The Wiener Produktionstechnik Kongress marks an indispensable milestone for the production technology industry and provides a unique opportunity to meet leading figures in this sector. Traditionally, we have prepared a three-day program for you. Please find the current version below.
If you have any questions, please contact us at wpk@ift.at.
Tuesday, October 6, 2026: Come Together
TU Wien – TUtheSky Getreidemarkt 9, 1060 Vienna, BA Building, 11. OG (the highest building on campus, clad in black glass)
| 18:00 - 22:00 | Come Together |
Wednesday, October 7, 2026: Congress – Day 1
TU Wien – Kuppelsaal, Karlsplatz 13, 1040 Vienna, 4. OG
| 09:15 - 09:20 | Welcome Address: From Data-Driven Production to Autonomous Manufacturing Systems
Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn. Friedrich Bleicher (Head of Institute of Production Engineering and Photonic Technologies), TU Wien |
| 09:20 - 09:30 | Looking Ahead: Horizon Europe (FP10) and Your Opportunities
Dr.techn. Mihaela Albu (Expert and National Contact Point for Nanotechnologies, Advanced Materials, Advanced Manufacturing and Processing), Österreichische Forschungsförderungsgesellschaft mbH (FFG) |
| 09:30 - 10:00 | Insights into the Industrial Strategy of the Austrian Government
Dipl.-Ing. Roland Sommer, MBA (Managing Director), Verein Industrie 4.0 Österreich – die Plattform für intelligente Produktion |
| 10:00 - 10:30 | Challenges in the Age of AI with a Focus on Advanced Manufacturing
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael F. Zaeh (Director of the Institute for Machine Tools and Industrial Management), TU München |
| 10:30 - 11:00 | Coffee break |
| 11:00 - 11:30 | TBA
Clemens Mann (Vice President Marketing Automation), Andritz AG |
| 11:30 - 12:00 | Human-Centered Work Design and Experiential Education Approaches for the Automotive Industry
Laine Mears, Ph.D., P.E., FSME, FASME (Director, School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering and SmartState Endowed Professor of Automotive Manufacturing), Clemson University |
| 12:00 - 12:30 | Resilient and Autonomous Production Systems – From Model-Based Engineering and AI to Software-Defined Automation
Dipl.-Ing. Alois Wiesinger, MSc (Managing Director - CTO), FILL Gesellschaft m.b.H. |
| 12:30 - 13:30 | Lunch break |
| 13:30 - 14:00 | AI in Production: Real AI. Real Factory. Real Impact.
Dr.-Ing. Daniel Craiovan (Head of Electronics Factory Erlangen and Operations Plant Manager), Siemens AG |
| 14:00 - 14:30 | Machining Transformation and AI
Dr. Eng Masahiko Mori (President), DMG MORI CO., LTD. |
| 14:30 - 15:00 | Software-Defined Factory: The Potential of Agentic Systems in Manufacturing
Dr. Hans Jörg Stotz (Senior Vice President Digital Strategy and Transformation), Robert Bosch GmbH |
| 15:00 - 15:30 | Autonomy and AI Application in Digital Aerospace Manufacturing
Dr. Phillip J. Crothers (Enterprise Domain Leader – Manufacturing), Boeing Aerostructures Australia |
| 15:30 - 16:00 | Coffee break |
| 16:00 - 16:30 | Enabling Sub-Micrometer Precision in High-Mix, Low-Volume Grinding by Sensor Integration
Dipl.-Ing. Matthias Fritz and Jan Hansen (Head of Strategic Development and Systems Engineer), Kern Microtechnik GmbH |
| 16:30 - 17:00 | Ultra-Precise Metal Optics for Applications in Space and Industry
Dr.-Ing. Matthias Beier (CEO), SPACEOPTIX GmbH |
| 17:00 - 17:30 | Space 2.0: Space Industrial Base, In-Space Production for In-Space Operations
Dr. Ajay “AJ” P. Malshe (R. Eugene and Susie E. Goodson Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering and President’s Fellow), Purdue University |
Wednesday, October 7, 2026: Gala Dinner
Wiener Rathauskeller, Rathausplatz 1, 1010 Vienna
| 19:00 - 22:30 | Gala Dinner |
Thursday, October 8, 2026: Congress – Day 2
TU Wien – Kuppelsaal, Karlsplatz 13, 1040 Vienna, 4. OG
| 08:30 - 09:00 | Still agile or already modern? The human-centered approach to resilient processes and organizations
Clemens Lutsch, M.A. and Mag. (FH) Claudia Bruckschwaiger (Managing Partners), swohlwahr GmbH & Co KG |
| 09:00 - 09:30 | From I4.0 Capability to Full Automation: How EATON Schrems Brings Value Creation Back to Austria
Ing. Erich Hengstberger und Dominik Pfeiffer-Vogl (Industry 4.0 Site Leader and Project Manager), Eaton Industries (Austria) GmbH |
| 09:30 - 10:00 | Making AI and Physical AI Work for SMEs in Manufacturing
Dipl.-Ing. Dr. techn. Florian Pauker (Head of Global Industrial Engineering), EVVA Sicherheitstechnologie GmbH |
| 10:00 - 10:30 | Coffee break |
| 10:30 - 11:00 | Process-informed machining strategy development
Dr. Zekai Murat Kilic (Senior Lecturer, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, School of Engineering), University of Manchester |
| 11:00 - 11:30 | Physical AI – A Key Enabler of the Autonomous Factory
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthias Weigold (Director of the Institute for Production Management, Technology and Machine Tools), TU Darmstadt |
| 11:30 - 12:00 | Data-Driven and Intelligent Monitoring for Real-Time Quality Prediction and Control in Advanced Manufacturing Processes: Use Cases
Prof. Dr. Ir. Bert Lauwers (Full Professor Manufacturing Systems and Processes Academic Director for KU Leuven campuses in the Flanders region), KU Leuven |
| 12:00 - 13:00 | Lunch break |
| 13:00 - 13:15 | Ministerial Address
Henriette Spyra, MA (Director General), Federal Ministry of Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure |
| 13:15 - 13:45 | Advancing Machining Physics for Automated Process Development
Oguzhan Tuysuz, Ph.D., P.Eng. (Associate Professor Department of Mechanical Engineering), Polytechnique Montreal |
| 13:45 - 14:15 | Electroplated Layer Thickness Evaluation Using Modulated Photothermal Radiometry
Dr. Sangkee Min (Associate Professor Department of Mechanical Engineering), University of Wisconsin-Madison |
| 14:15 - 14:45 | Quantum Computing in Manufacturing: From Today’s Capabilities to Tomorrow’s Impact
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Steffen Ihlenfeldt (Director Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming, Technology IWU and Head of the Chair of Machine Tools Development and Adaptive Controls), TU Dresden |
| 14:45 - 15:15 | Coffee break |
| 15:15 - 15:45 | BMW Group’s Next Level in WAAM Automation for Series Production
Dr. Tobias Hauser and Dipl.-Ing. Christopher Mentrup (R&D project manager in Additive Manufacturing and Doctoral Candidate in WAAM), BMW Group |
| 15:45 - 16:15 | The Strategic Role of Additive Manufacturing in European Industrial Transformation
Dr. (habil) Dipl.-Ing. Johannes Gartner (Assistant Professor of Technology Management), TU Delft |
| 16:15 | Closing |
