As Head of Supply Chain Center of Excellence for Consumer Health at Bayer, Rolf Egger is responsible for key topics across the company’s global supply chain. His remit includes strategic supply chain initiatives, process management, capability building, and the further development of organizational structures.
What role does artificial intelligence play today in the supply chain of tomorrow?
Rolf Egger: Artificial intelligence already plays a role for us on several levels today. Employees use internal AI tools to work more efficiently and simplify routine tasks. At the same time, we are exploring concrete applications in planning and short-term supply chain decision-making through pilot and lighthouse projects.
From my perspective, one of the key levers for the future lies in the intelligent orchestration of the end-to-end value chain. AI should not exist separately from strategy, but rather be an integral part of it. It is equally important to define clearly where AI provides support and where humans remain responsible.
If we want to become more agile or resilient, AI can help us identify developments earlier and respond more quickly. However, for this potential to fully materialize, processes, decision-making logic, and operating rhythms also need to evolve. Companies that continue to operate solely in monthly cycles will only be able to leverage the possibilities of real-time AI to a limited extent.
In the joint project with KLU, the focus was on collaboration between humans and AI in work processes. Which insights did you find particularly valuable?
Rolf Egger: What I found especially valuable was that we were able to look at human-AI collaboration in a more differentiated way. This included understanding which factors influence trust, acceptance, and usage — such as age, background, explainability, or the quality of outcomes.
These insights helped us involve people more effectively and shape change processes more successfully. One important realization was that openness toward AI does not automatically depend on age. Not every young person is naturally a driver of these topics, while highly experienced employees can become strong advocates for AI. Alongside age, factors such as personal interest, openness, and individual background also play an important role.
Equally relevant is having clarity around roles and responsibilities: where humans make decisions, where machines provide support, and how collaboration between the two can function in a meaningful way.
How important is the exchange between academia and practice for the further development of supply chain organizations?
Rolf Egger: I consider this exchange extremely important. Companies learn internally through best practices, through dialogue with other companies, and through benchmarking. Research-driven universities, however, contribute an additional perspective.
Researchers and students possess deep expertise but are not shaped by the realities of day-to-day corporate operations. As a result, they ask different questions, challenge established structures, and provide valuable impulses. In addition, the academic approach — with structured analysis, experimentation, and data-driven insights — brings significant value.
At the same time, collaboration with universities helps us assess emerging developments at an early stage and approach future topics in a more systematic way. Last but not least, universities are also an important place for identifying talent and attracting future professionals.
KLU in three words?
Rolf Egger: Collaborative, practice-oriented, and future-focused. That is how I experience KLU through our partnership.
Bayer is a global life science company with core competencies in healthcare and nutrition. In its Consumer Health segment, the company markets internationally recognized brands in the field of health products.
More information
Dissertation in Collaboration with Bayer
Further editions of KLU Talks Business
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- with Frank Seeger, CO2OPT (6 December, 2023)
- with Sophie Drakopoulos, DB Schenker (4 October, 2023)
- with Markus Lehner, Encory (27 June, 2023)
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- with Prof. Dr. Ullrich Wegner,Cremer (7 December, 2022)
- with Dr. Philipp Wahl, Retail Capital Partners (6 October, 2022)
- with Dr.-Ing. Sven-Kelana Christiansen, Aurubis AG (23 June, 2022)
- with Dr. Nils Gimpel-Henning, KRONE FLEET Deutschland (12 April, 2022)
- with Dr. Oliver Reichel-Busch, Lufthansa Group (8 December, 2021)
- with Gabriele Maurer, Jungheinrich (18 September, 2021)
- with Søren Poulsgaard Jensen, Scandlines (26 May, 2021)
- with Dr. Steffen Wagner, KPMG Germany (18 February, 2021)
- with Robert Dohrendorf, Graphmasters (11 November, 2020)
- with Stefan Gall, Nippon Diesel Service (9 June, 2020)
- with Carmen Schmidt, Logistics Initiative Hamburg (22 April, 2020)
- with Martin Araman, Sovereign Speed (25 March, 2020)
