Keynote Speakers

Abstract

Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) processes and systems are instrumental for defining medium to long term planning scenarios for global supply chains in the automotive industry. S&OP facilitates the definition of realistic plans across internal and external supply chains. Long term plans for sales, production and supply chain capacities form the framework for achieving customer service level requirements as well as internal turnover and efficiency targets. By considering the effects of unplanned events in the long-term stages of supply chain planning, necessary actions can be defined and taken early. As a result, the resilience of supply chain operations grows.

ZF Friedrichshafen AG, a German tier-1 automotive supplier is engaged in a programme for establishing standardised S&OP processes that utilise standard IT systems. The keynote speech will highlight the importance of defining end-to-end processes across business functions, taking a human-centric approach when implementing these processes and the related IT systems as well as modelling and managing the complex dataspaces at the core of the S&OP systems.

Profile

Mr Gregor von Cieminski joined ZF Friedrichshafen AG in 2009 and has served in expert and leadership roles in the area of Supply Chain Management. He has implemented and optimized supply chain planning systems at production plants world-wide and managed teams responsible for end-to-end supply chain planning processes. He is past-chairperson of IFIP Working Group 5.7 on Advances in Production Management Systems.

Abstract

Advanced manufacturing is increasingly recognized as a complex socio-technical system in which technology, organization, and human capabilities continuously co-evolve. In an era of rapid digital acceleration, the central question is no longer how to replace human work, but how to design systems that effectively support, augment, and empower it.

Over the next 5–10 years, European manufacturing will face a dual challenge: strengthening competitiveness and resilience in an uncertain global landscape, while ensuring that digital transformation remains sustainable, inclusive, and genuinely human-centric. Meeting this challenge requires a shift toward adaptive production systems capable of accommodating workforce diversity and ageing, while enabling more personalized and flexible working conditions.

Digital technologies play a pivotal role in this transition. Artificial intelligence, collaborative robotics, advanced human–machine interfaces, and Human Digital Twins enable the design of workplaces that dynamically adapt to workers’ physical and cognitive characteristics. In this perspective, inclusion extends beyond disability, encompassing broader dimensions such as ageing, skills variability, and individual differences.

Rather than converging toward a single optimal configuration, future manufacturing systems will need to continuously reconfigure around people — learning from them, evolving with them, and reshaping the very notion of efficiency in a truly human-centered industrial paradigm.

Profile

Daria Battini is Full Professor of Industrial Systems and Logistics at the University of Padua (Italy). She holds a PhD in Industrial Engineering. She is Principal Investigator of the EU project MAIA (H2020-MSCA-RISE), Spoke Coordinator of MICS (Made in Italy Circular and Sustainable), and Scientific Coordinator of the regional project SHIELD. She has published over 170 scientific papers and is listed among the “World’s Top 2% Scientists” (Stanford–Elsevier). She is Editor of the International Journal of Production Economics and Associate Editor of Cleaner Logistics and Supply Chain. She is a member of IFAC, EUROMA, IEEE, an ISO expert and vice-chair for education of IFAC TC 5.2.

Affiliation:

Daria Battini, Department of Management and Engineering, University of Padua (Italy), Stradella San Nicola 3, Vicenza. Email: Daria.battini@unipd.it.

Abstract

Sustainable production and consumption systems have become an urgent priority. Yet empirical evidence shows that up to half of the potential benefits from sustainability innovations are offset by rebound effects, where behavioural and systemic responses undermine intended gains. Why do these rebound effects occur, and why do current design and decision-making practices struggle to anticipate them? This keynote addresses these questions by unpacking the mechanisms that trigger rebound effects across production and consumption systems. Building on this foundation, it introduces the concept of reboundless design as a shift from improving relative efficiency to ensuring absolute impact. By reframing sustainability as an absolute rather than relative objective, the presentation challenges prevailing assumptions in industrial practice and proposes a pathway towards production and consumption systems capable of meeting human needs within planetary boundaries.

Profile

Daniela C. A. Pigosso is Professor of Design for Absolute Sustainability at the Technical University of Denmark and Principal Investigator of the ERC-funded REBOUNDLESS and REBOUNDLESS POLICIES projects. Her research focuses on advancing Design for Sustainability through the integration of engineering design, rebound effects, circular economy, and absolute sustainability perspectives. She has led and contributed to more than 20 national and international research and innovation projects, working in close collaboration with industry and public-sector stakeholders. Her work aims to bridge the gap between sustainability theory and implementation, with a particular emphasis on enabling systemic, impact-oriented design approaches. Daniela serves as a member of the Advisory Board of the Design Society and has published extensively in high-impact journals. Her research has achieved international recognition and has contributed to shaping both industrial practices and policy frameworks in the transition towards sustainable production and consumption systems.