ETH Medal Awarded for Master’s Thesis on Inventory Management in Complex Manufacturing Environments
Nils Löwhagen has been awarded the ETH Medal for an outstanding master’s thesis completed in collaboration with MANN+HUMMEL. The thesis explores how critical path methodology and process mining can improve inventory management in low-volume, high-mix production systems.
Inventory management in complex manufacturing settings presents unique challenges—especially in environments shifting toward high product variety and customization. In his master’s thesis, Adapting Critical Path Methodology to Low-Volume, High-Mix Production, Nils Löwhagen investigates how process mining and value stream analysis can be scaled to improve inventory strategies and firm performance at the product level.
Using real-world data from our industrial partner, the research applies object-centric process mining to develop automated value streams and assess critical inventory paths. The findings offer data-driven insights into which inventory criteria—such as quantity, value, or space—have the most significant financial impact across various product types. The thesis demonstrates that inventory efficiency is highly context-dependent and highlights how digital tools can support more nuanced, effective decision-making in modern operations management.
Nils will continue his research at the Chair of Production and Operations Management at ETH Zurich, focusing on the application of quantum computing in operations management.
Congratulations to Nils!
