Keynote Speakers

Franz Haas, Graz University of Technology, Austria

 

More information coming soon...

 

Speech Title: TBA

Abstract: TBA

 

 

 

Renato Sarc, Montanuniversitaet Leoben, Austria

Deputy of the Chair and Leader of a Working Group “Waste Process Engineering” Montanuniversitaet Leoben
Chair of Waste Processing Technology and Waste Management

 

He completed his diploma in Industrial Environmental Protection, Waste Management, and Recycling at Montanuniversität Leoben (MUL) in 2010, followed by his PhD in 2015 with a dissertation titled Design, Quality, and Quality Assurance of Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) for Achieving 100% Thermal Substitution in the Cement Industry. Since 2017, he has served as a Postdoctoral Senior Scientist and Project Leader at MUL within the COMET Competence Centers for Excellent Technologies, overseeing the projects “ReWaste4.0” (2017–2021) and “ReWaste F” (2021–2025). In 2023, he was appointed Assistant Professor at MUL.

Since 2020, he has been a member of the Austrian Standards Institute’s national Committee 157 and the Austrian delegate to ISO/TC 300 (Working Group 5). In 2022, he assumed the chairmanship of the advisory board of V.EFB, responsible for certifying waste management companies in Austria. His qualifications include certification as a "Waste Manager" and "Waste Management Officer." His research portfolio includes numerous industry collaborations, and he has authored over 40 peer-reviewed publications in waste management and technology. Additionally, he serves as a reviewer for international journals and has received several prestigious awards, including the renowned ISWA (International Solid Waste Association) Austria award.

 

Speech Title: Waste Management – experimental R&D of digitalised Smart Waste Factory solutions
Abstract:
The recycling-oriented circular economy offers a transformative opportunity to make the European economy and society climate-neutral and sustainable by 2050. In this transition, the waste management sector plays a central role, with close collaboration among manufacturing companies across the value chain enabling the treatment of waste as valuable secondary raw materials, thus establishing closed-loop systems. Under the scientific COMET program (Competence Centers for Excellent Technologies of the Austrian Research Promotion Agency – FFG), the "ReWaste F - Recycling and Recovery of Waste for the Future" project unites four scientific and 14 industrial partners to experimentally develop and digitalise a circular economy. The project envisions developing a “Smart Waste Factory” that will enable real-time identification of material flows at particle level, flexible adjustment of machines and their operational performance as well as adaptable plant configurations. This will enable digitalised communication of material quality and machine performance, resulting in the production of high-quality secondary raw materials with reduced energy consumption and lower CO₂ emissions. The development of the Smart Waste Factory relies on extensive, long-term experimental trials involving various types of sensors and machines provided by different project partners. It is further supported by a digitalised platform based on Module Type Packaging (MTP) for intelligent interconnection and communication. During the presentation, waste management-specific challenges will be highlighted, along with key results from the project’s trials and technological developments.

 

 

 

Christof Bitschnau, Quantics.io, Austria

Christof is a seasoned expert in supply chain optimization solutions. His academic background is in business administration and logistics. Even before joining Quantics.io he has been helping global leading manufacturers optimize their supply chain operations with best-of-breed software solutions. At Quantics.io he oversees the overall company strategy and go-to-market.

Speech Title: Event Abstract: Advancing Demand Forecasting for Manufacturing Excellence

Abstract: Join us for an engaging session with industry leaders Christof Bitschnau, CEO of Quantics.io, and Resul Akay, Data Science Lead at Quantics.io, as they delve into the complexities of demand forecasting for manufacturing companies.

The event begins with a deep dive into the challenges manufacturers face in forecasting, addressing the quality and availability of data, identifying impactful explanatory variables, and offering unique insights from Quantics.io’s team. Building on this foundation, the discussion shifts to exploring various forecasting methods, their strengths and limitations, and the innovative concept of hierarchical forecasting with advanced reconciliation. Discover actionable strategies to navigate difficult data patterns and unlock optimal forecasting performance.