Ralf Seifert
Full Professor
ralf.seifert@epfl.ch +41 21 693 00 22 http://tom.epfl.ch
Citizenship: German and Swiss
+41 21 693 00 22
EPFL
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CDM
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CDM-MTE
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MTE-ENS
EPFL CDM MTEI TOM
ODY 1 03 (Odyssea)
Station 5
1015 Lausanne
+41 21 693 00 22
+41 21 693 00 39
Office:
ODY 1 03
EPFL
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CDM
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MTEI
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TOM
Web site: Web site: https://www.epfl.ch/labs/tom/
Fields of expertise
Biography
Ralf W. Seifert is Professor of Technology & Operations Management (TOM) at the College of Management of Technology (CDM) at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) since 2003. His primary research and teaching interests relate to operations management, supply chain strategy and technology network management. He is also active in industry analysis, international project work and new venture formation. Based on his work with companies, Professor Seifert has co-authored more than 30 case studies covering different industries. These efforts have been recognized by multiple international case awards granted by EFMD in 2018, 2012, 2009 and 2003, ECCH in 2011 and 2006, as well as POMS in 2004. He continues to actively research issues of supply chain strategy, supply chain finance and technology management and has more than 70 articles and international conference presentations to his credit. In addition, he co-authored two books: one focused on strategic supply chain management and another one concerning start-up challenges of technology ventures. In parallel to his appointment at EPFL, he continues to serve a position at IMD, were he has been appointed Professor of Operations Management in 2000. Prior to joining IMD, Professor Seifert studied and worked in Germany, Japan and the US. He earned PhD and MS degrees in Management Science at Stanford University, a Diplom Ingenieur degree in Mechanical Engineering at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and a Master's degree in Integrated Manufacturing Systems Engineering from North Carolina State University. While in the US, he consulted for Hewlett-Packard and served as Teaching and Research Assistant at Stanford University. In Germany he worked for Booz & Company, McKinsey & Company and Freudenberg & Co. In addition, he spent one year as a Visiting Scholar in Operations Research at Waseda University in Tokyo.Publications
Infoscience publications
Main publications
2023
Quantitative Methods for Omnichannel Decision-Making
Lausanne, EPFL, 2023. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-10058.Optimizing Sales Forecasting, Inventory, Pricing and Sourcing Decisions
Lausanne, EPFL, 2023. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-10040.Assortment optimization using an attraction model in an omnichannel environment
European Journal Of Operational Research. 2023. DOI : 10.1016/j.ejor.2022.08.002.Utilizing additive manufacturing and mass customization under capacity constraints
Journal Of Intelligent Manufacturing. 2023-01-01. DOI : 10.1007/s10845-022-02007-x.Information Retrieval Under Network Uncertainty: Robust Internet Ranking
Operations Research. 2023. DOI : 10.1287/opre.2022.2298.2022
A Machine Learning-based Framework for Forecasting Sales of New Products With Short Life Cycles Using Deep Neural Networks
International Journal of Forecasting. 2022-11-16. DOI : 10.1016/j.ijforecast.2022.09.005.Limiting the impact of supply chain disruptions in the face of distributional uncertainty in demand
Production And Operations Management. 2022-09-06. DOI : 10.1111/poms.13781.Managing Perishability in the Fruit and Vegetable Supply Chains
Sustainability. 2022-05-01. DOI : 10.3390/su14095378.Modeling and mitigating supply chain disruptions as a bilevel network flow problem
Computational Management Science. 2022-02-28. DOI : 10.1007/s10287-022-00421-3.Why Do Companies Need Operational Flexibility to Achieve Sustainability at Source?
Sustainability. 2022. DOI : 10.3390/su14010367.2021
Benefiting from additive manufacturing for mass customization across the product life cycle
Operations Research Perspectives. 2021-01-01. DOI : 10.1016/j.orp.2021.100201.Industry 4.0 Technologies and Customer-centricity for Digital Supply Chains
Lausanne, EPFL, 2021. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-10736.Modeling Supply Chain Disruptions: A Network Flow Approach
Lausanne, EPFL, 2021. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-10689.Manufacturing Management in Process Industries: The Impact of Market Conditions and Capital Expenditure on Firm Performance
IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management. 2021. DOI : 10.1109/TEM.2019.2914995.2020
Product assortment and space allocation strategies to attract loyal and non-loyal customers
European Journal Of Operational Research. 2020-09-16. DOI : 10.1016/j.ejor.2020.02.019.Mitigating Product Shortage Due to Disruptions in Multi-Stage Supply Chains
Production And Operations Management. 2020-04-01. DOI : 10.1111/poms.13286.2019
Is Demand Planning Ready for AI
Supply Chain Quarterly. 2019.2018
Roles of inventory and reserve capacity in mitigating supply chain disruption risk
International Journal of Production Research. 2018. DOI : 10.1080/00207543.2018.1504173.Optimal replenishment cycle for perishable items facing demand uncertainty in a two-echelon inventory system
International Journal of Production Research. 2018. DOI : 10.1080/00207543.2018.1504244.2017
Optimal Dynamic Order Scheduling Under Capacity Constraints Given Demand-forecast Evolution
Production and Operations Management. 2017. DOI : 10.1111/poms.12759.How Process Industries Can Improve Supply Chain Performance
Supply Chain Quarterly. 2017.Building up Resilience in a Pharmaceutical Supply Chain through Inventory, Dual Sourcing and Agility Capacity
Omega-International Journal Of Management Science. 2017. DOI : 10.1016/j.omega.2017.01.001.Inventory dynamics in process industries: An empirical investigation
International Journal Of Production Economics. 2017. DOI : 10.1016/j.ijpe.2017.06.019.Improving firm performance through sustainable operations
Lausanne, EPFL, 2017. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-7788.Benefits of working capital sharing in supply chains
Journal Of The Operational Research Society. 2017. DOI : 10.1057/s41274-016-0009-2.A test of inventory models with permissible delay in payment
International Journal Of Production Research. 2017. DOI : 10.1080/00207543.2016.1224947.2016
Supply Chain Disruption Risk Management
Lausanne, EPFL, 2016. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-7399.Supply Chain Management in Process Industries: Empirical Investigations for Commodity Markets
Lausanne, EPFL, 2016. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-7190.New Markets, New Customers and New Supply Chain Problems: Seven Mitigation Strategies to Tackle High Sales Variances
2016Dynamic Product Portfolio Management with Life Cycle Considerations
International Journal of Production Economics. 2016. DOI : 10.1016/j.ijpe.2015.10.017.Quantifying the Bullwhip Effect Using Two-Echelon Data: A Cross-Industry Empirical Investigation
International Journal of Production Economics. 2016. DOI : 10.1016/j.ijpe.2015.08.027.Knowledge spillovers in the supply chain: Evidence from the High Tech Sectors
Research Policy. 2016. DOI : 10.1016/j.respol.2015.12.007.2015
Coherent Measures of Customer Service Level
2015. EurOMA Annual Meeting, Neuchâtel, June 2015.Knowledge Spillovers in the Supply Chain: Evidence From The High Tech Sectors
2015. EurOMA Annual Meeting, Neuchâtel, June 2015.Taking an Integrated View on Point of Sales Materials Supplies: Three Lessons from L’Oréal to Increase Loyalty and Obtain New Customers with Gifts and Testers
2015Dynamic Capabilities in Sustainable Supply Chain Management: A Theoretical Framework
Supply Chain Forum: An International Journal. 2015. DOI : 10.1080/16258312.2015.11728690.Carbon footprint and responsiveness trade-offs in supply chain network design
International Journal Of Production Economics. 2015. DOI : 10.1016/j.ijpe.2015.04.016.On the optimal frequency of multiple generation product introductions
European Journal Of Operational Research. 2015. DOI : 10.1016/j.ejor.2015.03.041.Does the Bullwhip Still Strike? Detecting Variability in the Supply Chain
20152014
Joint product assortment, inventory and price optimization to attract loyal and non-loyal customers
Omega-International Journal Of Management Science. 2014. DOI : 10.1016/j.omega.2014.02.002.The value of updated information on future price behaviour
International Journal Of Production Research. 2014. DOI : 10.1080/00207543.2013.848481.Inventory Leanness and the Financial Performance of the Firm
Production Planning & Control. 2014. DOI : 10.1080/09537287.2013.797123.2013
Operational Decisions and Supply Chain Dynamics
Lausanne, EPFL, 2013. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-6034.The Perks and Pitfalls of Knowledge Diffusion in the Supply Chain
IMD – Tomorrow’s Challenges. 2013.Trade Credit: Literature Review and Research Directions
European Journal Of Operational Research. 2013. DOI : 10.1016/j.ejor.2013.03.016.Lego: Consolidating Distribution (Abridged)
Supply Chain Forum: an International Journal. 2013. DOI : 10.1080/16258312.2013.11517309.Assessing the Comprehensiveness of Supply Chain Environmental Strategies
Business Strategy and the Environment. 2013. DOI : 10.1002/bse.1749.Financial Supply Chain Management: Working Capital Requirements with Short-term Debt
Computers & Operations Research. 2013. DOI : 10.1016/j.cor.2013.07.008.Variable Product Portfolio Management in Retail Operations
Lausanne, EPFL, 2013. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-5784.Inventory Management with Working Capital Restrictions
Lausanne, EPFL, 2013. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-5658.What is the Value of Updated Information on the Time of Price Decrease?
20132012
Reviewing the Adoption of Ecolabels by Firms
2012Mobility Carsharing: An IT Leadership Crisis
2012.Mobility Carsharing: An IT Leadership Crisis
2012.Oracle: An Evolution of the IT Paradigm
2012.Strategic Supply Chain Management: The Executive Role
London: Routledge.Benefits and Scepticism of Ecolabels as Accountability Mechanism
European Business Review. 2012.A three-echelon supply chain with price-only contracts and sub-supply chain coordination
International Journal Of Production Economics. 2012. DOI : 10.1016/j.ijpe.2012.04.006.Corporate Environmental Strategies
Lausanne, EPFL, 2012. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-5389.Designing Service Level Contracts for Supply Chain Coordination
Production and Operations Management. 2012. DOI : 10.1111/j.1937-5956.2011.01301.x.Aligning Supply Chain and Product Portfolios
International Journal of Production Economics. 2012. DOI : 10.1016/j.ijpe.2011.08.032.2011
Hilti (A & B): Gearing the Supply Chain for the Future
2011.Unilever Tea: Revitalizing Lipton's Supply Chain (A)
2011.Unilever Tea: Going Beyond the Low-hanging Fruits (B)
2011.Unilever Tea: Revitalizing Lipton's Supply Chain (A & B)
2011.Unilever Sustainable Tea. Part II: Reaching out to Smallholders in Kenya and Argentina
The Dutch Sustainable Trade Initiative: Utrecht, IDH007-22.; Utrecht: The Dutch Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH), 2011.Umweltsiegel: Was bei Zertifizierung wichtig ist
Business-Wissen.de. 2011.Strategic Assessment is a Must in Selecting Ecolables
Gulf News. 2011.Managing business dynamics with adaptive supply chain portfolios
European Journal Of Operational Research. 2011. DOI : 10.1016/j.ejor.2011.06.026.Interrelating Operational and Financial Performance Measurements in a Multi-Product Inventory System
International Journal of Services and Operations Management. 2011. DOI : 10.1504/IJSOM.2011.042925.Financing the Chain
International Commerce Review. 2011.2010
Unilever Sustainable Tea: Leapfrogging to Mainstream
2010.Interrelating operational and financial performance measurements in inventory control
European Journal Of Operational Research. 2010. DOI : 10.1016/j.ejor.2009.11.001.Trade Credit: Literature Review and Research Directions
2010Interrelating Operational and Financial Performance Measurements in a Multi-Product Inventory Control
2010Designing Service Level Contracts for Supply Chain Coordination
2010Responding to Business Dynamics with Adaptive Supply Chain Portfolios
2010Supply Chain Finance: Foundations, Benefits, and Success Factors
2010An Analysis of Supply Chain Environmental Management Practices of Sustainability Leaders
2010An Analysis of Supply Chain Environmental Management Practices of Sustainability Leaders
POMS 2010, Vancouver, Canada, May 2010.Systematic and Comprehensive Supply Chain Environmental Management
Euro 2010, Lisbon, Portugal, July 2010.Estimating the Impact of Stochasticity in Operating Theatres
EURO 2010, Lisbon, Portugal, July 2010.A Heuristic to Locate Distribution Centers in Large Supply Chains
EURO 2010, Lisbon, Portugal, July 2010.Being Proactive about Supply Chain Environmental Management
IMD- Perspective for Managers. 2010.Collaborative working capital management in supply networks
Lausanne, EPFL, 2010. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-4617.2009
Adoption of Network Technologies in the Presence of Converters
Economics of Innovation and New Technology. 2009. DOI : 10.1080/10438590701663701.Price-only Contracts with Sub-supply Chain Coordination
2009Aligning Supply Chain and Product Portfolios
2009The Effect of Supply Chain Disruptions on Suppliers, Customers, and Rivals
2009Attaining Sustained Supply Chain Alignment – Step by Step
2009Supply Chain Finance - What is it Woth?
IMD- Perspective for Managers. 2009.On the Optimal Working Capital Allocation in a Multi-echelon Supply Chain
INFORMS Annual Meeting, San Diego, USA, November 2009.The Effect of Supply Chain Disruptions on Suppliers, Customers, and Rivals
POMS 2009, Orlando, USA, May 2009.Lego (B): Consolidating Distribution
2009.Lego (A): Consolidating Distribution
2009.Lego (A & B): Consolidating Distribution
2009.Pièges Mortels pour Jeunes Pousses High-Tech
L'Expansion Entrepreneuriat. 2009.Third-party Provision of Conversion Technologies in Network Markets
Journal of Technology Management and Innovation. 2009. DOI : 10.4067/S0718-27242009000200001.Interrelating operational and financial performance measurements in inventory theory
Lausanne, EPFL, 2009. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-4304.Aligning Supply Chain and Product Portfolios
Production and Operations Management. 2009.Teaching & PhD
Teaching
Management of Technology