Bio- and regenera- tive Medicine as an important growth Market

34 HHL RESEARCH REPORT 2012
HeinZ nixdorF cHair oF it-BaSed logiSticS
“natural catastophes
affect Humanitarian
logistics”
Humanitarian logistics represent a
highly complex as well as specialized
field of logistics. Humanitarian aid
is at the center of attention, even if it
cannot be detached from economic
criteria. HHL as a business school considered
it both an honor and duty for
the Heinz Nixdorf Chair of IT-based
Logistics to be able to work in the
“Humanitarian Logistics” research
group by the Bundes vereinigung
Logistik (Federal Logistics Association,
BVL) and to contribute its
experience in the field of logistics.
Prof. Dr. Hausladen, about USD
100 billion is spent on humanitarian aid
each year. What role do logistics play in
saving lives and delivering supplies?
Prof. Dr. Hausladen: Logistics has the
central task of providing people in need
with supplies of drinking water, food,
tents and medication etc ., controlling
and coordinating the delive ries and is
therefore vitally important – logistics
represents the crystal nucleus of humani
tarian aid . It is the connection between
organization and supply, shipping
and transport in addition to distribution
of relief goods on location . It facilitates
the presence of first responders and
medical staff as well . Humanitarian
logistics cannot prevent catastrophes
but contribute to easing the impact and
support sustainable devel opment, e .g .
rebuilding self-sustaining infrastructures
in the disaster regions .
The famine in east Africa with more
than 12 million people suffering, the
earthquake in Haiti with over 220,000
victims or the flood in Pakistan affecting
more than 20 million people:
it seems the number of natural catastrophes
is increasing. What challenges
do logistics face in this respect?
Prof. Dr. Hausladen: These past events
unfortunately confirm the experts‘ prognoses
that there will be more natural
catastrophes . This development affects
humanitarian logistics in many ways
and brings on enormous challenges .
Development aid is a continuous task
within logistics, meaning the annual
capacities regarding human and financial
resources can be planned by comparing
the previous figures, although
the resources in the event of a catastrophe
need to be provided immediately
and often in a decentralized manner .
These capacities cannot be quantified
beforehand and most importantly
they cannot be stockpiled exclusively
either . Efficient logistics in the event of
a natural disaster therefore requires an
unbureaucratic, fast activation of logistical
resources which is often accompanied
by the labor of many volunteers .
However, this can only be successful if
assistance scenarios are designed for
potential catastrophes; cooperation and
communication structures between the
main actors are established sustainably;
humanitarian aid processes are, to a
large extent, documented and standardized;
and catastrophe relief measures
are simulated and practiced in a “training
environment” . The greatest importance
is to be attached to the coordination
of relief organizations, public
institutions, logistics providers, etc . in
a regional, national and, particularly, in
an international context .
How can logistical processes be improved,
especially with regard to the
cooperation between service providers
and relief organizations?
Prof. Dr. Hausladen: The field of
humanitarian logistics encompasses
various logistical processes . This starts
with the definition of strategies and
budget planning for humanitarian projects,
and continues with scheduling aid
in the disaster regions to classic logistical
processes such as storing, picking,
loading, shipping and distributing .
Basically, the same requirements and
possibilities of business process management
and process optimization as in
industrial logistics apply to humanitarian
logistics . However, due to the special
ad hoc nature of disaster logistics and
the diversity of actors involved, often
acting in an uncoordinated manner,
optimization plans are much more
difficult in practice . A gradual improvement
in the cooperation together with
optimized processes can be reached by
cooperation agreements, codes of conduct,
communication platforms etc .
What can humanitarian logistics learn
from other industries?
Prof. Dr. Hausladen: Humanitarian
logis tics has many structural features in
common with industrial but also trade
logistics regarding the basic tasks and
objectives, i .e . providing the right product
in the right place at the right time
with an appropriate quality . Approved
concepts and methods from procurement,
storage, distribution and maintenance
logistics for various industries
(e .g . automotive, chemical, health care)
offer an excellent initial basis for the
transfer and adaptation of the elements
to the specific requirements of catastrophe
logistics . Beyond that, approaches
to crisis and catastrophe management,
development aid (in the form of permanent
humanitarian aid) may be examined
related to their logistics-relevant
transfer and application potential .
Would preventive measures also be
possible?
Prof. Dr. Hausladen: Of course, preventive
measures can be defined for
humani tarian logistics to a limited
extent as well . This does not mean, however,
that tons of medication and relief
goods can be stored for years or means
of transport can be reserved exclusively
for ad hoc emergencies . I do see some
potential in the layout and standardization
of the logistical processes, the
scenario planning and simulation, the
establishment of strategic cooperations
as well as in the development of
concepts for initial phase logistics for
humanitarian projects . In my opinion, all
these diverse and complex aspects could
be bundled into an integrated logistics
system – in this context, I would like to
refer to my publication on this topic –
for the purpose of effective prevention .
SuSTAinABiLiTY And COMPETiTivEnESS 35
HHl wins national
leading-edge cluster
competition
Together with about 40 partner
companies and half a dozen research
institutions from Saxony-Anhalt
and Saxony, HHL won the Leading-
Edge Cluster Competition by the
Federal Ministry of Education
and Research (BMBF) with the
“BioEconomy” project in early 2012 .
The BioEconomy Cluster in central
Germany, which will receive up to
EUR 40m from the BMBF, focuses
on the integrated material and energetic
use of non-food biomass for the
production of materials, chemicals,
energy carriers and products from
new materials . Cross-cluster material
flow management as well as the
development, scaling and implementation
of production procedures by
the industry allow for the optimization
of value added from biomass .
With the support of the Helmholtz-
Zentrum für Umweltforschung - UFZ,
the Deutsches BiomasseForschungs-
Zentrum - DBFZ, as well as
InfraLeuna GmbH, HHL’s Heinz
enzYMATIC
HYDRolYSIS
Nixdorf Chair of IT-based Logistics,
Stiftungsfonds Deutsche Bank Chair
of Innovation Management and
Entrepreneurship along with the
Chair of Marketing Management are
responsible for the accompanying
research within the cluster focusing
on the development of competitive
strategies and control tools .
Specifically, HHL is involved in
the projects of Material Flow
Management, Innovation and
Marketing Management as well as
Governance and Cluster Management .
Prof . Dr . Iris Hausladen says on
behalf of her HHL colleagues:
“The project started on July 1, 2012
with a consolidation of the experience
of all partners involved in deliberations
on the BioEconomy Cluster
Strategy . The next concrete steps
are the documentation and analysis
of established material flows and
their logistical concepts, an analysis
of the market, positioning, innovation
and start-up potential as well
WooD/BARK/ReSIDuAl MATeRIAlS
AlCoHol-WATeR-PulPInG
enzYMATIC
HYDRolYSIS
as the development of the tools of
control for the cluster management .
Thanks to the intensive practical
collaboration with companies from
the cluster region and the interdisciplinary
project approach at the
interface of technology, economy
and environment, the chairs involved
in this project can not only develop
and transfer methodological skills
and experience in the highly innovative
field of BioEconomy but also
strengthen and expand their position
in the scientific landscape .
HHL is looking forward to the exciting
collaboration between natural
science and business practice . As
the German top manager Eberhard
von Kuenheim once said: ‘Philosophy,
technology and social sciences
must meet more often . They should
find a common language .’ If you
add economic sciences as a supplementary
category to this list,
the BioEconomy Leading-Edge
Cluster is a wonderful example .”
An example of a discussion subject within
the BioEconomy Leading-Edge Cluster:
the organosolv pulping of wood as well as
possible applications of the products
BASe-CATAlYzeD-
DePolYMeRISATIon
GluCoSe XYloSe PHenolS
feRMenTATIon
e.G. SuCCInIC ACID, lACTIC
ACID foR BIoPlASTICS
AlCoHol ReCYClInG
CelluloSe HeMICelluloSe lIGnIn
e.G. THeRMoSeTTInG
MATeRIAl
Source: ©Fraunhofer CBP