.

The world economy is under tension. For years now, globalization has been faltering, moving sideways at best. Recent developments have caused additional distortions. There is now a strong desire for independence. In many places, subsidies are supposed to pave the way for this. In some areas, a veritable competition has broken out in this regard. Even if this is understandable from a political point of view, from an economic perspective the disadvantages of such a competition outweigh the benefits.

The assertion “Our people are what set us apart from our rivals” is a common statement made by nearly every company, highlighting the significance of their people as the most valuable asset. Similarly, a corporate culture emphasizing risk awareness and learning from experiences has played a key role in shaping supply chain resilience (SCRES) amidst competitive dynamics in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Employee engagement, communication, and collaboration, as dimensions of SC risk awareness, determine the effectiveness of firms’ cultures in handling large-scale disruptions with robustness and agility. Additionally, the COVID-19 crisis has had a positive impact on firms’ learning orientation. The crucial necessity of digital supply chain (SC) transformation to enhance SCRES under pandemic conditions has further reinforced the need for dynamic adaptation and reconfiguration of firms’ culture and employee skillsets through digital upskilling.

Small and medium-sized enterprises still face the challenge of shaping their digital transformation. Maturity models offer a way to capture the situation within a company and support the formation of an Industry 4.0 vision. This paper presents a methodology that companies can use to develop a roadmap for shaping digital transformation by enabling the transfer of this vision into concrete decision-making steps.

An increased awareness of risks and rising incidents prompt companies to enhance the resilience of their supply chains. While various measures can be employed to increase resilience, a parallel consideration of a multitude of metrics is necessary to explicitly evaluate its impact on supply chain resilience. The paper presents approaches that facilitate the comparability of resilience across alternative supply chain designs by combining various metrics into a single numerical index. Additionally, innovative technologies are highlighted that can help to create resilient supply chains.