Prof. Dr. Richard Gräẞler
Wirtschaftsinstitut
Email:
richard.graessler@hs-ruhrwest.de
Telephone:
+49 208 88254-365
Field of expertise: Business Administration, especially Operations & Supply Chain Management / E-Commerce
“Expert in Operational Excellence in Operations & Supply Chain Management”
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Richard Gräßler has been Professor of Business Administration, specialising in Operations & Supply Chain Management and E-Commerce, at Hochschule Ruhr West since 1 March 2013. In this field, he combines classical production and logistics management with new, advanced approaches in international Operations & Supply Chain Management (OSCM), Lean Management (Lean Manufacturing/Lean Production), and E-Commerce/E-Business across the economic sectors of industry, logistics (including logistics services), and trade. He is particularly fascinated by the fact that these topics lie at the intersection of engineering, computer science, and business administration.
He discovered his passion for production and logistics management during his studies in Mechanical Engineering, specialising in Manufacturing Technology, at Ruhr University Bochum and RWTH Aachen University. In 1999, he earned his doctorate at the Chair of Production Systems, Machine Tool Laboratory, RWTH Aachen University. During his fifteen years of experience in renowned industrial companies, he worked as a manager and operations director responsible for order processing, supply chain management, product development, procurement, production, logistics, and IT systems. In this capacity, he gained experience with mechanical, electronic, and mechatronic products in the automotive industry, ship drives, and mechanical engineering. His key areas of expertise include Just-In-Sequence assembly, Lean Manufacturing, procurement, production and distribution logistics, production planning and control, inventory management, logistics controlling, physical logistics, ERP systems, E-Procurement, and E-Commerce.
Person
Previous professional experience in industry and academia
- In 1999, he began his industrial career as a Global Logistics Specialist and later as Head of the CAD/CAM Centre department in the automotive industry at TEMIC TELEFUNKEN microelectronic GmbH, a subsidiary of Daimler AG in Nuremberg. The manufacturer of electrical and hybrid control units as well as mechatronic components was sold to Continental AG in 2001.
- In 2002, he joined Sachsenring Fahrzeugtechnik GmbH, where he was Head of Logistics responsible for Just-in-Sequence (JIS) assembly and supply for automobile production in Zwickau.
- In 2004, he took on the role of Head of Production and Logistics, assuming responsibility for order-specific development, procurement, production, and distribution in the manufacture of ship drives and large bevel gears at Voith Turbo Marine GmbH & Co. KG in Heidenheim. At this subsidiary of Voith AG, which became independent in 2004, he completely rebuilt the procurement and logistics departments. His responsibilities included the planning, construction, and operation of a warehouse with an automated high-bay storage system for several Voith divisions.
- In 2007, he joined Mettler-Toledo (Albstadt) GmbH in Albstadt as Head of Operations. He was responsible for Operations and Supply Chain Management of industrial and retail scales. At the same time, he was a member of the steering committee for the group-wide Lean Manufacturing initiative of Mettler-Toledo AG. Within the Mettler-Toledo Group, he developed and managed the global production and supply chain for several newly developed industrial products using a postponement strategy. In this approach, modules and components for global use are produced or procured and pre-assembled at one facility. Upon order receipt, the final assembly of the product takes place at the assembly hub closest to the customer, or, for fast-moving variants, direct delivery is made from a logistics hub.
- From 2012 to 2014, he held teaching assignments at the Faculty of Plant, Energy and Machine Systems at the Technical University of Cologne in the Master’s programmes Mechanical Engineering – Product Development and Mechanical Engineering – Automation (M.Sc.). In the winter semester, he taught the compulsory module "Integrated Production Management" (5 ECTS, 8 contact hours per week), and in the summer semester, the elective module "Advanced Topics in Production Management" (5 ECTS, 6 contact hours per week).
- From 2012 to 2014, he held teaching assignments at the Faculty of Plant, Energy and Machine Systems at the Technical University of Cologne in the Master’s programmes Mechanical Engineering – Product Development and Mechanical Engineering – Automation (M.Sc.). He developed the compulsory module "Integrated Production Management" (5 ECTS) and the elective module "Advanced Topics in Production Management" (5 ECTS).
- Bundesvereinigung Logistik e.V. (Federal Association of Logistics, BVL)
- Bundesverband Materialwirtschaft, Einkauf und Logistik e.V. (Federal Association for Materials Management, Purchasing and Logistics, BME)
- Verein Deutscher Ingenieure e.V. (Association of German Engineers, VDI)
- VDI-Gesellschaft Produktion und Logistik (VDI Society for Production and Logistics, GPL)
- Verband Deutscher Wirtschaftsingenieure e.V. (Association of German Industrial Engineers, VWI)
- Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM), ehemals Association for Supply Chain & Operations Management (APICS)
- APICS Supply Chain Council (SCC)
Research and Cooperation
- Operations Management and Production Management
- Logistics and Supply Chain Management
- Lean Manufacturing, Lean Production, Lean Management
- Digitalisation, Industry 4.0, Internet of Things
- Global Production and Logistics Networks
- Technical Logistics
- Operations and Supply Chain Management for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs)
- Sustainability Management
- E-Commerce, E-Business, E-Procurement
Supervision of practical semesters, research projects, Bachelor’s and Master’s theses
- All tasks related to the aforementioned areas of work and research focus
- All tasks involving interfaces with these focus areas
- Economic sectors: industry, logistics (including logistics services), and trade
- Work conducted in both German and English