DFG Research Training Group 1703 "Resource Efficiency in Interorganizational Networks"

Welcome to the website of the Research Training Group 1703
“Resource Efficiency in Interorganizational Networks - Planning Methods to Utilize Renewable Resources“

Renewable raw materials are becoming increasingly important as an alternative resource base in industrial interorganizational networks. The Research Training Group develops methods to improve the efficient use of renewable resources in production processes with by-products.

Forests cover about one third of the national area of Germany and are of great economic importance: the renewable resource wood provides a basis for the employment of about 1.1 million people in the economic sector “Forestry and Wood” in Germany and 3.5 million people in Europe. At the wood processing, large amounts of by-products accrue, which are used as co-products materially or for the conversion into bioenergy. The sequential use of the same wood resource for material and energetic purposes is a classic example of cascade use. However, the quantification of the potential advantages and disadvantages of this sequential use of resources along the value chain is methodologically ambitious and has been little studied from the individual company perspective.

Therefore, lignocellulosic materials are selected as common starting point in our RTG. From the business administration's perspective, lignocellulosics are suitable for manufacturing as well as for the process industry and require appropriate planning methods. The material sciences deal with the question how by-products can be used in the production of innovative products. To identify economic incentives, models and methods of Operations Research are used for decision support. Besides the requirements towards single enterprises the consequences on corporate level are investigated, especially the configuration of information management and data interchange, the business relations as well as the organization structures. Furthermore, consideration of the selling markets completes the analysis and allows conclusions on the requirements towards product design.

The common access to the research topic resource efficiency by the participating faculties of forestry, mathematics and economic sciences facilitates a broad understanding of current issues to gain generalizable results for operational and corporate planning. Synergy effects and knowledge transfer are conveyed purposeful through the suggested qualification program. Initiative and personal responsibility are emphasized.