Between digitization and gamification …

The six themes of EXCHAiNGE 2015

Learning from the Best

For nine years, the Supply Chain Management Award has honored outstanding solutions by manufacturers. Join the discussion with past winners about their winning ideas and how those ideas have evolved.

The following previous winners will be on hand to answer questions:

- Dr. Andreas Backhaus, Senior Vice President of Supply Chain Strategy & Performance, BASF (2011 winner)
- Dr. Paulus Bucher, Senior Vice President of Global Operations, ADVA Optical Networking (2013 winner)
- Andreas Mätzler, Senior Director of Corporate Supply Chain Engineering, Infineon (2012 winner)

Gamification in the Supply Chain

Anyone who has ever driven a car2go vehicle understands the gamification effect: You instinctively adapt your driving behavior to score as close to 100 as possible.

The kicker: The range and thus the efficiency of the car-sharing vehicle goes up dramatically the more defensively you drive - while the risk of an accident falls.

Some businesses have begun to use this kind of game mechanism and SCM simulation in their supply chains. To optimize stock levels in collaborative supply networks, motivate employees, or enhance execution processes.

This sequence presents these examples, then moves to brainstorming mode.

The goal: identify a top project that can be implemented before EXCHAiNGE 2016.

Social Manufacturing

Major online marketplaces like DaWanda, Alibaba, or Etsy claim to have practically reinvented the retail supply chain. And how is that possible? Local micro-producers reach global target groups and push from online marketplaces into conventional trade channels.

What is the secret recipe of "glocalization"? Will it really take hold? How lasting will the change be? And can or must traditional supply chains - retailers and manufacturers - learn something here?

One more example: Small manufacturers with a "mission" challenge the big players. The "fairphone" is like David versus Goliath. And how fair is it really? Both examples are driven by a strong community and a seeming niche.

Compare similarities and discuss differences at EXCHAiNGE.

Ethics in the Supply Chain

The issue of working conditions in our supply networks is hitting closer to home: Customers and businesses alike are asking themselves what is fair - not only in low-wage countries, but in Europe as well. The supply chains have moved front and center in this discussion. EXCHAiNGE takes up the debate surrounding supplier checks, work contracts, fair production, conflict minerals, increased consumer awareness, greenwashing, and true sustainability - and elevates it to the management level: It is a question of what kind of company you wish to build. A controversial debate will feature a variety of viewpoints.

The moderator will be Dr. Michael Arretz, who put Otto Group on a course for sustainability before many even knew how to spell the word. At KiK he tried the seemingly impossible: making a discount clothing company (even more) sustainable - and enabling fair conditions for everyone in the supply chain.

Digitization | Industry 4.0

The question is not whether digitization is affecting our supply chains. Nor is the question whether industry 4.0 is coming, whether 3D printing will change anything, or whether the cloud is here to stay. The question is: Who will seize these opportunities today?

This sequence picks up on the discussion of business models at EXCHAiNGE 2014 and goes two or three steps further: Which cyber-physical systems do we really need? How will digitization capture our supply chains? And how can we achieve this as agents of change - and not the victims? We take a hands-on approach - leaving behind debates about infrastructure and away from "ivory tower" calls for more robust software development in Germany.

The goal: develop criteria that can be used to assess truly future-proof projects.

And while we’re at it: We’ll apply these same criteria in 2016 when we award the disrupt.ex special prize for outstanding initiatives for digitized supply chains.

Risk Management in the Supply Chain

Many companies roar like a tiger when it comes to risk management, but when their supply chains lag behind in their technical and organizational capabilities, they end up purring like a kitten. Sounds like a classic job for management - and an obvious focus for EXCHAiNGE: How can and must companies begin? What must they do to move forward - and what should they put aside?

This sequence offers a real-world view of how technology today can help you better assess risks and their effects on the supply chain. We look at successful examples and point out unresolved vulnerabilities.

How can I expand my perspective across the risk landscape beyond my Tier 1 suppliers?
What good does it do to understand risks better if the alternatives are optimized out of existence?

More infos...