Spotlight: Supply Chain

“We are in a global systemic crisis.” – With these emphatic words, Prof. Thomas F. Hofmann, President of TU Munich, opened TUM Talk 2022. The reason: global supply chains have become unbalanced in many places in recent years. So how can they become more resilient in the future?

This question was the linchpin of the renowned expert format. This year’s TUM Talk was moderated by Prof. Helmut Krcmar, founding dean (2018-2020) and representative of the president for TUM Campus Heilbronn. The approximately 130 guests experienced a lively and intensive exchange among top-class speakers from science and business. 

Clemens Fuest, president of the ifo Institute, emphasized right at the beginning: “We are in a situation that we have never had before in terms of the overall economy.” The reactions of companies to this are diverse, as the conversations on and off the podium made clear. However, they agree on the necessary approach: resilience is flexibility. There was also agreement from the panelists, such as Laura Karbach, member of the board at RECARO Aircraft Seating, and Katja Burkert, Chief Information Officer at the Heilbronn-based sports retailer INTERSPORT. Burkert emphasized, “A close, transparent exchange with our dealers and a new logistics center helped us to react flexibly to changes.