The Research Team "Production Management and Logistics" deals with the planning and improvement of structures and processes in the area of production. Innovative solutions are developed to address intra- and inter-company issues. The competences of the group are divided into six fields:

The design of cross-company value chains includes the business-oriented analysis, planning, and evaluation of value chains taking into account uncertainties in production environments.

In the field of  investments and production site evaluation, opportunities and risks for investments are considered along with production site alternatives, and critical factors for decision-making are identified. Qualitative (i.e., "soft") factors are also integrated into the evaluation in order to achieve a holistic, monetary-quantified conclusion.

In the field of  technology planning, manufacturing processes are evaluated according to the criteria of maturity, resource efficiency, feasibility, profitability, and competitive potential. This enables a conclusion on the best possible process combinations and their optimal times for implementation.

Classic factory planning is becoming increasingly complex. Constantly changing conditions demand a high degree of flexibility and adaptability. To integrate these factors into the early stages of planning projects, the methods of factory planning are continuously advanced at the iwb, and practical solutions are developed.

Lean management methods and philosophies have emerged as key skills for industrial production. This involves the analysis and optimization of value streams as well as the selection of methods and their implementation sequence within portfolios. The Learning Factory for Lean Production (LSP) at the iwb offers the opportunity to learn the theories and methods of lean management and to implement these in practice through simulation games. Thus, maximum learning success is assured.

In the newly created field of  resource efficient production, there is a focus on the development, planning, and evaluation of resource efficiency in the area of production. The strategic competitive factor "energy" is thus given a special meaning: In Germany's first Model Factory for Energy Productivity (LEP), industry representatives learn how to considerably reduce their CO₂ emissions and thus reduce their energy costs by up to thirty percent.