Red Sofa interview | Schaeffler’s digitalisation strategy: AI, collaboration and the future of supply chain transformation

In this Red Sofa interview from the Automotive Logistics & Supply Chain Europe 2025 conference, Fabian Pobantz, vice-president of operation digitalisation & IT, supply chain and purchasing at Schaeffler, shares insights into the company’s digital transformation journey.

Pobantz emphasises the critical role of people in digitalisation, highlighting how AI adoption must be understood and embraced at both leadership and operational levels. He compares generative AI’s impact to that of smartphones, describing it as an inevitable and transformative force that will reshape logistics and supply chains.

The discussion also covers collaboration in freight and transportation management, particularly regarding AI’s potential to enhance decision-making, efficiency, and transparency across carriers, logistics service providers, and drivers. Pobantz underscores the need for trust, data sharing, and clear collaboration frameworks to fully unlock AI’s benefits in transport operations.

With growing industry momentum, Pobantz remains confident that AI will become a cornerstone of supply chain competitiveness, provided that companies take a strategic and people-centric approach to its implementation.