Alexander Schmid from the Institute for Digital Transformation & Strategy (IDS) demonstrated at the 2026 Annual Procurement Forum of the Austrian Centre for Productivity and Efficiency (ÖPWZ) how raw data can be used to derive valuable insights for procurement and logistics with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The focus was on concrete applications from business practice and the translation of research into usable solutions.
AI Between Research and Business Practice
The head of the Competence Team Human-Centred Technology and AI Assistance in Delivery and Transport Logistics (HumAInLog) at the IDS – funded by the City of Vienna (MA 23) – spoke at the ÖPWZ’s Forum Einkauf Annual Meeting 2026 about how companies can effectively use AI and real-time data to improve decision-making in procurement and logistics.
Together with Christian Schweiger, Head of Procurement at KLINGER Fluid Control GmbH, and Ruben Hetfleisch from Klartext AI, Alexander Schmid delivered the opening presentation titled “From Apprentice to Journeyman for the Master: Artificial Intelligence in Procurement”. The presentation team combined scientific approaches with concrete operational applications.
Making Data Visible and Usable
Using examples from KLINGER Fluid Control GmbH, the HumAInLog project leader demonstrated the contributions that digitalization can already make today. A Big Data Analytics Platform (BDAP) consolidates real-time data from various IT systems and clearly presents relevant key performance indicators. This provides all levels of decision-makers within the company – from management to frontline employees – with well-founded information derived from comprehensive raw data, serving as the basis for better decisions.
An interactive supplier dashboard, in turn, provides transparency on key metrics such as price trends, on-schedule delivery, replenishment times, and quality. In addition, stochastic demand forecasts were presented. These involve analyzing historical consumption data to predict future material requirements as accurately as possible and to better balance inventory levels and delivery capability.
Technology Should Support People
The approaches presented are closely linked to HumAInLog. The competence team is investigating how technologies and AI-based assistance systems can be used to make logistics processes more efficient and sustainable while also taking people’s needs into account.
The presentation at ÖPWZ thus made it clear that digitalization and AI are not ends in themselves. The key is to integrate data, processes, and technological tools in a way that supports people in making informed decisions.