Industry News Digitalization should not be regarded as an expense but as an investment in the future February 15 saw the conclusion of “Forum Automobillogistik” (Forum Automotive Logistics), a joint event organized by the German Federal Logistics Association (BVL) and the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA). More than 500 experts and executives from the automotive and logistics industry met in Bremen for two days. The regularly occurring event was hosted by Mercedes-Benz AG, which provided the customer center located at its plant for this purpose. Together with Dr. Joachim Damasky, Managing Director of VDA, Prof. Dr. Wimmer, the Board Chairman of BVL, welcomed the participants under the motto “Smart instead of reactive – on the path to digital dimensions”. (more…)
SCM Insights · Technology Visibility & Analytics – Full transparency in the supply chain Many companies are determined to improve their use of information from individual internal and external IT systems as a way of meeting the challenges of a digital supply chain.Traditionally, planning, procurement, logistics and transport management have been separate processes. Whereas material planners determine how many parts are needed for production during the manufacturing process and order them while keeping an eye on safety stocks, suppliers use their own systems as do the transport service providers. What is delivered when and in which quantity can usually not be determined until the goods receipt. (more…)
Industry News How the Berlin AirShow 2016 has set trends towards digitalization of the supply chain Three, two, one, lift off:The Berlin Airshow (ILA) took off on Wednesday 1st of June at 9.30 with an introductory speech of Volker Thum, Head of BDLI, who highlighted the important role of a strong supplier network for a successful Aerospace Industry. He stressed the effort which is required to maintain the high level of technology innovation. (more…)
Industry News How German aerospace SMEs remain competitive in spite of structural changes in the supply chain At the invitation of SPACE Deutschland, over 60 representatives of German aerospace SMEs (small and medium-sized aerospace enterprises) took part in the 3rd SPACE Annual Network Meeting at Airbus Helicopters in Donauwörth, Germany, on 25/26.04.2016. Incidentally, SPACE stands for "Supply chain Progress towards Aeronautical Community Excellence". As a sector association for the aerospace industry and its supply chain, SPACE aims to improve the industrial performance of its members. (more…)
Industry News Automotive logistics forum makes one point clear: The digitalization of the supply chain is becoming a reality Nearly 400 people gathered on February 3 and 4 at one of the year's major automotive logistics events in Frankfurt, Germany.It has become something of a tradition: The "congress season" kicks off the new year with a joint event organized by the German Logistics Association and the German Association of the Automotive Industry. The latest forum was held under the motto "Supply Chain 4.0: stable, synchronized, scalable." (more…)
Industry News The BVL’s 32nd German Logistics Convention in Berlin takes a look at the bigger picture This year’s German Logistics Convention was held from 28 to 30 October. The motto was “A moving world” and the organizers proved an acute awareness of the economic and the overall political situation: although at the time the motto for the convention was decided on, such developments as the refugee issue and the extraordinary occurrences involving one of the world’s biggest automobile manufacturers could not have been foreseen. (more…)
SCM Insights e-invoicing begins with the order Today, everybody is talking about Industry 4.0 and the digitalization of the supply chain – and yet the majority of invoices are still being sent in paper form or in unstructured formats that cannot easily be computerized.Many companies wishing to implement an e-invoicing solution focus solely on the invoicing process instead of considering the process as a whole, from order to payment. (more…)
SCM Insights Industry 4.0 – use the potential for success today! There’s no doubt about it: Industry 4.0 – frequently also referred to as the Internet of Things – will become the dominant issue of the next few years. But the subject is full of pitfalls. On the one hand, it is obvious that players must act quickly in order not to be left behind and lose market shares. On the other hand, it is not clear exactly what has to be done. Industry, research and politics are still struggling to find a definition of the subject and the necessary standards. Many companies also fear that implementing Industry 4.0 concepts will require extremely high investments.Some very pragmatic and low-cost approaches already exist, such as those established in the automotive industry, which already link many thousands of companies to each other. This can be the first step for companies in their approaching this subject and in quickly achieving initial successes in terms of increasing efficiency and cost savings. (more…)
SCM Insights · Technology Industry 4.0, M2M and the Internet of Things and Services in the automotive industry: The next generation of e-business? Many articles today deal with Industry 4.0 and communication between machines and production facilities across company boundaries.In the related area of the Internet of Things and Services, key players in the automotive industry are hard at work describing application models intended to provide added value, in particular for road users. In terms of information technology, the trends are all about triggering activities through the transfer of data — activities intended to make daily company life as well as daily mobility easier, safer and more pleasant. But just what do these buzz words really mean? (more…)
Industry News Quality 2015 – answers to new quality challenges need to acknowledge the human factor, supported by procedures and tools The “Quality 2015” event of Management Circle at Düsseldorf (March 10 – 11, 2015) was a high-quality experience: Almost 100 participants did a good investment, being able to learn how quality experts from research and different industries opened their “treasure chests” and shared openly how they managed quality challenges mostly inside their organizations, sometimes even going beyond their own organization. (more…)
