Development of an Operational Process for Supply Chain Transparency of Critical Raw Materials

Supply chain transparency is becoming more important due to regulations, customer demands and increasing supply risks. This is especially relevant for critical raw materials, because their supply chains are often global, complex and not fully visible. Companies therefore need a clear process to identify risks, collect supplier data and use this data in procurement. This thesis develops an operational process for supply chain transparency of critical raw materials (CRM) in a divisional company structure. The process was developed for voestalpine High Performance Metals and is based on a systematic literature review, six expert interviews and company data. The result follows a risk-based logic. First, critical raw materials are identified. Then, relevant suppliers are selected based on material criticality and procurement relevance. An existing Supplier Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) was used as the basis and extended for this thesis. The extended SAQ collects supplier information in a more structured way. It includes environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks, responsible sourcing, traceability, material origin, carbon footprint data, single-source dependencies and supply chain risks. The SAQ was sent to 34 selected suppliers. The response rate was 76.4%. The returned SAQs were evaluated with a maturity model. The evaluation was structured along the dimensions Responsibilities, Environmental, Social, Governance, Risk Identification, and Supply Chain Management and Responsible Sourcing. The results were then interpreted by supplier type and company size. Based on the evaluation, supplier feedback reports were defined. These reports can be used as a basis for future supplier development. The final result of this thesis is a divisional process for voestalpine High Performance Metals. The process connects CRM identification, supplier selection, SAQ distribution, escalation, evaluation, report generation, follow-up and reassessment. The main contribution is therefore not only the extended SAQ itself, but the operational logic around it. This supports the company in identifying critical suppliers, improving supplier data quality and reducing supply chain risks over time.