Additive manufacturing remains for many companies a niche technology: metal 3D printing is an expensive method of production that is primarily used for building prototypes and making special components for the aerospace and med-tech sectors.
Consultancy Roland Berger has added to the strength of its Operations practice: New Senior Partner Michael Pleuger, a seasoned expert in procurement and supply chain functions, is supporting the team's global activities, having joined the company on October 1.
China is fast becoming the driver of global innovation in the automotive industry. In the race to claim a slice of the future market for mobility services, the Middle Kingdom has taken the lead. One in every two electric cars sold in the first half of 2018 went to a customer in China.
Trucking is the leading mode of freight transportation in the world today. Some 70 percent of goods are shipped by road in Europe and the United States, with the figure in China topping 75 percent. And there will be no let-up in demand in the years to come.
Digitalization and new business models have created a growing gap between product creation and product sales in the banking sector. Digital platforms are already giving incumbent banks' competitors access to the majority of their customer base and could enable them to market their services to consumers on an even greater scale in the future.
More and more people are choosing pedal power to get from A to B in the urban environment – and bike sharing enables them to do so quickly, cheaply and conveniently. The dynamic pace of growth in this field has done much more than merely bring the big Asian bike sharing providers into the arena – it has triggered a veritable race to control the market.
Eight out of ten companies are currently devoting time and resources to the issue of predictive maintenance in a bid to improve the cost-benefit ratio of their products, plant and systems. But their engagement often goes no further than collecting operational data. Yet predictive maintenance is about so much more than that.
The world's seven leading automotive nations – Germany, France, Italy, the US, Japan, China and Korea – are pressing forward emphatically with their e-mobility efforts.
From e-mobility to the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), 5G and digitalization, the list is almost endless. These disruptions lead to the emergence of new products, services and business models in the blink of an eye. In this volatile environment, procurement plays a crucial role across all industry verticals.
Electrical propulsion in aerospace is set to bring low-noise, low-emission, and potentially even safer hybrid-electric flight to market within the next 15 years. The pace of development is quickening: With roughly 100 different aircraft programs in development, the number of projects has increased by more than 30 percent since 2017.
Around one quarter of companies are not satisfied with the performance of their headquarters. The main reason is that corporate HQs (CHQ) are not up to the challenge of digital transformation and the pressure to innovate. It is evident that CHQ's claim to support modern, digital structures and processes is far removed from reality.
Fashion and lifestyle companies need to operate with speed and flexibility to cope with the tough competition from fast-fashion retailers, the need to be present in digital channels and the changes in the way modern consumers communicate and shop. Players have no choice but to adapt their entire supply chain to the new customer demands they face.