arburgXvision 11: Making your supply chain work for you

Die Experten Stefan Schrauf von PwC Deutschland (Bildschirm), Arburg-Geschäftsführer Guido Frohnhaus (l.) und Arburg-Entwicklungsleiter Werner Faulhaber (Mitte) diskutierten mit Moderator Guido Marschall das spannende Thema Lieferketten. (Foto: ARBURG) / The experts Stefan Schrauf from PwC Germany (screen), Arburg Managing Director Guido Frohnhaus (l.) and Arburg Development Director Werner Faulhaber (centre) discussed the exciting topic of supply chains with host Guido Marschall. (Photo: Arburg)

– Main topic: Secure supply chains as a strategic advantage
– Great interest: a live audience of about 1,250 and another 1,400 involved in the follow-up
– Top class: Experts from Arburg and PricewaterhouseCoopers Germany

On 17 February 2022, Arburg continued its successful interactive digital format “arburgXvision” with a new highlight. “Supply chain with tenacity – secure supply chains as a strategic advantage” was the main topic discussed by top-class experts Guido Frohnhaus, Arburg Managing Director Technology & Engineering, Werner Faulhaber, Arburg Divisional Manager Development, and Stefan Schrauf, Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers Germany (PwC). On top of this, Ralf Felisoni, Head of Procurement, explained to the audience what makes Arburg unique – namely the high in-house production capacity, the large internal network and stable supply chains.

On “www.arburgxvision.com” and in the social media, an audience of about 1,250 watched the eleventh broadcast live. Then, in the familiar manner, it was also made available in the mediatheque. In the follow-up (as at 21.02.2022) about 1,400 interested parties have taken the opportunity to view this broadcast on the event website or in the social media channels. This exceptional response shows that Arburg has hit the nail on the head with its choice of topics – the ultimate hot topic at present –, the first-class experts and the new, more focused format. The one-hour, German-language programme features a discussion session in the Arburg studio with two company representatives and an external expert, along with an in-depth look at the company, offering exciting insights into practical applications. Viewers could also participate in the programme by asking questions.

Exciting survey results

The live survey results showed that the top subject of supply chains is a global issue: three quarters of the participants said that they did not see supply chain disruptions as a short-term phenomenon. 45 percent currently rely on larger warehouses and 33 percent on multiple suppliers as a way of resolving the issue. 96 percent of respondents confirmed that secure supply chains have great or very great potential. This is something Arburg has been successfully relying on for decades, combined with a high degree of in-house production capacity at the central development and production site in Lossburg.

Central development and production

The experts thoroughly discussed the advantages of Arburg's strategy during the programme. “What we can do (better) ourselves, we better do ourselves,” was Guido Frohnaus' mission statement. A global supply chain is optimised in regards to costs and time, but it breaks down quickly if one of the parties involved fails. Arburg therefore relies on local, stable supply chains and a high degree of in-house production in Lossburg. Some other important considerations are the fact that Arburg has remained loyal to its business partners for decades, practices active risk management and considers a complete cost analysis of the entire supply chain.

Flexible network under one roof

Ralf Felisoni explained how Arburg was able to ensure procurement and production during the difficult year of 2021, regardless of supply bottlenecks: “We can rely on our own large network and are able to work very flexibly with our colleagues from development, technical processing, assembly and production to find alternatives for components that are difficult or impossible to procure, and to plan and install these accordingly.”

Delivery capability and innovative strength

Werner Faulhaber used the example of the control system, which Arburg develops and builds itself, in order to explain this effectively in the discussion session. The in-house PCB manufacturing made it possible to react quickly and flexibly to supply bottlenecks with redesigns.

Having development and production under one roof is not only beneficial in terms of delivery capability, but also in terms of sustainable spare parts supply and innovative strength. One example of this is the powertrain, where the acquisition of AMKmotion brings everything together under the umbrella of the Arburg family, enabling the company to successfully drive developments forward.

Successful strategy

Stefan Schrauf reiterated the success of Arburg's strategy, which provides the company with a key distinguishing feature. He went on to explain that the impact of COVID-19 is leading to a shift in supply chain priorities: “We are seeing a clear transition towards more regionalised, resilient and sustainable end-to-end supply chain solutions.”

Concentrated expert knowledge at all times

The episode on the subject of supply chains, like all previous ones, is freely available in the media library (www.arburgxvision.com). This means that anyone interested can find out about important topics in the plastics industry at any time. Date for the next live broadcast is 19 May 2022, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.