procurement

Circular Economy Enabled by Digitization

Circular Economy Enabled by Digitization

Digital networking in the procurement of manufacturing companies
Pius Finkel ORCID Icon, Peter Wurster ORCID Icon, David Pfister
Current developments in digitalization and data economy, especially multilateral data sharing platforms, offer the potential to accelerate the implementation of circular economy practices in the manufacturing industry. This article systematically examines the extent to which digitalization could serve as a catalyst for circular economy in the procurement of such companies. As a basis for the following research, eight experts from five leading global manufacturers and suppliers in the automotive and aviation industries were interviewed. This article demonstrates practical hypotheses for the sustainable design of supply chains and proposes two specific use cases for circular economy practices that can proactively counteract the use of resources.
Industry 4.0 Science | Volume 41 | 2025 | Edition 1 | Pages 26-33 | DOI 10.30844/I4SE.25.1.26
Use of Artificial Intelligence in Procurement

Use of Artificial Intelligence in Procurement

Possibilities of smart contracting
Andreas H. Glas, Kübra Ates, Michael Eßig
Procurement has the task to supply an organization with required but not self-produced goods. The goods vs. payment exchange with suppliers is laid down in contracts. “Electronic contracts" or “Smart Contracts” represent the logic digitally and thus enhance transparency. This can still evolve. In the future, improved algorithms and artificial intelligence will not only be able to administer contracts, but also to design them. This article presents the status quo of "Smart Contracting", places it in the "Legal Tech" topic and shows how artificial intelligence could be used in procurement.
Industrie 4.0 Management | Volume 39 | 2023 | Edition 1 | Pages 14-18
Assessment and Mitigation of Supply Risks

Assessment and Mitigation of Supply Risks

Effects of Additive Manufacturing for Procurement
Matthias M. Meyer, Andreas H. Glas, Michael Eßig
Procurement has the task of providing an organization with required but not self-produced goods. Due to the collapse of global supply chains during the SARS-COV2 pandemic, procurement faced major challenges. Goods that were actually easily available on global markets became critical bottlenecks. It turned out that additive manufacturing can mitigate these bottlenecks. For example, medical spare parts were produced using additive manufacturing. This article examines how additive manufacturing is changing the procurement risk of materials. A comparison is made between traditional and additive supply possibilities based on a survey. The result is a combined procurement strategy, which ensures an improved availability of critical goods.
Industrie 4.0 Management | Volume 37 | 2021 | Edition 2 | Pages 61-65
Environmental and Logistical Evaluation and Selection of Supply Concepts

Environmental and Logistical Evaluation and Selection of Supply Concepts

Michael Zenker, Stephan Meers, Georg Ullmann, Peter Nyhuis ORCID Icon
The design of the supply concept re-presents a decisive competitive factor for companies, since this significantly affects the throughput time and inventory levels. This paper explains how environmental issues can be quantified in addition to the conventional types of costs and presents a method for the selection and design of a supply concept.
Industrie Management | Volume 29 | 2013 | Edition 2 | Pages 63-65