Recap Webinar: Driving Resilience for SMEs - Strengthening Supply Chains and Transportation

Bremen, 5 November 2025 – The Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics (ISL), in collaboration with the World Trade Center Bremen and WFB Wirtschaftsförderung Bremen GmbH, hosted the webinar “Driving Resilience for SMEs: Expert Insights and Solutions in Supply Chain and Transportation” as part of the Horizon Europe project ResC4EU.

The event, co-organized by Dr. Debarshee Bhardwaj (ISL) and Anna Heines (WFB Bremen / WTC Bremen), brought together experts and practitioners from across Europe to discuss how digital tools and data-driven approaches can enhance supply chain resilience, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) navigating disruptions and sustainability challenges.

The Trade-Off between Sustainability and Resilience

A central theme of the presentation and discussion was the growing tension between sustainability and resilience goals, particularly within the German industrial and logistics landscape.
While many SMEs are under increasing pressure to decarbonize operations and report on sustainability performance, they often face limited capacity to absorb shocks from global disruptions, such as energy price volatility, geopolitical shifts, and supply shortages.

Speakers emphasized that balancing long-term social and environmental sustainability with short-term resilience requires not only strategic alignment but also practical digital solutions that make data-driven risk management accessible to smaller firms.

As noted by Dr. Debarshee Bhardwaj (ISL) during the session, a key insight was that although German SMEs excel in efficiency and precision, many still respond to disruptions based on experience rather than data. Building resilience today calls for anticipating, simulating and adapting through digitalisation. 

Keynote Insights from Industry Practice

Dr. Piotr Warmbier from BMW Group delivered the keynote address, offering insights into disruptions and the future of resilient global supply chains and transport operations.
Drawing on BMW’s experience, he highlighted how extended digital ecosystems, such as Catena-X, are paving the way for transparency and coordination across supply networks. Such initiatives demonstrate that resilience and sustainability can reinforce each other when supported by shared digital standards and interoperable platforms.

Digital Tools for Building SME Resilience

The event featured presentations of digital tools being developed under ResC4EU, showcasing practical solutions that support resilience assessment, risk alerting, and sustainability tracking:

• Dr. Debarshee Bhardwaj (ISL) – Moderation and Resilience Self-Assessment Tool
• Prof. Dr. Aseem Kinra (ISL & Heriot-Watt University) – Resilience Frameworks and Insights from ResC4EU
• Dr. Sönke Matsch (ISL) – Transportation Risk Alert Tool
• Dr.-Ing. Clemens Gonnermann (Fraunhofer IGCV) – Global Warming Potential (GWP) Assessment Tool
• Dr. Violeta Damjanović-Behrendt (GreenTwin GmbH) – Digital ResC4EU B2B Platform and Matchmaking Tool

These tools represent a step toward lowering the entry barriers for SMEs to adopt resilience-oriented technologies. The ResC4EU Digital B2B Platform, now publicly available, enables companies to self-assess risks, benchmark performance, and connect with technology providers across Europe.

Strengthening Europe’s Industrial Backbone

The active engagement and lively discussions during the webinar underscored a shared recognition: resilience and sustainability are not competing priorities but interdependent imperatives for Europe’s industrial future.

Strengthening resilience through digital adoption is essential for enhancing the competitiveness of German and European SMEs. Collaborative initiatives such as ResC4EU help companies transform complexity into capability through innovation and shared expertise.