Joint research project

Ober-Ramstadt, 9th November 2015 (DAW) - Since the start of this year the supply chain team at the building paints and insulation system manufacturer, DAW SE (Deutsche Amphibolin-Werke), has been co-operating with Professor Richard Pibernik, proprietor of the Chair for Logistics and Quantitative Methods in Business Administration at the University of Würzburg. Now this has produced a definitive research and development project: Pibernik and his employees are supporting DAW in the development and application of novel techniques for the strategic design of their production and logistics network. "Our claim to be the innovation leader is not restricted just to product innovations, but also covers innovative, forward-looking concepts in the fields of customer service, logistics and production," says Daniel Weber, a member of the DAW Executive Board and Managing Director Supply Chain. In the results from the project with the University of Würzburg we see an important building block in the future alignment of our European supply chain," adds Weber. Dr. Mark Jacquemin, Manager of the Department Planning & Logistic Customer Service at DAW supervises the research project with the University of Würzburg. He emphasises, "Apart from high-quality products, DAW regards that ensuring customer satisfaction through an effective service organisation is an important factor for success on the market." The team from the Chair for Logistics and Quantitative Methods in Business Administration can apply its extensive experience in relation to these strategic problems. Pibernik has been working for many years in research, together with global partners from science and practice (including MIT, Bell Labs and Alcatel-Lucent), on the global design of production and logistics networks. "It gives me pleasure and it is also very interesting now to be able to use this experience for a German family-managed traditional company with strong regional roots," says Pibernik. A special challenge in logistics A total of eight brands share a common roof at DAW SE; the family-managed company is therefore one of Europe's leading suppliers of coating systems such as paints, enamels, insulation systems and comparable products. The headquarters of DAW SE is located in Ober-Ramstadt in the Odenwald and world-wide it employs approx. 5,600 people, 3,500 of them in Germany. The extensive range of products presents the Würzburg researchers with some special challenges. "DAW has a complex system of strong brands for the widest variety of sales channels, a broad and very heterogeneous product range and various sorts of production technologies," says Richard Pibernik. For example, insulation materials are extremely light, but very bulky, whereas enamels are usually accommodated in small cans, but are heavy on the scales. In addition, DAW does not just supply DIY superstores, but also specialist retailers, painter operations and large building sites. Consequently, the logistics are elaborate – particularly as the eight brands each have their own and individual presence to make them visible to the public. "For the research numerous questions arise from this which go beyond the classical 'optimising projects' in logistics," says Pibernik. For example there is the question of how a production and logistics network can be guaranteed whilst ensuring brand identity and integrity. Results are used for teaching The intensified co-operation between DAW and the University of Würzburg is also to be used in teaching the students. Along with practical contacts for students and graduates, it is planned to generate innovative teaching content from the project for lectures and seminars. "We want to make the results and models of this research project available in an abridged form to students for exercising their skills. In this way the quantitative principles as well as the definitive questions for the management are imparted to the budding business economists interactively and with the aid of "genuine" Software.