CRISTIAN PAUN
Cristian is a change maker and an innovator with strong storytelling abilities that inspires growth mindset; a passionate Senior Executive from the Chemical / Insurance / FMCG / Banking / Telecommunications industry. He has focused on the connection between IT and successful business outcomes, both with bringing top-line growth as well as cost reduction programs. Cristian served as technology thought-leader & adviser, implementing technologies like artificial intelligence, robotic process automation or IoT (internet of things) to generate high business value. As a certified business designer and international keynote speaker, he helped companies to transform business ideas into viable digital business models. Lead globally Innovation, M&A, integration and separation programs. He crafted procurement and vendor strategies that allowed to achieve multimillion EUR savings.
Jasper Rutten
Jasper Rutten is the Advanced Analytics manager within the Global Excellence Team of the Huntsman Polyurethanes business. He holds a Master’s in Chemical Engineering from the technical University of Twente. In his current role he is leading the advanced analytics roadmap for the upstream PU manufacturing sites. This roadmap combines black box data modelling techniques with classic engineering modelling & control skills. He also has a strong focus on the change management related to the implementation of advanced analytics and in the broader sense digitization. The past few years multiple solutions have been implemented on the manufacturing sites bringing among others increased operational stability. One of his key attention points now is to make them sustainable for the long-term future.
Jens Palacios Neffke
Jens is an OPEX and digitalization specialist with extensive experience and know-how in designing and improving manufacturing and transactional processes in rapid developing industries. With over 15 years’ experience in industry and academic settings, Jens has been part of several technological and cultural transformations throughout his career and has contributed in the definition and setup of business strategic initiatives of global manufacturing key players. Jens has a PhD in production technology from the Technische Universität Berlin, institution with which he continues to collaborate as part-time lecturer and research fellow in the fields of Lean manufacturing, factory management and industry 4.0. He is also a regular guest lecturer and key note speaker in Asia and Latin-America.
Erik Grakist
Experienced leader in Maintenance, Reliability and Engineering as well in Operations in an international food industry environment. Mechanical engineer by education, having had the opportunity to develop myself throughout the last 28 years at Mars Wrigley in multiple local and international roles such as Regional Engineering Manager, Plant Manager, Global Maintenance leader. Leading change is a key-competence, in which my personal involvement and people-focus are crucial for achieving sustainable results. Current focus as Technical Leader are areas such as investment programs in Extra Ordinary Maintenance, Capacity Extension and Digitalisation.
Erik Grakist
Jens is an OPEX and digitalization specialist with extensive experience and know-how in designing and improving manufacturing and transactional processes in rapid developing industries. With over 15 years’ experience in industry and academic settings, Jens has been part of several technological and cultural transformations throughout his career and has contributed in the definition and setup of business strategic initiatives of global manufacturing key players. Jens has a PhD in production technology from the Technische Universität Berlin, institution with which he continues to collaborate as part-time lecturer and research fellow in the fields of Lean manufacturing, factory management and industry 4.0. He is also a regular guest lecturer and key note speaker in Asia and Latin-America.
Brecht Vanlee
“Technical adventurer, worked in project based engineering, OEM engineering, Sourcing, Project lead, International marketing, sales and business development the last decade. Gathered my experience in three different companies, all of them in the Compressed Oil-Free Air business.
Joerg Recklies
Joerg Recklies has been in the semiconductor industry for 27 years with responsibilities ranging from Chip design to IDM. He is currently in charge of the General Manager at Infineon Technologies Regensburg. Prior to that, Joerg Recklies was in charge of the FAB Manager at Infineon Dresden and held several positions in automation and productions at Infineon. These positions contributed to his excellent experience in terms of equipment and automation. Earlier in his carrier he has made contributions in digital and analog Chip design. Joerg Recklies holds a graduate engineer for Semiconductor.
Highlight during the time with Infineon ….
- Establish high automation at IFD 1995- 1997 as project leader automation software integration
- Project Leader world wide cost reduction program within Infineon Frontend
- Productions from 1999 –2003 (within Europe, US, Asia)
- Section Manager Plasma Etch / Wafer Inspection 2003- 2007
- Director Maintenance Engineering 2007 – 2014
- Project Leader 300 mm Fab Startup / Transfer Power Technologies 2011-2013
- FAB Manager Senior Director 200 / 300 mm Dresden 2014 – 2018
- General Manager Site Regensburg Senior Vice President since 2018
Alp Akçay
Alp Akçay is an Associate Professor in the department of Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences at Eindhoven University of Technology. He received his Ph.D. in Operations Management and Manufacturing from Carnegie Mellon University. His research expertise is data-driven decision making in smart industry applications including planning and control of manufacturing processes and the after-sale services of capital goods. Dr. Akcay is a core-team member of the AI-enabled manufacturing and maintenance lab in Eindhoven Artificial Intelligence Systems Institute. He has worked closely with industry in EU projects MANTIS (Cyber Physical System based Proactive Collaborative Maintenance) and DayTiMe (Digital Lifecycle Twins for Predictive Maintenance) and in several national projects on data-driven decision making.
Juliana Woelfel
Juliana Woelfel degreed Master of Science in “industrial engineering and administration” is maintenance coordinator in the central maintenance department of the Brose Group. In her role, she is contact person for the plants maintenance in regards to standards and processes as well as responsible for group-wide projects e.g. qualification concepts in the maintenance area. Since last year, she is managing the project for optimizing the spare parts stock in the Brose Group with simultaneously sustaining the technical availability of production equipment.
Alex Sarishvili
TU Kaiserslautern, Diploma in Mathematics and economics. PhD Thesis in the ÐU Dortmund and TU Kaiserslautern with the focus on time series analysis and neural networks. Since 02.2002 Scientist at the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics. Department: System Analysis Prognosis and Control.
Juliana Wolfel
Juliana Woelfel degreed Master of Science in “industrial engineering and administration” is maintenance coordinator in the central maintenance department of the Brose Group. In her role, she is contact person for the plants maintenance in regards to standards and processes as well as responsible for group-wide projects e.g. qualification concepts in the maintenance area. Since last year, she is managing the project for optimizing the spare parts stock in the Brose Group with simultaneously sustaining the technical availability of production equipment.
Maarten Robers
Maarten Robers supports DEKRA's Industrial Inspection services to stay up-to-date and introduce new services as the head of Innovation & Technology Scouting. He has in-depth experience in industrial inspection with testing, inspection and certification companies for oil & gas, petrochemical, pipeline industry as well as rail, over the entire life cycle of assets. Throughout his career he has been working in roles in service development, product management, strategic business development and as manager of operations. Maarten holds a Master's degree in Applied Physics from Delft University of Technology and an Executive MBA from IMD Business School, Lausanne.
Miguel Teixeira
Head of Maintenance at Lisbon’s SGL Carbon Portuguese Petrochemical Plant. With 25 years of experience in developing Maintenance Operations in Transports, Aerospace, Pulp & Paper and Chemical Industry, he has created and improved several complete maintenance structures throughout his career, from older plants to a 550 M€ green field paper mill.
Susanne Reichel
Susanne Reichel works as business developer at LZE GmbH in collaboration with Fraunhofer CCIT. Her focus is the transfer of high-tech solutions from research to industry. With Fraunhofer CCIT, she identifies markets, pilot customers and partners for the innovative monitoring solution »Smart Screw Connection« and accompanies the system from prototype to market maturity. With 12 years of professional experience in various industries (from tourism to railroad industry to research), she has steadily expanded her field of activity. As a graduate of the Executive Master of Digital Business Administration (MDBA) at FAU, she has been working intensively on the topics of digital innovation, IIoT and digital technology & applications since the beginning of 2020.
Eric Bergin
Eric is an experienced Asset Care professional with over 30 years of experience across a variety of business sectors. Eric joined Johnson & Johnson in 2014 as an Asset Engineer, supporting Global Facilities Asset Management in the drive to standardize asset management practices, develop/deploy Asset Management programs, as well as providing subject matter expertise to the organisation. In April 2019, Eric took up the role as EMEA Asset Management Lead, supporting FM asset management activities in the EMEA region, with particular emphasis on Asset Management safety program deployment, FM transformation deployment, base business capital planning as well as being the point of contact for asset management related matters. Since June 2021, Eric has been the Smart Asset Maintenance Lead at the Janssen Sciences Ireland site in Ringaskiddy, Cork, supporting the BioCork 2030 vision.
Christian Silbernagel
Christian Silbernagel holds an Applied Physics degree from the University of Applied Sciences in Koblenz, Germany. He has over 9 years of experience in predictive maintenance and received his ISO CAT III certification in 2018. Christian started his working career at PRUFTECHNIK Condition Monitoring located close to Munich, Germany, as Condition Monitoring Engineer in 2012 . He conducted trainings, installations, commissioning and executed field machinery services throughout various industries worldwide. In addition to the role as Key Account Manager, Christian was point of contact for sales activities and support of various PRUFTECHNIK subsidiaries and distributors. In June 2019 Christian moved to the US, to work as Sales Manager US West for FLUKE Reliability, to build a team for the region and increase FLUKE Reliability`s presence in all business areas. Since August 2021 Christian is working for FLUKE Reliability as EMEA Enterprise Account Manager in Munich, Germany.
Marcin Treśka
Nearly 20 years’ experience in automotive, mostly in maintenance area, but also as Production and Project Manager. In Faurecia over 10 years, while last 6 years management of maintenance within entire business group of Interiors. Responsibility for networking of maintenance community from over 60 plants located in 5 Continents. Standardization, support, trainings for maintenance and production teams in FIS plants.
Edgar Martínez
Edgar Martínez De Aguas is currently the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Atten2, a position he has held since January 2016. Edgar has an extensive professional background with more than 15 years of experience in O&M management projects in different sectors (paper, steel, petrochemical, food, etc.). In addition, he has proven experience in the integration of condition monitoring systems in industrial processes and in data evaluation and correlation with machine performance. Edgar holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Simón Bolívar University in Venezuela and an MBA from the Instituto de Empresa in Madrid. He also holds a certificate in project management and direction, certification in Vibration Analysis Level I and a Certificate in Maintenance and Reliability Professional (CMRP).
Ralf Hellwig
Through my 30 years of experience in the manufacturing and B2B distribution industry, I have covered the entire range in PM, Marketing and mainly Sales and General Management. I used to work for Hoffmann Tools in several roles, built a successful C-Level role in Brammer / Rubix as Group KA Director and MD for the DACH region. Transformed as the MD of SIG Germany successfully a distribution business in the building and construction industry. Joint RS as MD DACH in January 2021 and enjoy the most successful period in our history.
Dr. Rachel Cooke
Rachel studied Chemical Engineering at Cambridge, graduating with a Masters in Engineering and a Doctorate. She joined the confectionery company Cadbury and spent ten years in a variety of roles and countries across supply chain and engineering, including three years in Poland building new chocolate and chewing gum factories. Rachel then joined SABMiller, who were the world’s second largest brewer until they were taken over, where she led Global World Class Manufacturing for four years, learning to brew beer sustainably and implementing Industry 4.0. Afterwards Rachel joined Amazon, where she’s now worked for nearly seven years, first leading the European central team supporting the construction and launch of new warehouses, and now heading central reliability maintenance engineering globally. Throughout her career, she’s been passionate about sharing her love for engineering with the next generation, winning global awards. Rachel has been a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers since 2011.
Dr.-Ing. Christian Frenzel
Dr.-Ing. Christian Frenzel has been a partner at ConMoto since 2023. Previously, he was a Principal at ConMoto for over six years in the area of Maintenance and Asset Management with a focus on asset-intensive industries. During his previous industry career working for mining and construction OEM he has successfully led global Aftermarket and MRO businesses. In addition, Dr. Frenzel has dedicated himself to research and teaching activities at Colorado School of Mines and the Technical University of Munich, among others. As an expert in value-based maintenance, he offers an essential key to sustainably increasing corporate success.
Jean Charbonneau
Jean Charbonneau has over 30 years of experience as a reliability engineer and consultant in asset performance. 25 years ago, he founded the Maintenance Excellence Group, putting together a team of asset reliability experts to assist asset intensive organizations with performing the right maintenance, at the right time, at the lowest cost. Mr. Charbonneau is a worldwide renowned speaker and an industry leading influencer on the best strategies for asset intensive organizations to advance to the Industry 4.0 era and maximize their asset performance and production output.
Duncan McSporran
A former military officer, Duncan has a background in applied remote sensing, cartography, and GIS. He is a graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and Oxford Brookes University. Duncan served in various operational leadership roles as an infantry officer in the British Army and was fortunate to also to be seconded with both the U.S. Army and Canadian Armed Forces. Following his military service, Duncan and his family settled in New Brunswick, Canada. He then took on roles with the University of New Brunswick (UNB) and across the region with the Springboard Applied Research network. In 2016, along with his business partner Ryan Groom he set up Kognitiv Spark, which has grown into a global leader in the field of Augmented and Mixed Reality, helping on-site teams deal with complex problem solving. Duncan is a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management and received numerous awards over the course of his military career, including the US Army Meritorious Service Medal. He is a coach for the Loyalist Rugby Club Youth Program and in his spare time can be found dabbling in the fine arts of distilling at the Black Galley Stillhouse in Fredericton.
Ton Aerdts
Ton Aerdts leads the Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement practice at GBR. In this role he is responsible for both shaping and executing the agenda for these key pillars of GBR’s manufacturing clientele. Since the start of his career in 1993, Ton has been active in Continuous Improvement (CI). The first 20 years supporting companies in their Lean, Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), 6 Sigma and Change Management journey. Leading a boutique consultancy company based in the Netherlands supporting global customers like Heinz, Starbucks, Bosch and Paccar Trucks to better their operational processes. In the last 10 years he worked hands on and onsite with brands such as Cargill, DSM and Akzo Nobel (to name a few) helping them develop the internal capability and to run integrated CI programs. Most recently as the Site Director and interim Managing Director for the DACH region at Prinsen Berning where he managed a site with around 350 fte producing protein bars though a difficult phase after being acquired by a private equity company. He led the turnaround from a traditional family owned and managed business with serious operational issues to getting ready for the future with tremendous growth. Ton holds a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering. He is fluent in Dutch, English and German. He is based in Eindhoven, Netherlands.
Sebastian Mergler
2011 – 2013 Project Manager New Business Areas @ Schaeffler
2013 – 2016 Program Manager New Business Areas @ Schaeffler
2016 – 2019 Program Manager Industry 4.0 @ Schaeffler
2019 – 2020 Head of Product Management Digital Services @ Schaeffler
2020 – 2021 Service Solution Manager Condition Monitoring @ Schaeffler
2021 – today Head of Product Marketing Service Solutions
Pradeep Kundu
Pradeep Kundu has been currently working as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at KU Leuven. Before joining KU Leuven, he worked as a Post Doctoral Fellow and Research Associate at the University of Cincinnati, USA and the University of Strathclyde, UK, respectively. His research focused on the broad domain of artificial intelligence for sustainable manufacturing, reliability engineering, predictive maintenance, prognostics and health management and digital twins. His research helps industries in reducing unplanned outages, increase productivity, automate quality control, and reduce operation and maintenance costs. He has published more than 30 articles in reputed journals and conferences. He has delivered more than 10 keynote/invited talks. He has received several awards, including runner-up for PHM Europe 2022 Data Challenge, overseas visiting doctoral fellowship from SERB, etc.
Sara Cavallaro
Sara Cavallaro is a mechanical engineer graduated at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in 2019, started her scientific career in XiLab, scientific center of advanced simulation using VR and AR for Industry 4.0 and intelligent manufacturing to improve the process quality. During her three years of research, she dealt with virtual manufacturing to design human-centric factories and improve maintenance process. She joined CNH Industrial at middle of 2022 in Tech-Advanced Technologies Innovation team in Ergonomics-HMI, working on several projects focusing on innovation in ergonomics, including XMANAI with the aim of implementing predictive maintenance in the company's plants
Josef Kriegmair
Josef Kriegmair works as Representative Industrialization Production Systems at MTU Aero Engines AG Center Enablement. Since 2010, his main task has been the development and implementation of digital process chains and manufacturing intelligence systems for turbine blades and structure castings. Prior to that, he was in production engineering with a focus on technology development for production and for maintenance, repair and overhaul. He hold roles in logistics and plant maintenance at MTU Aero Engines from 1997 to 2001. Josef started in technical procurement at MTU.
Alexander Pulz
Alexander has a Masters Degree in industrial engineering with focus on energy management. His journey in the energy sector started in 2012 as project manager in the energy service department of Pfalzwerke AG with highlights and responsibilities such as: Water-Quality-Management for local heating networks powered by biomass and CHP plants; wind power operational management; PV Asset Management and development of a monitoring and service-line to operate public charging stations. Since October 2019 he is responsible for the Operation and Maintenance department at Pfalzsolar GmbH with a Portfolio of Solar PV > 500 MWp distributed across the Netherlands, UK and Germany.
Johannes de Boer
Has been working in the technical sector for almost 20 years with experience in equipment manufacturing and equipment maintenance. Started at Applied Medical in 2016 as team leader Maintenance Automation and grew to Director of Maintenance and Automation. Currently responsible for the maintenance team in Europe as well as setting up the Automation team at AME.
Stefano Di Paolo
Mechanical engineer I started my career in CNH Industrial in 2017 in which I held the role of plant process engineer. My job consisted in maintain, refine and improve the production process in terms of efficiency and quality, assisting the staff in charge and communicating with support functions such as maintenance and quality. Analyze the OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) of each machine in order to identify the major losses and attack them. In Whirlpool from 2022 in which I work as coordinator of Focused Improvement, Autonomous Maintenance and Professional Maintenance pillars and as WCM EMEA coordinator of the area south, developing and ensuring the correct implementation of WCM strategies within the relevant plants, communicating pillars methods and standards across the region.
Adeniyi Odugbemi
Dr. Odugbemi is a food scientist with a doctoral specialization in food safety. He has worked in the beverage, bakery, dairy, milling, confectionery, and meat and poultry sectors of food processing. He is a prolific instructor and teaches many food safety, quality control, quality assurance, and continuous improvement classes. He has facilitated food safety classes in almost all continents of the world. As a seasoned food safety auditor, he has audited many food facilities globally. With extensive experience in food safety and quality management systems, Dr. Odugbemi had previously worked for several companies including, Pepsi Bottling, Weston Foods, Kroger Co, and most recently Wayne Farms. He serves on several professional committees and advisory boards. He is also an adjunct faculty member at Osun State University, teaching food safety-related classes. He currently works as the global director of food safety for Archer Daniels Midland Co.
Duncan McSporran
A former military officer, Duncan has a background in applied remote sensing, cartography, and GIS. He is a graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and Oxford Brookes University. Duncan served in various operational leadership roles as an infantry officer in the British Army and was fortunate to also to be seconded with both the U.S. Army and Canadian Armed Forces. Following his military service, Duncan and his family settled in New Brunswick, Canada. He then took on roles with the University of New Brunswick (UNB) and across the region with the Springboard Applied Research network. In 2016, along with his business partner Ryan Groom he set up Kognitiv Spark, which has grown into a global leader in the field of Augmented and Mixed Reality, helping on-site teams deal with complex problem solving. Duncan is a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management and received numerous awards over the course of his military career, including the US Army Meritorious Service Medal.
Didier Lamy
After 30 years of career in international telecommunications in sales management and general management positions, Didier Lamy is today co-founder and Managing Director of Hxperience, recently acquired by Decide4Action, a software publisher specializing in the digital transformation of operation and maintenance of buildings. Pioneer and negotiator at heart, Didier Lamy contributed to the emergence of new players in fixed telecoms such as SIRIS, then to the development of mobile telecoms within Nokia. Always attracted by innovation, particularly around data analysis solutions and dynamic and agile organizations, he created Hxperience in 2015, a company today ranked among the most innovative companies in the PropTech sector. Founded on a childhood in an entrepreneurial family, close to peasant and mountain values, he developed a solid work ethic and a conviction that emotional, social and environmental values are essential in the efficient and sustainable business management.
José Ignacio García
Currently responsible for European MHM Online sales within the Reliability Solutions unit at Emerson for the last almost three years. 30+ experience on Condition Monitoring and Machinery Protection and Prediction Systems (CMS and MMS) implementations in multiple industries and markets. Starting as an Instrumentation Engineer and moving to different sales roles, from local sales operations at the Iberian Peninsula, to Global Strategic CAPEX projects for international EPC’s
Jurjen r. Helmus
Dr. Ir. Jurjen R. Helmus, MSc, merges a solid academic foundation in Computational Science, Innovation Management, and Chemical Engineering with a hands-on approach to technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Occupying several key roles at the University of Applied Sciences Amsterdam, he leads as the Lab Lead at the Maintenance Lab, educates as Head Lecturer in Industrial AI, and innovates as an AI Expert at the Center of Expertise for Applied AI. Jurjen underscores the importance of supportive management, always propelling his team towards their pinnacle by promoting an environment ripe for personal growth and continuous development. The founder of De Dataloog, a leading Dutch podcast on AI and Data Science, he also translates complex tech concepts into accessible knowledge for a wider audience. His expertise is showcased in the fields of Responsible Applied AI, managing innovative teams, and implementing financial modeling, ensuring the efficacy and sustainability of innovative projects.
Timo Sihvo
Result-driven technology enthusiast with a diverse background in manufacturing, oil-free compressed air, and construction industries. During my career I have worked in R&D, service, sales, and marketing roles serving global markets. As I have witnessed how new technologies are able to reshape way of thinking in terms of maintenance and reliability, I believe it is important to share these insights with others. I’m looking forward contributing to more efficient, reliable, and sustainable production across all industries.
Kent Eriksson
Kent Eriksson serves as the Global Director of Digitalization of Manufacturing at Autoliv, the world's leading automotive safety systems provider. Through dedicated efforts, Autoliv saves nearly 35,000 lives annually. In his role, Kent prioritizes digital strategies to improve throughput, labor efficiency, energy use, resource utilization, and machine health. These priorities are integral to accelerate the transformative Autoliv Production System for the next level of operational excellence. Before his tenure at Autoliv, Kent guided significant transformations and played a pivotal role in global digitalization initiatives, leaving a mark with contributions like his involvement in the Acatech (German Academy of Science) Industry 4.0 Maturity Index whitepaper. On the academic front, Kent holds an M.Sc. in Engineering Physics, specializing in applied neural networks, and a B.Sc. in Business Administration, emphasizing eco-friendly capital and operational investments.
Joan van de Wetering
I’m passionate about innovation and bringing companies and teams towards continuous improvement, growth, and success. My professional experience includes over 25 years project, sales and general management positions, all in business and manufacturing IT. Currently I am leading TrendMiner into a new stage of the company where it has become part of the SoftwareAG family. My experience is in both Operational Technology (OT) and Information Technology (IT). Combining both areas helps bridging the gap between these two different worlds in an era where these merge.Rick Verbij
Rick Verbij has an electrical engineering background and has over 25 years of experience in the field of implementing condition monitoring programs in a wide variety of industries. Having started his career at SPM Instrument in a commercial role, Rick has held a Management position at the Dutch branch office since 2002. In addition to that, he is heading the Marine & Offshore business unit for the SPM Instrument group.Bart Depuydt
I am a master in industrial science with 25 years’ experience in maintenance & reliability management, continuous improvement management in several food, chemical and medical devices companies. I started at Terumo Europe nv in May 2020 as Plant Maintenance & Engineering Manager where we as a team focus on improving the maintenance process, running life extension projects, introducing best practices in regard of reliability, and continuously improving the operational processes in support of the process engineers.