Research Seminars of the Chair Factory Planning and Intralogistics

Date: December 9, 2025

Time	Agenda
13:00-13:15	Welcome Note Matthias Thürer (Chemnitz University of Technology)
13:15-13:45	Presentation Tuan-anh Tran (University of Pannonia) Title: Workload Monitoring & Management with Objective Work-content Assessment by Acceleration and Heart-rate Based Intensity Metrics in Work Shift
13:45-14:00	Break
14:00-14:45	Presentation Tuan-anh Tran (University of Pannonia) & Mario Callefi (Chemnitz University of Technology) Title: Recent Developments and Trends in the Use of Generative AI in Supply Chain Management
14:45-15:00	Summary & Closing

Abstract

In a standardized physical work environment, excessive work demand or work content is the primary cause of high workload and workplace stress, which negatively affects the performance and long-term well-being of blue-collar workers. Therefore, assessing work content is critical in both work design and monitoring. With relatively simple sensor deployment and light computation, acceleration and heart rate-based intensity metrics were widely utilized within health and sport science as an objective measure to monitor exercise and activity intensity, thus suggesting a similar use for the industrial context of Operator 4.0. This study proposes a framework of using such metrics in combination with the shift-level information to assess the work content during a work shift, monitoring the physical kinematics and physiological responses of workers, thereby detecting possible changes in their perceived workload. Industrial managers can obtain a better understanding of the workload from a shift, which overcomes the individual bias and inconsistency in subjective assessments from workers. A use case is conducted on the Work-content Effect on BAristas (WEBA) dataset to assess the work content in shifts with discrete repetitive cycles, and suggest a potential application within production environments. Besides paving the way for workload design and real-time monitoring with wearables, this study emphasizes the importance of a well-defined work content in yielding optimal human performance, ensuring a socially healthy and sustainable workforce in the Industry 5.0 era.

Date: January 14, 2025

Time	Agenda
13:00-13:15	Welcome Note Matthias Thürer (Chemnitz University of Technology)
13:15-14:45	Presentation Tuan-anh Tran (University of Pannonia) Title: Sensor Technology and Data Science to Facilitate Lean 4.0 and Operator 4.0
14:45-15:00	Summary & Closing

Date: November 29, 2024

Time	Agenda
9:15-9:30	Welcome Note Matthias Thürer (Chemnitz University of Technology)
9:30-10:45	Presentation Thomas Weise (Hefei University) Title: Frequency Fitness Assignment
10:45-11:00	Summary & Closing

Abstract

Optimization problems are situations where we have to pick one of many possible choices and want to do this in such a way that we reach a pre-defined goal at a minimum cost. Classical optimization problems include the Traveling Salesperson Problem, the Maximum Satisfiability Problem (MaxSat), and the Bin Packing problem, for example. Since these problems are NP-hard and solving them to optimality would require exponential runtime in the worst case, metaheuristic algorithms have been developed that deliver near-optimal solutions in acceptable runtime. Examples for classical metaheuristics are the (1+1) EA, Simulated Annealing (SA), and the Standard Genetic Algorithm (SGA). Since we want that such algorithms should behave the same in both quick benchmarking experiments and in practical application, we would like them to exhibit invariance properties. Whereas the (1+1) EA is invariant under all order-preserving transformations of the objective function value, SA is not invariant under scaling of the objective function and the SGA is not invariant under translations of the objective function. Frequency Fitness Assignment (FFA) is an algorithm module that can be plugged into existing algorithms and makes them invariant under all injective transformations of the objective function value (which goes far beyond order-preserving transformations). We plug FFA into the (1+1) EA. We show that the resulting (1+1) FEA can solve Trap, TwoMax, and Jump problems in polynomial runtime, whereas the (1+1) EA needs exponential runtime. Moreover, the (1+1) FEA performs very significantly faster on the NP-hard MaxSat problem. We conclude the presentation with an outline of other properties of FFA and our other recent works.

Curriculum vitae 

Dr. Thomas Weise, German, was born in 1981. In 2005, Dr. Weise received his MSc degree in computer science from the Chemnitz University of Technology in Chemnitz, Germany. In 2009, he received a doctorate in computer science from the Kassel University in Kassel, Germany. After completing his doctoral research, he joined the University of Science and Technology of China as a postdoctoral fellow to continue to study the field of optimization algorithms. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2011. In 2016, he accepted the position of Full Professor of Hefei University and became the founding director of the Institute of Applied Optimization. In just a few years, Dr. Weise recruited and formed a strong independent research team, whose members are doctors from top universities at home and abroad. Dr. Weise is the author of more than 120 peer-reviewed academic papers, including more than 45 articles and more than 65 conference papers. His works have been cited more than 4180 times, his h-index is 28, and his i10-index is 55. Dr. Weise has four first author papers in IEEE Transactions on Evolutionary Computation and one first author paper in IEEE Computational Intelligence Magazine. In addition, Dr. Weise has also published articles in Information Fusion, Pattern Recognition, Information Sciences, Applied Soft Computing, the European Journal of Operational Research, Evolutionary Computation, the Journal of Global Optimization, the Journal of Computer Science & Technology, the Journal of Combinatorial Optimization, and others.

Date: January 11, 2024

Time	Agenda
9:10-9:15	Welcome Note Matthias Thürer (Chemnitz University of Technology)
9:15-10:30	Presentation Roberto Sarmiento (Autonomous University of San Luis Potosi) Title: A Critical Assessment of the “Quantitative versus Qualitative Research” Debate
10:30-10:45	Summary & Closing

Date: December 19, 2023

Time	Agenda
13:10-13:15	Welcome Note Matthias Thürer (Chemnitz University of Technology)
13:15-15:15	Presentation Roberto Sarmiento (Autonomous University of San Luis Potosi) Title: Competitive advantage: underlying theories, concepts, and an attempt at unification
15:15-15:30	Summary & Closing

Abstract Research Note

Competitive advantage is, arguably, the most researched topic in the field of business management. For many decades, scientists worldwide have put forward potential theories that researchers, students, and practitioners can understand, explain, and in particular, apply empirically. The aim being, evidently, to help businesses attain an edge over their competitors in the marketplace. These include widely cited theories/concepts such as the resource-based view, the dynamic capabilities framework, and Porter’s and Skinner’s strategic trade-offs models, amongst others. A fair criticism can be made that, researchers have not performed enough investigations that compare the claims of these rival theories, in order to corroborate which one(s) most-closely resemble real-world, tangible results. This is an important theme, considering that all of them, claim to provide the (partial or total) basis explaining why some firms achieve a competitive advantage, and others do not. Therefore, our investigation explores some of the different variables that precede the concept known as “competitive advantage”, with a view to integrating these theories within the same unifying framework.

Abstract Research Method

In this presentation, Roberto questions whether the “quantitative versus qualitative research” debate is a correct one. He says, based on his and colleagues’ investigations, that such a debate is incorrect, and proposes to reshape it. Roberto also recommends that to understand these topics better, students, researchers and practitioners in the business/operations management field should be aware of the two types of theories/hypotheses that exist in all of the empirical sciences: universal-deterministic (U-D) and probabilistic.

Curriculum vitae 

Roberto Sarmiento received his PhD in Manufacturing Engineering and Operations Management from the University of Nottingham, UK. He is currently an Associate Professor at the Autonomous University of San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Roberto is interested in a variety of topics, including operations management, green supply chain management, decision-making models, and the philosophy of science. He and his colleagues have developed a novel approach to the debate surrounding Wickham Skinner’ strategic trade-offs model. One of their papers (Sarmiento, R., Whelan, G., & Thürer, M. 2018. A note on ‘beyond the trade-off and cumulative capabilities models: alternative models of operations strategy) was recently cited for its relevant contributions in the field of Operations Management. In their latest project, entitled “strategic trade-offs seen through the lens of competitive advantage”, Roberto and colleagues take a critical look at various theories that explain the concept known as “competitive advantage”, with a view to integrating these theories within the same unifying framework.

Date: October 23, 2023

Time	Agenda
9:55-10:00	Welcome Note Matthias Thürer (Chemnitz University of Technology)
11:00-11:30	Presentation Yuan Huang (Cardiff University) Title: Qualitative Empirical Research Methods: An Introduction
11:30-11:45	Summary & Closing

Date: October 19, 2023

Time	Agenda
9:10-9:15	Welcome Note Matthias Thürer (Chemnitz University of Technology)
9:15-10:45	Presentation Yuan Huang (Cardiff University) Title: Production/Process Control in Chaos: Finding my Way
10:45-11:00	Summary & Closing

Abstract Research Note

Being an academic for 18 years including the first four years of gaining a PhD degree in Management Science, I felt ‘I am not a proper academic’ on many occasions. I have experienced stages of being mega proud of my PhD project, the realisation of my research interest is different, the confusion of what my speciality is, the challenges with fitting into the publication world, the confidence boost of figuring out ‘my branch’, and the affirmation of finding my own research identity and being ok with ‘I’m not a proper academic’. In this talk, I will speak about my research trajectory in the endeavour of regulating production/process flow in chaotic environments (e.g., make-to-order production, emergency departments, additive manufacturing). This includes the background of the underpinning process control theories, the perspectives of my investigation, the dominant methodology (i.e. action research/intervention-based research), and most importantly the learnings. I will explain how I had my eyes on emergency departments after years of having CNC machines in my squad: the connections, and the differences which set me an exciting new direction. Of course, all the stages of finding my way won’t be missed out in my research trajectory. I am currently on research leave, exploring my new research direction. If you don’t mind, I’d like to share what has kept me excited about going to work today and tomorrow.

Abstract Research Method

Empirical research is a cornerstone of research in operations and industry management. Out of her rich experience, Yuan introduces the basics of qualitative empirical research.

Curriculum vitae 

Yuan Huang holds a first degree in Electrical Engineering from Xi’an Jiaotong University, China and an MSc in Supply Engineering & Logistics from the University of Warwick, UK. She completed her PhD at Lancaster University Management School before taking the lectureship in University of Southampton in 2011. She joined Cardiff Business School in 2017. Yuan has built a strong action/intervention-based research foundation over 16 years to study the effectiveness of operations management (OM) theories (e.g. production planning and control, process improvement, supply chain collaboration) in complex social systems. This has enabled her to develop a growing international reputation in the field of Operations Management Practice Contingency Research (OM PCR), working with academics and industry partners across disciplines. Her passion and interest in OM PCR originated from her doctoral research project “Workload control: success in practice”. The project employed an action research approach. Through a series of theory-guided and practice-inspired interventions, the research led to significant increases in successful bids and reductions in lead times for a small precision engineering company in the Northwest England. The outcomes also had a knock-on effect through the company’s supply chain that includes large aerospace companies like Rolls-Royce. The research formed an impact case study in REF2014. She has then extended her OM PCR to a range of areas/dimensions (e.g. healthcare operations, operations/supply chain management of additive manufacturing, international supply chain collaborations, ‘emotional’ operations), embracing multi-disciplinary research. For example, she conduced an ESRC impact research project titled “Reducing waiting times in Emergency Departments by an integrated rapid assessment and treatment approach” in collaboration with University of Groningen (Netherlands), University of Southampton, and the Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust. She also worked with Photocentric (a 3D-printing company in Peterborough) who won a contract to supply the NHS with 7,700,000 face shields during Covid-19. The research is published as an impact-pathway paper in the International Journal of Operations and Production Management – “Breaking the mould: achieving high volume production output with additive manufacturing”. An ongoing project explores the impact of emotions on performance of human-centred operations, combining knowledge in the fields of operations management, organisation studies, and psychology & behaviour.

Date: July 14, 2023

Time	Agenda
16:45-17:00	Welcome Note Matthias Thürer (Chemnitz University of Technology)
17:00-18:00	Presentation Alex Pak Ki Kwok (Chinese University of Hong Kong) Title: Embracing the Future: Understanding Technology Acceptance
18:00-18:30	Introduction Chair of Factory Planning & Intralogistics and Experimental Factory
18:30-18:45	Summary & Closing

Curriculum vitae 

Alex Pak Ki Kwok is Lecturer at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He graduated from The University of Hong Kong with a B.Eng. degree in Logistics Engineering and Supply Chain Management and a Ph.D. degree in the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering. He has got extensive teaching experience related to applied data science and business analytics in universities. Apart from teaching, he is active in research and scholarly activities. His recent work has appeared in Internet Research, Educational Research Review, Computers & Industrial Engineering, Decision Support Systems, International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, and others. His recent research interests include technology adoption and diffusion of new technologies (e.g., VR/AR, s-commerce, smart classes, and telehealth) to boost productivity and well-being and the use of data to make a better decision.

Date: June 20, 2023

Time	Agenda
8:45-9:00	Welcome Note Matthias Thürer (Chemnitz University of Technology)
9:00-10:30	Presentation Fabio Sgarbossa (Norwegian University of Science & Technology) Title: Warehouse Robotization with Wheel.me Genius: A Puzzle-Based Movable Racks System
10:30-11:30	Introduction Chair of Factory Planning & Intralogistics and Experimental Factory
11:30-11:45	Summary & Closing

Abstract

Recently, the Norwegian company Wheel.me has developed autonomous wheels. Autonomous wheels can replace regular wheels on trolleys, carts or mounted to many other objects like racks and pallets. By mounting autonomous wheels to an object, the object can move independently and autonomously. Autonomous wheels can be an alternative to existing material handling equipment such as autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), automated guided vehicles (AGVs), shuttles, and conveyor belts. Mounting autonomous wheels to storage racks removes the need for AMRs to move racks, so in this seminar thanks to a long-term collaboration between the Logistics 4.0 Lab at NTNU and wheel.me, we will explore a new configuration of warehousing system where storage racks can be moved with autonomous wheels. In this way we can obtain a system with high storage density and high throughput capacity, that we will call Puzzle-Based Movable Rack (PBMR) system.

Date: April 19, 2023

Time	Agenda
9:45-10:00	Welcome Note Matthias Thürer (Chemnitz University of Technology)
10:00-12:00	Presentation Stefan Haeussler (Innsbruck University) Title: United we Stand, Divided we Fall: The Potential of Combining Machine Learning and Workload Control
12:00-14:00	Lunch break
14:00-16:00	Presentation Arno Kasper (University of Groningen) Title: Breaking Down Hierarchies: The Opportunities for Integrated Workload Control
16:00-18:00	Presentation Matthias Thürer (Chemnitz University of Technology) Title: Resilience and Holonic Control: Potentials and Research Issues

Date: April 20, 2023

Time	Agenda
10:00-12:00	Introduction Chair of Factory Planning & Intralogistics and Experimental Factory
12:00-14:00	Lunch break
14:00-16:00	Break out discussions on future research

Date: April 21, 2023

Time	Agenda
10:00-12:00	Break out discussions on future research
12:00-14:00	Lunch break
14:00-14:30	Summary & Closing