Project description

The economic reality is that in cross-company value-added networks – so-called "supply chains" or "supply webs" – there is a significant but avoidable loss of efficiency.

This loss of efficiency occurs especially because a shared view of all stakeholders on a value-added network is largely absent. Instead often there is a "partial optimization" of individual actors who disregard the responsibility for the overall effects of their actions.

In addition, the integration of legal, environmental and social requirements is often neglected in the design of supply chains. In order to address these deficiencies, the collaborative project OrGoLo aims at enhancing the conventional, mainly operating- and transport-focused supply chain management with the new dimension of supply chain governance.

This governance perspective lays claim to be not only effective and efficient but alsoresponsible in designing international supply chains, both from an economic perspective but also from that of "good governance", paying special attention to non-corporate requirements and stakeholder interests.

The joint project OrGoLo extends to the interdisciplinary, participatory and science-based development, implementation, testing and evaluation of a knowledge-based collaboration platform type "Web 2.0". This collaboration platform supports the comprehensive design of cross-company, knowledge-intensive business processesin international value-adding networks with multiple assistance tools and an approach for adaptive knowledge management.

In the interest of the practical relevance of the project results, the coordination process places special emphasis on the freight transport, which form the basis of logistic business processes based and are carried out mainly by small or medium-sized shippers and logistics service providers (SMEs). For practical testing and evaluation of the concepts and assistance tools, an intensive exchange of experiences with interested parties from operational practice and other stakeholders will take place in the newly established „Dialogstelle Logistikeffizienz“  in Duisburg.

Essentially, three concrete, practically usable results are sought in the joint project OrGoLo. In addition to the aforementioned Web 2.0-based collaboration platform, the project aims at developing two innovative assistance tools.

First, a knowledge-based, adaptive tool for the responsible design of international supply chains will be created. It is based on the novel concept of knowledge management case-based reasonings (CBR), which was first used in a practice-oriented application environment to solve real operational problems. This CBR tool is specially tailored to the needs of SMEs and has a dedicated focus on exports, including customs and letter of credit processes.

Second, a tool for configuration of international supply chains will be designed and implemented. Again, it is specifically geared to the needs of SMEs in logistics. This supply configurator is based on a detailed, practical modeling and simulation of logistic business processes in international supply chains.

As a unique feature compared to other configuration tools, the tool developed here is the first to integrate aspects of the supply chain governance in the otherwise purely business-oriented supply chain design.

Further information:

http://www.orgolo.wiwi.uni-due.de/