CALL FOR PAPERS
The main theme of the 2025 ISIEA edition will be” Manufacturing 2030 – A Perspective to Future Challenges in Industrial Production” and will cover all major areas of production research and industrial engineering. ISIEA 2025 welcomes submissions for the General Track, whose topics of interest are those listed below as well as for special tracks indicated at the bottom of this call for papers.
TOPICS OF THE GENERAL TRACK:
Production and Supply Chain Management
Adoption of Industry 4.0 Technologies in Manufacturing
Application of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Sustainability and Circular Economy in Production
Cyber Physical Production Systems
Cybersecurity in Production
Industrial Engineering and Management
Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality in Production
Factory Planning and Maintenance
Digital Twins and Virtual Factories
Management Engineering and Business Models
Occupational Health, Safety and Ergonomics
Automation and Manufacturing Technologies
Industrial Automation and Robotics
Additive Manufacturing
Advanced Manufacturing Technologies
Automatic Control and optimal Motion Planning
Energy Efficiency of Automated Systems
Mechanical Engineering and Design
Product Development and Engineering
Innovation and Design Creativity
Material Characterization and Advanced Machine Design
Design Optimization of Structural-Mechanical Systems
Kinematics and Dynamics of Multibody Systems
SPECIAL TRACKS:
SME 5.0 – Introducing Industry 5.0 in SMEs
CHAIRS
Prof. Erwin Rauch, Free University of Bozen/Bolzano – Italy
Prof. Emmanuel Francalanza, University of Malta – Malta
ABSTRACT
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) face numerous challenges when integrating the principles of Industry 5.0 into their operations. Limited financial resources and manpower often hinder their ability to implement extensive changes. However, SMEs frequently leverage their agility and adaptability in product offerings to maintain competitiveness in dynamic markets. Today, legislative and commercial pressures increasingly demand rapid adaptation, requiring SMEs to embrace sustainability, human-centered production, and resilience. These pressures create a complex landscape where balancing operational constraints with transformative initiatives becomes crucial. This conference track seeks to explore research that examines the challenges SMEs encounter when adopting Industry 5.0 approaches. We welcome studies that identify the specific needs of SMEs in this context and innovative solutions that address these challenges. The main topics will include, but are not limited to, the following: ,Intelligent SME Factories, Society 5.0, IIoT and Cybersecurity for SMEs, Sustainable SMEs, Human Centred SMEs, Operator 4.0 Skills
Engineering Education 5.0
CHAIRS
Prof. Manuel Woschank, Montanuniversität Leoben – Austria
Prof. Bernd Zunk, Graz University of Technology – Austria
ABSTRACT
The transformation of our industrial companies and manufacturing SMEs towards digitalization and sustainability requires a substantial change regarding the necessary competences of engineers of the future. Massive efforts are needed here to re-skill and up-skill current workforce and, subsequently, a holistic realignment of training and further education. This track includes discussions on the reorientation of the necessary competences of engineers of the future, as well as, measures for the reorientation of teaching, including new teaching and learning methods. This track welcomes researchers and industry professionals to exchange insights and creative concepts within the domains of engineering education, namely i) Logistics and Supply Management, ii) Product Development and Manufacturing, and iii) Entrepreneurship and Industrial Marketing Management, but not exclusively. By sharing the best practices, participants will actively contribute to the systematic evolution of engineering education. Topics include, for example: research into the future competences of engineers, new and/or adapted teaching and learning methods, tools for engineering education, learning factories and/or labs as a tool for engineering education, lifelong learning measures, curricula (re-)design, digitalization and/or sustainability in engineering education
Advances of Digital Twins
CHAIRS
Prof. Manuel Ferdik, Head Electronics and Data Analytics – MCI Management Center Innsbruck – Austria
Dr. Matteo De Marchi, Free University of Bozen/Bolzano – Italy
Prof. Prajaks Jitngernmadan, Burapha University – Thailand
ABSTRACT
With an eye on the future, today’s challenges are going to intensify, increasing the requirements, constraints, and objectives of manufacturing systems. The ability to quickly respond to sudden, unpredictable events that may drastically affect the ecosystem in which organization are used to operate becomes of major interest: seeking enhanced flexibility of manufacturing systems is a major goal for the future. This enables adaptability and reconfigurability, ultimately fostering systems’ resilience. Nonetheless, the transition from Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0 suggests to dedicate major attention to sustainability (environmental, economic, and social), human-centrism, and in fact, resilience. The development, deployment, and adoption of Digital Twin (DT) solutions play a fundamental role in this rapidly evolving environment. Beyond the digitalized monitoring of the twinned system, DT applications can be employed as holistic solutions to achieve: (i) real-time monitoring, (ii) data exploitation, simulation, and forecasting, and (iii) system self optimization. This Special Track seeks to collect advancement in Digital Twin technology under different aspects. These are, but are not limited to: dynamic task allocation through flexible and adaptive DT solutions (exploring how DTs can enable dynamic reallocation of tasks to optimize workflows in unpredictable environments), decentralized and distributed DT architectures (investigating scalable, robust DT frameworks to enhance system interoperability and resilience), innovative DT application fields (unveiling novel use cases of DTs across diverse manufacturing domains, including healthcare, aerospace, automotive, and energy sectors), integration of DTs with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) (applying AI and ML algorithms for predictive analytics, decision-making, and system self-optimization in DT environments).
Human-centric Manufacturing and Collaborative Automation
CHAIRS
Dr. Luca Gualtieri, Free University of Bozen/Bolzano – Italy
Dr. Federico Fraboni, University of Bologna
Dr. Fabio Grandi, University of Bologna
ABSTRACT
Sustainability is a multidisciplinary branch that includes environmental, social, and economic dimensions, constituting a fundamental “Industry 5.0” element. The fifth industrial revolution aims to locate employees’ well-being at the centre of the factory and reinforce the contribution of industry to society by using digital and artificial intelligence-based technologies. Human centricity, sustainability, and resilience are promoted over efficiency and productivity: Technology should be used to customize work environments to meet the specific needs of workers, improving their working conditions, safety, well-being, and ultimately, performance. Achieving this ambitious vision will require production systems to adapt to the diverse needs of workers, leveraging complex, autonomous, and intelligent technologies. While these advancements offer significant benefits, they also present challenges: It will be crucial to address and mitigate the emerging risks associated with the close integration of workers and advanced technologies. In this context, this conference track seeks to explore recent advancements in ergonomics, human factors, and safety in human-system interactions within technology-driven production environments. The main topics will include, but are not limited to, the following:Adaptive and intelligent human-robot interaction; Augmented, virtual, and mixed reality for human-centric applications; Physical and cognitive assistance systems; Social inclusion of vulnerable workers; Application of artificial intelligence to safety-critical systems; Monitoring, modeling, virtualization, and simulation of human activities, behavior and intentions; Multimodal HMIs.
EPIEM – 18th EPIEM Conference
CHAIRS
Prof. Bernd Zunk, Technical University of Graz – Austria
Prof. Guido Orzes, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy
Prof. Erwin Rauch, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy