Ongoing digitization is also having a significant impact on supply management. Where a few years ago purchasing processes were determined by a high level of operational effort, today automated processes take on a lot of administrative work. On the way to the "Fourth Industrial Revolution," the so-called Industry 4.0, developments such as machine-to-machine communication, cyber-physical systems or autonomous self-organizing systems offer a potentially significant influence on today's supplier management. Where we still deal today with the digitization of existing processes, the future could develop a new purchasing function, in the understanding of Procurement 4.0. Within my research, I investigate the influence of the ongoing digitization on supply management practice.