News from the Chair of Factory Planning and Intralogistics

A large portion of any transformation process is spent in movement. Products need to be moved from one station to the next, patients from one treatment to the next, and everybody expects everything to get delivered home as fast possible (for free). How this can be realized using automated systems is a major aspect of intralogistics. It is a consequently pleasure to be part of the Scientific Society for Technical Logistics, which is one of the major associations in this area. Being part of the group offers opportunities for joint research and collaboration. This year’s conference at Karlsruhe brought many interesting discussions, including about our paper on beer logistics.

As part of his master's exchange at TU Chemnitz, Michael – a master student from Stellenbosch University (South Africa) – hosted and facilitated a hands-on Lean Management workshop developed by the Chair of Factory Planning and Intralogistics. The workshop engaged students in practical manufacturing scenarios while simultaneously generating data to analyze the use of Motion-Mining technology in lean contexts. Initial findings suggest that advanced lean methods may benefit from such digital tools. A joint study is underway to consolidate insights and explore new pathways for process optimization.

Being elected on the EurOMA board is a special honor. During the three-year term, we will focus on further extending the network, fostering young talent, and providing solutions for a changing and challenging world. The European Operations Management Association is arguably the leading association in Operations Management in Europe. Although based in Europe, EurOMA is a truly global community that allows members to exchange ideas, knowledge and experience. As part of this, we were also proud to host the EurOMA Central and Eastern European (CEE) Research Network Workshop in 2025.

It is a pleasure to welcome Thais Moreira at the Chair of Factory Planning and Intralogistics. Thais is a PhD student at the Federal University of Sao Carlos in Brazil, with which a memorandum of understanding was recently signed. There exists close cooperation between the Chair and Sao Carlos. As part of a CAPES funded research visit, Thais will work during the next 9 month on social media, sustainability and how communication can lead to sustainable actions. If you want to know more just reach out to her to connect.

We learned new things while chatting over research, academia and the meaning of live at the 5th EurOMA Central and Eastern European (CEE) Research Network Workshop. Held in Chemnitz, European Capital of Culture 2025, EurOMA CEE brought together researchers and practitioners from the region. The conference focused on scientific presentations and the development of research activities. There was also a tour of the Experimental and Digital Factory at the Chair of Factory Planning and Intralogistics. Keynotes by Dmitry Ivanov and Ivan Tomašević brought new insights on resilience, digital twin and the challenges of clinical trial start-ups.

We were honored that the application of being a fellow in the European Academy for Industrial Management (AIM) was granted at the 47th AIM Conference in Reykjavik, Iceland. AIM pursues to be the leading European Academy developing and promoting education and research in the field of Industrial Engineering and Management (IE&M). Making part of this community, the Chair of Factory Planning and Intralogistics seeks to contribute by advancing joint project applications, innovative teaching approaches and interesting research.

The renowned MIM IFAC conference - an international meeting place for thought leaders in management, technology and automation - honored a research paper from our professorship with the Commend Paper Award. The paper “Redefining Supply Chains with Additive Manufacturing: Insights from Network Modeling” was written as part of the KISS project and shows how methodological approaches can contribute to solving complex challenges in industry. The paper was written in close collaboration with colleagues from the West Saxon University of Applied Sciences Zwickau and sheds light on decentralized supply chains in the context of rapidly changing supply networks in the field of additive manufacturing.

Our colleague Mario Henrique Bueno Moreira Callefi recently visited the Department of Production and Operations Management at FGV EAESP, Brazil. The visit aimed to explore opportunities for future research collaborations, with a special focus on emerging technologies and supply chain innovation. During the visit, promising directions for joint academic work were discussed. As part of the academic exchange, Dr. Callefi and Professor Maciel Queiroz shared insights on ongoing research initiatives, and identified potential synergies for collaborative projects that combine theoretical contributions with managerial relevance.

Resilience is an important approach to surviving gray and black swan events. However, resilience is difficult to grasp because it is a dynamic phenomenon, and we are also talking about events with a low probability but a high impact. An article from the Chair of Factory Planning and Intralogistics on resilience as a quality of the system rather than a key performance indicator demonstrates ways in which resilience can be captured. The article Supply chain resilience as a system quality: survey-based evidence from multiple industries was selected by the International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management as one of the three most frequently cited articles of the last 12 months.

Our professorship's hiking day is firmly established. Once a year, we lace up our hiking boots, pack our rucksacks and head out into the countryside. This time we headed north to the Striegistal valley. Pure nature and varied with sections mainly across meadows, through forests and along the water. The tour, which was a good twelve kilometers long in total, and the stop for lunch offered plenty of room for conversations off the beaten track, interesting discoveries and even a successful search for a geocache or two.