Wenjie Tu 涂文杰

Quasi operations manager, pseudo industrial engineer

Profile

I am a PhD student at the Chair of Sustainable Operations Management at the University of Zurich, where I have the privilege of being supervised by Prof. Dr. Tarkan Tan. My research focuses on making supply chains smarter, less wasteful, and more circular — because let us face it, the ''throwaway culture'' of the past is not doing us any favors. From figuring out how to give products a second life to designing contracts that nudge businesses toward greener practices, I explore topics like sustainable operations, supply chain contracting, circular economy, and closed-loop supply chain design, with a particular interest in reverse supply chains and motivating businesses to embrace sustainability — not just because it is trendy, but because it works. It is a challenging field, but I aim to show that sustainability is not just a moral obligation; it is a strategic managerial decision that drives efficiency, reduces risk, and opens doors to new opportunities.

Education

Special Student
ETH Zürich
Zurich, Switzerland
  • Coursework: Machine Learning, Statistics, Urban Economics.
Exchange Program
University of Essex
Colchester, UK
  • Grade: First class
  • Coursework: Accounting and Finance, Operations and Supply Chain Management.

Insights

Circular Economy in Business Practice

Company Industry Circular Strategy Key Practice
Signify (Lighting as a Service) Electronics/Lighting Product-as-a-Service Lighting-as-a-service with maintenance and recycling responsibility
Michelin Automotive Product-as-a-Service Tire leasing & retreading; pay-per-km model
HP (Print-as-a-Service) Office Equipment Product-as-a-Service Managed print services including hardware, supplies, and recycling
ENGIE (Cooling-as-a-Service) Energy/Infrastructure Product-as-a-Service Cooling billed per usage with maintenance, no ownership transfer
Swapfiets Mobility Product-as-a-Service Bike subscription with on-demand maintenance and part reuse
Rolls-Royce (Power by the Hour) Aviation / Industrial Equipment Performance Contracting Jet engines billed per hour of operation with full service support
Mud Jeans Apparel Product-as-a-Service + Recycling Jeans leasing with return and material recycling
Caterpillar Heavy Equipment Remanufacturing Remanufactures engines and key components for resale
Ricoh Office Equipment Remanufacturing GreenLine: remanufactured office printers
Volvo CE Heavy Equipment Remanufacturing Remanufactured equipment components for extended use
Fairphone Electronics Modular Design & Repairability Modular smartphones with repair kits and part replacement
Patagonia Apparel Repair and Resale Repair and resale program for outdoor clothing
IKEA Furniture Take-back and Resale Buy-back and resell of used furniture in-store
Loop (TerraCycle) Consumer Goods Reusable Packaging Reusable containers for branded consumer products
Samsung (DPP pilot) Electronics Digital Product Passport Tracks material composition and repairability (pilot case)
H&M (DPP pilot) Apparel Digital Product Passport Digital tracking of material content and lifecycle (pilot case)

Skills

Technical skills
  • Programming: R, Python, HTML, Markdown, Git, SQL
  • Libraries: Python (TensorFlow, Keras, Scikit-Learn, NetworkX, GurobiPy), R (base and tidyverse, gganimate, Shiny)
Communication skills
  • Languages: Chinese (native), English (fluent), Cantonese (beginner), German (beginner)
  • Speaking: Public Speaking, Academic Presentation, Brainwashing (kidding)
  • Writing: Copy-Writing, Report Writing
Interests
  • Music: Guitar, Ukulele, Singing
  • Movies: Documentary, Drama, Science Fiction, Romance, Thriller, Horror
  • Sports: Badminton, Volleyball, Basketball, Swimming