An Approach Towards Securing Future Viability Of SMEs In A VUCA World Using Artificial Intelligence To Increase Resilience

Research output: Chapter in book/report/conference proceedingConference contributionResearchpeer review

Authors

  • Lena Wecken
  • Tobias Heinen
  • Peter Nyhuis

External Research Organisations

  • GREAN GmbH & Co. KG
View graph of relations

Details

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the Conference on Production Systems and Logistics
Pages489-498
Number of pages10
Publication statusPublished - 2023
Event4th Conference on Production Systems and Logistics, CPSL 2023 - Santiago de Querétaro, Canada
Duration: 28 Feb 20232 Mar 2023

Abstract

Global crises pose major challenges for production companies: Rising material and energy costs, supply bottlenecks and the lack of planning certainty due to the dynamics of a pandemic or war weaken the planning stability. In this volatile, uncertain, complex and ambivalent environment (VUCA world), companies need responsible employees who recognise the individual need for action and initiate concrete measures early to increase a company’s resilience. These measures affect multiple divisions. For example, disruptions in the supply chain are mitigated by various configuration elements such as expanding the supplier network or increasing stock in the company's own production. Therefore, measures encompass every element of the value network, whether in production or logistics. The example also shows that measures to increase resilience can influence other target characteristics of a company: Inventory increases can buy resilience at the expense of resource efficiency. Thus, measures must be defined for each design element depending on individual requirements in terms of resilience and must consider the scope for action of the respective company. This poses a great challenge, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Here, decision-making is done by generalists who often do not have the detailed knowledge for this specific problem or the capacity for this additional task. The danger is that SMEs will take insufficient measures that do not secure their future viability in a VUCA world. In this paper, a solution approach for a methodology is presented, that allows to derive influences on production companies from the developments in a VUCA world and measures to increase resilience can be identified depending on individual company characteristics. Furthermore, a possible conceptualisation of the methodology in an AI-based software product is presented, which supports SMEs in the outlined complex problem by enabling them to apply the methodology. Both will be realised in a research project.

Keywords

    Future Viability, Resilience, Resilience Measurements, SME, VUCA

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Sustainable Development Goals

Cite this

An Approach Towards Securing Future Viability Of SMEs In A VUCA World Using Artificial Intelligence To Increase Resilience. / Wecken, Lena; Heinen, Tobias; Nyhuis, Peter.
Proceedings of the Conference on Production Systems and Logistics. 2023. p. 489-498.

Research output: Chapter in book/report/conference proceedingConference contributionResearchpeer review

Wecken, L, Heinen, T & Nyhuis, P 2023, An Approach Towards Securing Future Viability Of SMEs In A VUCA World Using Artificial Intelligence To Increase Resilience. in Proceedings of the Conference on Production Systems and Logistics. pp. 489-498, 4th Conference on Production Systems and Logistics, CPSL 2023, Santiago de Querétaro, Canada, 28 Feb 2023. https://doi.org/10.15488/13467
Wecken, L., Heinen, T., & Nyhuis, P. (2023). An Approach Towards Securing Future Viability Of SMEs In A VUCA World Using Artificial Intelligence To Increase Resilience. In Proceedings of the Conference on Production Systems and Logistics (pp. 489-498) https://doi.org/10.15488/13467
Wecken L, Heinen T, Nyhuis P. An Approach Towards Securing Future Viability Of SMEs In A VUCA World Using Artificial Intelligence To Increase Resilience. In Proceedings of the Conference on Production Systems and Logistics. 2023. p. 489-498 doi: 10.15488/13467
Wecken, Lena ; Heinen, Tobias ; Nyhuis, Peter. / An Approach Towards Securing Future Viability Of SMEs In A VUCA World Using Artificial Intelligence To Increase Resilience. Proceedings of the Conference on Production Systems and Logistics. 2023. pp. 489-498
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