Proactive food waste prevention in grocery retail supply chains – an exploratory study

Purpose Regarding the retail internal supply chain (SC), both retailers and research are currently focused on reactive food waste reduction options in stores (e.g. discounting or donations). These options reduce waste after a surplus has emerged but do not prevent an emerging surplus in the first place. This paper aims to reveal how retailers can proactively prevent waste along the SC and why the options identified are impactful but, at the same time, often complex to implement. Design/methodology/approach The authors follow an exploratory approach for a nascent topic to obtain insights into measures taken in practice. Interviews with experts from retail build the main data source. Findings The authors identify and analyze 21 inbound, warehousing, distribution and store-related options applied in grocery retail. Despite the expected high overall impact on waste, prevention measures in inbound logistics and distribution and warehousing have not been intensively applied to date. Practical implications The authors provide a structured approach to mitigate waste within retailers' operations and categorize the types of barriers that need to be addressed. Originality/value This research provides a better understanding of prevention options in retail operations, which has not yet been empirically explored. Furthermore, this study conceptualizes prevention and reduction options and reveals implementation patterns

Characterization of Relationships in Data Ecosystems

The importance of data as a strategic resource for the development of innovation is steadily growing. Data-driven value creation increasingly requires cross-company collaboration between various actors with different roles in so called data ecosystems. So far, however, the existing knowledge in the research field around data ecosystems is still relatively limited. In particular, the relationships and interdependencies between the different actors in a data ecosystem are not well understood yet. To address this research gap, we conduct a structured literature review and interview eleven experts from practice to identify characteristics of relationships between actors in data ecosystems. Among other things, the results show that both tangible characteristics, such as a clear exchange of values, and intangible characteristics, such as trust, are distinguishing features of the relationships between actors in data ecosystems. These study results can serve as a tool for both researchers and practitioners to better understand data ecosystems in general and the relationships and interactions that occur within them

Surgery for non-Covid-19 patients during the pandemic.

In the early phase of the Covid-19 pandemic, mainly data related to the burden of care required by infected patients were reported. The aim of this study was to illustrate the timeline of actions taken and to measure and analyze their impact on surgical patients. This is a retrospective review of actions to limit Covid-19 spread and their impact on surgical activity in a Swiss tertiary referral center. Data on patient care, human resources and hospital logistics were collected. Impact on surgical activity was measured by comparing 6-week periods before and after the first measures were taken. After the first Swiss Covid-19 case appeared on February 25, progressively restrictive measures were taken over a period of 23 days. Covid-19 positive inpatients increased from 5 to 131, and ICU patients from 2 to 31, between days 10 and 30, respectively, without ever overloading resources. A 43% decrease of elective visceral surgical procedures was observed after Covid-19 (295 vs 165, p<0.01), while the urgent operations (all specialties) decreased by 39% (1476 vs 897, p<0.01). Fifty-two and 38 major oncological surgeries were performed, respectively, representing a 27% decrease (p = 0.316). Outpatient consultations dropped by 59%, from 728 to 296 (p<0.01). While allowing for maximal care of Covid-19 patients during the pandemic, the shift of resources limited the access to elective surgical care, with less impact on cancer care

Backlog control in optoelectronic production using a digital twin

Digital twins are becoming increasingly popular in industry and are being used in various areas, such as production planning and control. Logistics performance still needs to be improved, especially in highly complex and automated production processes such as optoelectronics. The significant challenges faced by industrial companies today, such as stricter quality standards, smaller quantities and shorter product life cycles, exacerbate this phenomenon. In this context, digital twins offer a point of reference for improvement by providing an additional database that can be used to make more informed decisions in realtime. The novel contribution of this paper is the design of a simulation as a digital twin in the context of optoelectronic production. It is used to simulate a variety of backlog scenarios in production planning and to provide an additional source of data for backlog control. We also present an application example of how the digital twin can reduce backlogs in the production process. The simulation indicates that the designed model can effectively support the improvement of logistics performance by addressing the significant challenges in modern production

Product Development through Co-Creation Communities - General Measures For A Distributed And Agile Planning Preparation in Cross-Company Production

The crises of recent years revealed the vulnerability of our global and linearly aligned value chains, and new concepts are being sought to meet ecological, economic and social demands. The possibility of producing locally at the place of need in adaptable and highly dynamic manufacturing networks is increasingly coming into focus. However, such structures would have to be built up laboriously, whereas an existing network of small and medium-sized enterprises is available in many industrial nations. Cross-Company Production (CCP) in such local networks could help to address the problems mentioned. Another recent phenomenon is the shift of development processes into the digital sphere and its simultaneous opening up to the public. Open development processes can offer considerable advantages by bundling the wisdom of the crowd across company boundaries, however the digital platforms for collaboration do not have their own product capacities. The interaction of Co-Creation Communities (CCC) and Cross-Company Production (CPP) networks could counter this shortcoming. To ensure cost-efficient production and success on the market, an early exchange of knowledge between development and production is targeted in every company through highly standardised processes in the field of Planning Preparation (PP) a subdivision of Operations Planning and Scheduling (OPS). In the new value creation constellation this exchange is limited, as high fluctuation, various developers and numerous companies involved lead to new challenges. In this approach, a meta synthesis of known innovation and product development processes was performed to gain a better understanding of their structure and to identify measures fulfilling the tasks of Planning Preparation (PP). Aligned with the principles of Cooper's Stage-Gate Process a basis of measures is built up. After that each measure is valued according to relevance and involvement for the introduced entities creating an overview of general measures. Finally, the need for a distributed and agile Planning Preparation (PP) is derived

Analyzing Supply Risks and Product Characteristics - A Systematic Literature Review

The environment in which companies operate is increasingly volatile and complex. This results in an increased exposure to disruptions. Past disruptions have especially affected procurement. Thus, companies need to prepare for disruptions. The preparedness for disruptions in the context of procurement is significantly influenced by the design of the procurement strategy. However, a high number of purchased articles and a variety of influencing factors lead to high complexity in procurement. The systematic design of the procurement strategy should therefore take into account the criticality of the purchased articles. This enables to focus on the purchased articles that have a high impact on the disruption preparedness. Existing approaches regarding the design of the procurement strategy in uncertain environments either lack practical applicability and objective evaluation or focus on the criticality of raw materials rather than of purchased articles. Therefore, a data-based approach for the systematic design of the procurement strategy in the context of the Internet of Production has been proposed. One central aspect of this approach is the identification of success-critical purchased articles. Thus, this paper proposes a framework for characterizing purchased articles regarding supply risks by combining two systematic analyses. First, a systematic literature review is performed to answer the question of what factors can be used to describe the supply risks of purchased articles. The results are analyzed regarding sources and impacts of risks and thus contribute to a structured characterization of supply risks. Second, existing criticality assessment approaches for raw materials are analyzed to identify categories and indicators that describe purchased articles. The results of both reviews provide the basis for linking product characteristics with supply risks and assessing product criticality which will be integrated into an app prototype

Identification Of Investigation Procedures To Predict Work Roll Fatigue For Developing Machine Learning Applications – A Systematic Literature Review

Machine learning approaches present significant opportunities for optimizing existing machines and production systems. Particularly in hot rolling processes, great potential for optimization can be exploited. Radial-axial ring rolling is a crucial process utilized to manufacture seamless rings. However, the failure of the mandrel represents a defect within the ring rolling process that currently cannot be adequately explained. Mandrel failure is unpredictable, occurs without a directly identifiable reason, and can appear several times a week depending on the ring rolling mill and capacity utilization. Broken rolls lead to unscheduled production downtimes, defective rings and can damage other machine parts. Considering the extensive recording of production data in ring rolling, the implementation of machine learning models for the prediction of such roll breaks offers great potential. To present a comprehensive overview of the potential influencing factors which are possibly relevant to the lifetime of mandrels, a systematic literature review (SLR) focusing on work roll wear in hot rolling processes is conducted. Based on the results of the SLR, a first selection of features and the used investigation procedures are presented. The insights can be used for the prediction of mandrel failure with machine learning models in further work

Classification Of Flow-Based Assembly Structures For The Planning Of Flexible Mixed-Model Assembly

The increasing product variance due to the growing individualization of customer requirements leads to smaller batch sizes and higher process time spreads in mixed-model assembly. The resulting decline in efficiency pushes conventional, less flexible assembly lines to the limits of their economic viability. Matrix assembly is an approach to increase flexibility and efficiency by decoupling workstations and dissolving cycle time constraints while maintaining flow. Both matrix and line assembly are flow-based assembly structures characterized by assembly objects moving according to the flow principle. Due to the numerous design options of flow-based assembly structures and the need to consider flexibility as a central decision criterion, the complexity of structural planning increases. The variety of the design options as well as their compatibility make it challenging for assembly planners to decide which configuration provides sufficient flexibility for their use case. This paper presents a novel level-based classification for flow-based assembly structures that identifies the relevant configurations, ranks them according to provided flexibility, and breaks down the characteristics as well as their compatibility. The classification enables planners to efficiently compile, evaluate and select the flow-based structure configurations suitable for the individual use case during assembly structure planning. Planning efficiency and results are improved by transparently providing all configurations and their characteristics' compatibility to the planner without any research effort. The configuration selection focusing on flexibility by means of the classification can be the starting point of a subsequent simulation of the system behavior concerning efficiency

Customer Perspective On The Purchase and Use Of Sustainable And Innovative Furniture In A Co-Creation Process

For developing a European industrial cooperation and involvement in the furniture industry, the international research project INEDIT conducted a survey for furniture customers. By finding out the needs and wishes of the customer regarding innovative products and the production process the project will establish a new way for designing and producing furniture. Within INEDIT a platform is built on which customized, technologically innovative and sustainable furniture can be created and produced in a co-creation process. The furniture industry should thus become significantly more flexible, transparent and sustainable. Following the "do-it-together" approach, a business ecosystem will be generated which creates added value not only for customers but also for designers, suppliers and manufacturing companies. In order to involve the customer even more actively in the design process and the production, the platform will provide access to a mix of digital and physical services and is linked to all other stakeholders in the value chain. To match the platform and the process to the needs, wishes and demands of the customer an anonymous survey with 300 participants was developed and conducted. By analyzing the survey, important factors were found for buying and for using furniture considering new technological inventions (e.g. 3D-printing or smart objects), sustainability of the products and the production process. Furthermore, the potential customer-group and their usage of the do-it-together process and additional activities can be tightened