Getting an innovative grip on logistics from different angles in challenging times
Research and publication by the Chair of IT-based Logistics
“The pandemic determines the rules of the game” regarding business life as well as our existence as citizens/private persons. At least the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic can be defined – based on criteria of the scientific community – as a catastrophe. Questions piling up regarding how to tackle pandemic-caused disasters like we are still in.
Innovative information system landscape
An innovative information system landscape, incorporating and considering all the different means of information and communication, can help to reduce the harms by following the rules of an effective information logistics in a humanitarian environment. Simplified spoken, right information, for the right customer (recipient), need to be at the right place.
The right information, for the right customer, needs to be at the right place.
An agile approach based on improvement loops
Furthermore, all information distributed should also be understandable (right quality) and thus need designed (sender) according to the characteristics of the receiver. In order to succeed in this complex endeavor, a first generic concept has been developed, focusing on the ramp-up of an information system landscape in the context of pandemic-caused disasters. The management of disasters in general is heavily affected by uncertainty. We therefore suggest an agile approach, based on continuous improvement loops, that iteratively ramps up a landscape of information systems.
The research outcome will be published in German as book chapter in: “Fritzsche, R.; Winter, S.; Lohmer, J. (Eds.): Logistics in science and practice. From data analysis to the design of complex logistics processes” (English translation), Springer Gabler publishing company (scheduled for June 2021).
Research and transfer
“Something is going on in the countryside” could be a statement awaking interest both from a researcher’s and from a practitioner’s point of view. The AuLoRa network represents a funded ZIM-network arrangement of SMEs, universities, research organizations approved by the VDI/VDE and managed by the evermind GmbH.
Autonomous logistics in the rural area
The target is to innovate concepts, methods and procedures to implement autonomous logistics in the rural area by using digital and emerging technologies as an enabler. The Chair of IT-based Logistics is a founding member of this network and brings in its expertise regarding logistics and supply chain process management in the digital context combined with business model consideration, economic assessment of related concepts, and digital transformation.
The following courses below were all done in an online teaching environment.
_ February: Logistics & Supply Chain Management (P16) with the guest lecturer Angela-Sophia Gebert from Cel- onis SE giving a case study covering the Celonis process mining toolset
_ March: Project and Business Process Management (MSc21) with the guest lecturer and HHL alumni Paul Brzesina from thyssenKrupp Marine Systems
_ April: Project and Business Process Management (M21) with the guest lecturer and HHL alumni Paul Brzesina from thyssenKrupp Marine Systems
_ April to June: Value Chain Management (MSc21) including a case study with Forto and Forto’s COO/Managing Director, Dr. Michael Ardelt and the two HHL alumni Dr. Maximilian Schosser and Alexander Müller
Online conference on smart city logistics
On 3 March 2021, the “Innovation Forum: Turnaround in rural areas thanks to autonomous logistics? – Vision, technologies and project approaches” was held via a zoom conference with more than 100 registered online participants. Prof. Dr. Iris Hausladen gave a speech on the subject “From smart city logistics to smart, autonomous land logistics – Transfer potentials and solution approaches”.
Covering that rural logistics has its own specific characteristics and thus smart city logistics concepts could serve as starting point, different “brain-teasers” as well as solutions already in place were highlighted. The format and the event itself were very well appreciated by all participants.
This article was written by Andreas Matthes und Prof. Dr. Hausladen of the Chair of IT-based Logistics.
In close collaboration with companies and as part of an interdisciplinary network of research partners, we design and transfer strategies, concepts and methods of IT-supported logistics, which make an outstanding contribution to the development of the regional and supra-regional logistics location. The main areas of research include logistics, supply and value chain management in the digital age - concepts, processes, business models & evaluation, as well as digital internal and external transformation of value chains in the context of sustainable logistics and supply chain systems.