The conference focused on trends and perspectives on a global scale for the areas of industrial engineering and operations management. The latest developments in factory organization and production optimization were discussed - lean production, Industry 4.0, supply chain management, operational excellence and artificial intelligence in manufacturing.

The conference was chaired by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Lenz from the Faculty of Mechanical and Process Engineering at Augsburg University of Applied Sciences. The co-chair was Prof. Dr. Ahad Ali from Lawrence Technological University, Southfield, Michigan, USA and Prof. Dr. Don Reimer, Chief Operating Officer of IEOM Society International.

German premiere at the THA

The IEOM Society is a non-profit professional organization based in Southfield, Michigan, USA. It is dedicated to promoting industrial engineering and operations management for the benefit of society and has been organizing conferences worldwide for 15 years. The 7th edition of the European conference attracted around 100 participants from 46 countries, including renowned researchers and representatives from well-known companies.

“We are delighted that the THA is the host university for the German premiere of the IEOM. We want to offer all researchers and practice partners a platform for international exchange in the future field of production and also provide information on the issues currently being researched at THA,” says Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Gordon Thomas Rohrmair, President of Augsburg University of Applied Sciences.

And Dr. Ahad Ali, Co-Chairman of the IEOM, says: “It is a milestone for us to host the IEOM conference in Augsburg, a traditional center for production. Innovations from research and industry still go out into the world from here today. We would like to thank Augsburg University of Applied Sciences for its great commitment”.

Public kick-off

The conference kicked off on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, with a public lecture by Dr. Vasko Isakovic, Head of Simulation Business at KUKA. Welcoming remarks were given virtually by Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Gordon Thomas Rohrmair, President of Augsburg University of Applied Sciences, and the Vice President for Research and Sustainability of Augsburg University of Applied Sciences, Prof. Dr. Nadine Warkotsch, and the IEOM Conference Chairs Lenz and Ali.

An extensive conference program

The program was divided into plenary sessions in the morning, with keynotes on current trends and developments in the industry. In the afternoon, parallel workshops and panels were held in which THA researchers presented and discussed current results of their work. Conference participants could also learn more about the production world of tomorrow directly at the THA. Plant 1 of the Open Industrial Training Center (OITC) - a semi-virtual learning, teaching and research factory where digitally supported manual assembly can be experienced in a realistic production environment (THA building F) - and the THA's AI showcase at Haunstetter Straße 27 were open for this purpose.

Student competitions, virtual technical sessions and factory tours at Mercedes Benz in Stuttgart and the automation group KUKA in Augsburg completed the program.

As part of the evening closing event on 18 July 2024, the IEOM Student Chapter was founded under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Simone Kubowitsch from the THA's School of Business. In the IEOM Student Chapter of the THA, students will pool their expertise and collaborate with other prospective researchers worldwide on an interdisciplinary basis. This makes THA students part of the IEOM's international network of young members.

A peer review process took place to prepare the conference program. For this purpose, all submitted contributions were evaluated in advance by a committee of professionally qualified reviewers. Following the IEOM 2024, the contributions will be published in a conference anthology.