Activities

10th BioSC forum on 12th March 2024 in Jülich

This year, the PhD Student Competition was held for the first time, giving PhD students the opportunity to link their own research topics with ongoing projects from the NRW BioSC strategy project. The PhD students then presented their ideas to the auditorium. Nil Güreli and Johanna Rütt set an excellent example for the possible continuation of this competition in the coming years.

Energy Transition Forum 2023

On the 24th of October, Dr. Ali Abdelshafy took part in the opening panel “Progress Since Paris: Leaders’ Verdict on Actions Needed at COP28” in the Energy Transition Forum 2023 (Banking Hall, London). The panel discussed the energy industry’s progress in its transition to clean energy and the steps needed to hit targets set out in the Paris Agreement. Leia Marie Parker (Editor-in-Chief, Upstream) moderated the panel with the following experts; Jill Duggan (Senior Advisor on Global Policy, Environmental Defense Fund), Matthieu Hue (CEO, EDF Renewables UK & Ireland), Dr. Ali Abdelshafy (Head of research group “Climate-neutral industries”, chair of Operations Management), Sarim Sheikh (CEO, etsquare) and Alex Grant (Country Manager, Equinor).

Presentations

At the international annual conference of the GOR e.V.: "OR2023 - Decision Support & Choice-Based Analytics for a Disruptive World", University of Hamburg, 29 August - 01 September 2023, the following reserach assitants presented current research projects:

• Stephan Bogs: "Teaching an OR sustainability case study with complex data on different academic levels: challenges and solutions" (Bogs, S.; Rütt, J.; Walther, G.)
• Mina Farajiamiri: "A two-stage stochastic mixed-integer programming approach for the optimal design of a renewable fuel supply chain" (Farajiamiri, M.; Meyer, J.-C.; Walther, G.)
• Vladimir Stadnichuk: "Strengthening the sustainable transport network by optimizing mobility hub locations" (Stadnichuk, V.; Merten, L.; Larisch, C.; Walther, G.)
• Julia Schleier: "Designing reverse logistic networks for expanded polystyrene waste from building insulation" (Schleier, J.; Walther, G.).

A Talk in Stuttgart

Ali Abdelshafy gave a talk in hy-fcell Stuttgart (13th and 14th September 2023) with title: Envisaging international hydrogen supply chains: the MENA region as a producer and exporter.

Successful graduation

Ali Abdelshafy defended his doctoral thesis successfully. The title of the dissertation is “Towards climate-neutral and circular industrial systems – Approaches for integrated modelling, assessment and planning at regional level“

We wish him the very best for his professional and private future and congratulate him again on his successful doctorate.

Publication

he following paper has been recently published in Transportation Research Part D

Laura, Frank., Walther, Grit. 2022. Pooling Effects from Integrating Private and Corporate Demand in Car Sharing Systems

Student trainee Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in Frankfurt (Remote)

Do you want to be part of an engaged team to foster the sustainability of a global top 10 chemical corporation? Would you like participating in everyday life calls with European, American, and Japanese group companies? Do you have a strong commitment to the harmony between nature and human existence? Does KAITEKI philosophy touch you? If you want to shape the future of sustainable production with your ideas and walk together on this path, we are happy to receive your motivation letter and CV. For more information click here

Congratulations to Dr. Tristan Becker and Mr. Ali Abdelshafy

On the 25th of January 2023, OM publications were selected for two awards in the faculty assembly. Jun. Prof. Tristan Becker received the publication award for Ethical/Social Responsibility and Diversity and Ali Abdelshafy received the publication award for interdisciplinarity.

Successful graduation

Laura Frank defended her doctoral thesis successfully. The title of the dissertation is “On the Integration of Shared Mobility Services in Public and Corporate Mobility Systems“

We wish her the very best for her professional and private future and congratulate her again on her successful doctorate.

Successful graduation

Markus Kreuz defended his doctoral thesis successfully. The title of the dissertation is “Strategies for the Reduction of CO₂ Fleet Emissions in the Automotive Industry - Dynamic Technology and Portfolio Planning from a Manufacturer's Perspective“

We wish him the very best for his professional and private future and congratulate him again on his successful doctorate.

Publication

The following paper has been recently published in Resources, Conservation & Recycling

Schleier, Julia., Simons, Martin., Kathrin, Greiff., Walther Grit. 2022. End-of-Life treatment of EPS-based building insulation material - An estimation of future waste and review of treatment options

Successful graduation

Valentin Sommer defended his doctoral thesis successfully. The title of the dissertation is “Design and evaluation of recycling and recovery infrastructures for glass and carbon fiber reinforced plastics – An application in the wind energy industry “

We wish him the very best for his professional and private future and congratulate him again on his successful doctorate.

Successful graduation

Makbule Kandakoğlu defended her doctoral thesis successfully. The title of the dissertation is “Robust Portfolio Decision Analysis - A Multicriteria Constrained Clustering Approach“

We wish her the very best for her professional and private future and congratulate her again on her successful doctorate.

Publication

The following paper has been acdcepted for publication in European Journal of Operational Research:

Wolff, Michael; Becker, Tristan; Walther, Grit. Long-term design and analysis of renewable fuel supply chains – An integrated approach considering seasonal resource availability. European Journal of Operational Research

Reviewer Award

Dr. Balint Simon achieved the reviewer award of the Journal Resources, Conservation & Recycling

Publication

The following paper has been recently published in Transportation Research Part C

Dirks, Nicolas., Schiffer, Maximilian., Walther, Grit. 2022. On the Integration of Battery Electric Buses into Urban Bus Networks. Transportation Research Part C

Publication

The following paper has been recently published in journal of CO2 Utilization

Abdelshafy, Ali., Walther, Grit. 2021. Coupling carbon capture and utilization with the construction industry: opportunities in Western Germany

Successful graduation

Barbara Scheiper defended her doctoral thesis successfully. The title of the dissertation is “Strategic planning of charging infrastructure for battery electric vehicles considering interactions with the energy sector“

We wish her the very best for her professional and private future and congratulate her again on her successful doctorate.

Successful graduation

Nicolas Dirks defended his doctoral thesis successfully. The title of the dissertation is “On the Transformation of Public Mobility Services toward more Sustainability“

We wish him the very best for his professional and private future and congratulate him again on his successful doctorate.

Publication

Balint, Simon., Grit, Walther. “Circular Economy in Plastic Packaging Sector, Aiming at a Maximum Reduction of Environmental Burdens (Climate Impacts).” Poster presented at the 78th Jubilee LCA DF, virtual/Zürich, September 13, 2021.

Publication

The following paper has been recently published in journal of Resources, Conservation & Recycling

Sommer, Valentin., Becker, Tristan., Walther, Grit. 2021. Steering Sustainable End-of-Life Treatment of Glass and Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics Waste from Rotor Blades of Wind Power Plants

Publication

The following paper has been recently published in journal of Transportation Science

Schaap, Hendrik., Schiffer, Maximilian., Schneider, Michael., Walther, Grit. 2021. A Large Neighborhood Search for the Vehicle Routing Problem with Multiple Time Windows

Publication

The following paper has been recently published in journal of Resources, Conservation & Recycling

Abdelshafy, Ali., Walther, Grit. 2021. Exploring the effects of energy transition on the industrial value chains and alternative resources: A case study from the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW)

Presentations

Ali Abdelshafy and Dr. Angel L. Merchan presented his research "Designing a sustainable supply chain for bio-based succinic acid in North Rhine-Westphalia" at the 3rd Conference on Sustainable Supply Chains on 22-23 July 2021. This research is developed in the framework of the Transform2Bio and HyImPAct projects, which are founded by the Bioeconomy Science Center.

At the same conference, Julia Schleier presented her research "Economic Optimization and Analysis of Reverse Logistics Systems for EPS from ETICS".

Successful graduation

On June 2nd, Larissa Doré defended her doctoral thesis successfully. The title of the dissertation is “Strategic planning of value-added networks for the production of synthetic fuels based on renewable energies - An approach taking into account seasonal fluctuations of inputs“

We wish her the very best for her professional and private future and congratulate her again on her successful doctorate.

Presentations

Dr. Angel L. Merchan presented his research "Ex-ante evaluation of novel biotechnology processes for the production of bio-based succinic acid" at the SETAC Europe 31st Annual Meeting on 3-6 May 2021 and the 15th Conference Society and Materialy - EcoSD on 10-11 May 2021. This research is developed in the framework of the HyImPAct project, which is founded by de Bioeconomy Science Center.

Admission to the "Junges Kolleg"

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Philipp Trotter has been accepted into the funding program of the North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences and Arts! More information here.

Friedrich-Wilhelm Award 2020

We congratulate Tim Hilbrecht for receiving the Friedrich-Wilhelm Award 2020 of RWTH Aachen in recognition of his outstanding academic achievement in his master thesis. More information here.

Dr. Angel L. Merchan presented his research "Life Cycle Assessment of the production of bio-based succinic acid from maize stover" at the Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Conference 2020 on November 30 - December 3. This research is developed in the framework of the HyImPAct project, which is founded by de Bioeconomy Science Center.

Guest Lecture

In summer term 2020 Sven Seidler and Hendrik Weyer (consulting firm Ortec) participated for the second time in a row in the final event of our seminar Advanced Planning in Production and Logistics - Application and Implementation. We would like to thank Mr. Seidler and Mr. Weyer for the stimulating discussions and insights into the practice of an internationally active OR consultancy.

Presentation

Dr. Balint Simon presented his research "How can graphs contribute to Environmental Assessments? Network Analysis of the Plastic Packaging Industry in North Rhine-Westfalia to evaluate Increased Recycling Rates" at the Life Cycle Innovation Conference 2020 (LCIC2020) on 26th-28th of August. The contribution was developed in cooperation with Antonia Klopfer and Prof. Dr. Grit Walther.

Successful graduation

On May 29th, Felix Giedziella defended his doctoral thesis successfully. The title of the dissertation is “Efficient Resource Planning for Product Development and Production Ramp-up in Competitive Market Environments“

We wish him the very best for his professional and private future and congratulate him again on his successful doctorate.

Excursion

e.GO Mobile AG, Aachen

In the context of the lecture "Production Planning in the Automotive Industry", January 28th,2020

Excursion

SCHOELLERSHAMMER GmbH & Co. KG, Düren

In the context of the lecture "Sustainable Supply Chains", December 16th,2019

Successful graduation

On November 15th, Michel Siemon defended his doctoral thesis successfully. The title of the dissertation is “Operational purchasing and production planning in non-ferrous metal industries“.

We wish him the very best for his professional and private future and congratulate him again on his successful doctorate.

Laura Frank and Nicolas Dirks presented their research projects at the „Herbsttagung der Wissenschaftlichen Kommissionen Nachhaltigkeitsmanagement und Produktionswirtschaft des Verbandes der Hochschullehrer für Betriebswirtschaft e.V.“, on the 24th and 25th October 2019 in Aachen:

• Laura Frank: Synergieeffekte eines integrierten Carsharing-Angebots für private und betriebliche Nutzer
• Nicolas Dirks: Integration batterieelektrischer Busse in urbane Busnetzwerke

Michael Wolff presented “Strategisch-operative Planung von Wertschöpfungsnetzwerken zur Herstellung bio-hybrider Kraftstoffe” at the 8. conference on "Energetische Biomassenutzung".

Nicolas Dirks presented "Designing Intermodal Transportation Systems" at the "Mobil.TUM 2019 International Scientific Conference on Mobility and Transport, September 11th - 12th 2019" in Munich. Within the presented research project he collaborates with Laura Frank and Grit Walther.

Presentation

• "Integrating Battery Electric Buses in Urban Bus Networks"

  (Nicolas Dirks)

• "A Decomposition Heuristic for Rotational Workforce Scheduling"

  (Dr. Tristan Becker)

• "Hybrid production networks for renewable fuels"

  (Larissa Doré)

• "Planning of fast charging infrastructure for battery electric vehicles along motorways considering the interaction with the electrical grid"

  (Barbara Scheiper)

• "Modeling Intermodality to Improve Rural Accessibility"

  (Laura Frank)

• "User-based relocation strategies in free-floating car sharing systems"

  (Fabian Rüdel)

• "Optimal design and operation of renewable fuel supply chains"

  (Michael Wolff)

OR2019 – Annual International Conference of the German Operations Research Society,

Laura Frank and Nicolas Dirks presented "Improving Accessibility in Suburban and Rural Areas" during the 2019 Annual Meeting of the Working Group on Traffic of the German Geographical Society. The contribution is based on a collaboration with Frank Baumgärtner, Chair of Management Accounting, and the district of Heinsberg within the NRW Forschungskolleg ACCESS!.

Markus Kreuz presents “An integrated hybrid simulation and optimization model to meet legal CO₂ fleet emission thresholds in the automotive industry towards 2030 ” at the Annual Meeting of the German Society of System Dynamics 2019.

Felix Schuster receives the Graduate Award of the SEW-EURODRIVE Foundation for his master's thesis "Integrated planning of charging infrastructure for electrified fleets of municipal companies". The award ceremony will take place on May 10, 2019. Supervisors of the thesis were Prof. Dr. Grit Walther, Laura Frank and Nicolas Dirks (Chair of Operations Management).

Excursion

e.GO Mobile AG, Aachen

In the context of the lecture "Production Planning in the Automotive Industry", January 29th, 2019

The project SCI4climate.NRW has been launched in December 2018 by the federal state government of North Rhine-Westphalia and the foundation for a successful collaboration has been laid during a Kick-Off session in Wuppertal. Further information on the project can be found here.

Markus Kreuz presents “A hybrid simulation and optimization approach towards meeting legal CO₂ fleet emission thresholds in the automotive industry” during the Automotive PhD students workshop 2018.

Friedrich-Wilhelm Award 2018

We congratulate our alumni Prof. Dr. Maximilian Schiffer and Dr. Laura Elisabeth Hombach for receiving the Friedrich-Wilhelm Award of RWTH Aachen in recognition of their outstanding academic achievements in their dissertations. More information here.

Guest Lecture (in German)

„Aus der Theorie in die Praxis – Wie effiziente Supply Chain Planung unseren Alltag beeinflusst“
Dr. Tobias Schulz, Quintiq

Markus Kreuz presents “Manufacturer’s strategies to meet legal CO₂ emission thresholds: A hybrid simulation and optimization approach” during the Annual Workshop of the GOR-AG "Simulation and optimization of complex systems" convention.

Paper accepted

The following papers created in collaboration with other RWTH chairs and the Ford Reasearch Center Aachen respectively were accepted for publishing:

• An option for stranded renewables: electrolytic-hydrogen in future energy systems (Grube, T.; Doré, L.; Hoffrichter, A.; Hombach, L. E.; Raths, S.; Robinius, M.; Nobis, M.; Schiebahn, S.; Tietze, V.; Schnettler, A.; Walther, G.; Stolten, D., 2018) in Sustainable Energy & Fuels

• Comparison of light-duty transportation fuels produced from renewable hydrogen and green carbon dioxide (Bongartz, D.; Doré, L.; Eichler, K.; Grube, T.; Heuser, B.; Hombach, L. E.; Robinius, M.; Pischinger, S.; Stolten, D.; Walther, G.; Mitsos, A., 2018) in Applied Energy

• Comparison of light-duty transportation fuels produced from renewable hydrogen and green carbon dioxide (Hombach, L. E.; Doré, L.; Heidgen, K.; Maas, H.; Wallington, T. J.; Walther, G., 2018) in Journal of Cleaner Production

Dr. Maximilian Schiffer was appointet to the TU Munich starting September 2018, he will start a professorship for Operations and Supply Chain Management – We congratulate him, thank him for his outstanding work at our chair and wish him all the best for his future!

GOR dissertation award for Dr. Maximilian Schiffer – Congratulations!

Presentation

• "A large neighborhood search metaheuristic for the vehicle routing problem with multiple time windows" (Hendrik Schaap)

• "Towards fleet emission targets in the automotive industry: A hybrid simulation and optimization approach"

  (Markus Kreuz)

• "Reverse logistic network for fiber reinforced plastic waste from wind power plants" (Valentin Sommer)

• "Logistics networks with intermediate stops – Designing innovative and green solutions"

  (Dr. Maximilian Schiffer)

OR2018 – Annual International Conference of the German Operations Research Society,

Dr. Maximilian Schiffer reaches the final of the "EURO Dissertation Award" (EDDA) as well as the "Nachwuchspreises des Vereins der Hochschullehrer für Betriebswirtschaftslehre"

Larissa Doré and Michael Wolff present their results from the collaboration with the "Institut und Lehrstuhl für Elektrische Anlagen und Energiewirtschaft" (IAEW) in the context of the excellence cluster “Maßgeschneiderte Kraftstoffe aus Biomasse (TMFB)” during the 6. INternational TMFB Conference 2018.

The article "The Flow Refueling Location Problem with Load Flow Control" (Scheiper, B.; Schiffer, M.; Walther, G., 2018) was accepted by Omega: The International Journal of Management Science and will be published soon.

Guest Lecture

Amazon Regional Director Operations Bernd Gschaider held a guest lecture in the context of the course "Supply Chain Management".

Excursion

Amazon Fullfillment Center Rheinberg

In the context of the lecture "Supply Chain Management", January 17th,2018

iMove Kick-Off

The Kick-Off event for the iMove project took place in Berlin. Further information about the project can be found here.

Award

Maximilian Schiffer and Laura Hombach were honored for their dissertations by the Förderverein Wirtschaftswissenschaften as the year best students. The award was part of the graduation ceremony of the Faculty of Business and Economics.

Project HyImPAct

The FocusLab HyImPAct - Hybrid Processes for Important Precursors and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients was approved as part of the Strategieprojekt BioSC of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The project will start in early 2018. Further information can be found here.

Award

As part of the 34th German Logistics Congress of the Bundesvereinigung Logistik, Valentin Sommer was honored with the Thesis Award 2017 for his master's thesis "Potential analysis of existing and future warehouse- and distribution structures for the Bosch Thermotechnik GmbH".

Successful graduation

On August 28th, Maximilian Schiffer defended his doctoral thesis successfully being the forth graduate student of the chair of Operations Management. The title of the dissertation is “Logistics networks with intermediate stops - Designing innovative and green solutions“.

We wish him the very best for his professional and private future and congratulate him again to his successful doctorate.

Presentation

“Strategic planning of electric logistics fleets: A robust location-routing approach” (Maximilian Schiffer)

Presentation

“User-based relocation strategies in free-floating car-sharing systems” (Fabian Rüdel)

Annual Workshop of the EURO Working Group on Vehicle Routing and Logistics optimization (VeRoLog), Amsterdam (The Netherlands), 10.07.2017

The article "Robust and sustainable supply chains under market uncertainties and different risk attitudes - a case study of the German biodiesel market" (Hombach, L. E.; Büsing, C.; Walther, G., 2017) was accepted by the European Journal of Operational Research and will be published soon.

Successful graduation

On July 4th, Laura Elisabeth Hombach defended her doctoral thesis successfully being the third graduate student of the chair of Operations Management. The title of the dissertation is “Robust and sustainable supply chains: A case study of the German biofuel sector“.

We wish her the very best for her professional and private future and congratulate her again to her successful doctorate.

“Impact of agile new product development on time‐to‐market and market diffusion under competition” (Felix Giedziella)

The 2017 POMS International Conference in Israel, Tel Aviv (Israel), June 28th, 2017

“Ganzzahlige Optimierungsmethoden für die operative Planung von Erhaltungsmaßnahmen im Straßenbau” (Hendrik Schaap)

The article "The Electric Location Routing Problem with Time Windows and Partial Recharging" (Schiffer, M.; Walther, G., 2017) was accepted by the European Journal of Operational Research and will be published soon.

Guest Lecture (in German)

Barkawi Management Consultants: “FOOTPRINT OPTIMIZATION – after-sales network design in the automotive industry“
Tobias Wrede and Simon Theißen

The article "An Adaptive Large Neighborhood Search for the Location Routing Problem with Intraroute Facilities" (Schiffer, M.; Walther, G., 2016) has been accepted for publictation by Transportation Science.

Guest Lecture (in German)

“DANONE und die europäische Supply Chain – Wie das Joghurt den Weg in Ihren Kühlschrank findet“
Alice Kiesel und Christoph Küffner

Master program starts

Year seven of the Logistics and Supply Chain Master program at Haus der Technik in Essen starts April 28th, 2017. Further information can be found in this brochure.

The article "An Integrated Decision Support System Considering Interdependencies Between Time-to-Market and Market Diffusion under Competition" (Giedziella, F.; Walther, G.,2016) was accepted for publication by Procedia CIRP Journal.

Award

As part of the RWTH Graduation Celebration 2016 on September 10th, 2016 Larissa Doré was awarded the Springorum Commemorative Medal for excellent examination performance.

Presentation

• "OR for Future Mobility: Designing Sustainable Means of Transportation" (Grit Walther)

• "Strategic Planning of Electric Logistic Fleet Networks: A Robust Location Routing Approach"

  (Maximilian Schiffer)

• "Integrated Planning of Charging Infrastructure for Battery Electric Vehicles considering Interdependencies with the Electrical Grid" (Barbara Scheiper)

• "SMAA-Based Approach for Project Portfolio Selection with Uncertain and Incomplete Information"

  (Makbule Kandakoglu)

OR2016 – Annual International Conference of the German Operations Research Society,

“An Integrated Decision Support System Considering Interdependencies Between Time-to-Market and Market Diffusion under Competition” (Felix Giedziella)

The 34th International Conference of the System Dynamics Society 2016, Delft (The Netherlands), July 18th, 2016

“An Integrated Decision Support System Considering Interdependencies Between Time-to-Market and Market Diffusion under Competition” (Felix Giedziella)

3rd International Conference on Ramp-Up Management 2016, Aachen, June 23rd, 2016

“Technical and Environmental Comparison of Options for Introducing Renewable Hydrogen into the Transportation Sector” (with the assistance of Larissa Doré, Laura Elisabeth Hombach and Grit Walther)

Presentation within the scope of the TESA Projekthaus „Electrolysis as a connection between the electricity and traffic sector“ on the 4th TMFB International Conference, Aachen, June 22nd, 2016

“The Location Routing Problem with Intraroute Facilities” (Maximilian Schiffer)

Annual workshop of the EURO working group on Vehicle Routing and Logistics optimization, Nantes (France), June 7th, 2016

“The Location Routing Problem with Intraroute Facilities” (Maximilian Schiffer)

Route 2016 - International Workshop on Vehicle Routing, Intermodal Transport and Related Areas, Rambouillet (France), June 3rd, 2016

Guest Lecture

"Lead Time Reduction in a Machine Building Industry via Strategic Product Analysis" (June 13, 2016)

Stephan Hutter, Thomas Kant und Christian Wirfs, Deloitte Consulting
 

Lecture in the courses "Logistics Management" and "Production Planning and Control"

Master program Logistics

The next year of the Logistics and Supply Chain Master program at Haus der Technik in Essen starts April 28th, 2017.

Successful graduation

On May 13th, Eva Degel defended her doctoral thesis successfully being the second graduate student of the chair of Operations Management. The title of the dissertation is “Strategische Netzwerkplanung unter Berücksichtigung von Rohstoffpreis-Unsicherheiten am Beispiel der Sammlung und Verwertung von Photovoltaik-Modulen“ (Strategic network planning considering uncertainties in raw material prices illustrated by the example of collection and utilization of photovoltaic modules).

We wish her the very best for her professional and private future and congratulate her again to her successful doctorate.

Successful graduation

On May 13th, Martin Bock defended his doctoral thesis successfully being the first graduate student of the chair of Operations Management. The title of the dissertation is “Analyse von Lastmanagementinstrumenten für die Energienachfrage im Haushaltssektor unter Berücksichtigung technologischer Veränderungen“ (Analysis of load management instruments for the demand for energy in the domestic sector considering technological changes).

We wish him the very best for his professional and private future and congratulate him again to his successful doctorate.

The article "Optimal design of supply chains for second generation biofuels incorporating European biofuel regulations" (i.a. Hombach, L. E.; Walther, G.,2016) was accepted for publication by Journal of Cleaner Production.

The content summary of the 20th Handelsbatt’s annual conference “Stahlmarkt 2016” (steel market 2016), written by Veronika Liebke, was published by the scientific journal ”stahl und eisen“ with the title “Die Zukunft des Stahlmarktes“ (the future of the steel market) in the April edition.

Ford – Werke GmbH, Cologne

In the context of the lecture "Production Planning in the Automotive Industry", February 5th, 2016

Call for Applications

We invite you to apply for the EURO PhD School on Sustainable Supply Chains in June/July 2016. Further information can be found in this announcement or here.

Call for Abstracts

We invite you to submit abstracts for the 1st Conference on Sustainable Supply Chains SustSC 2016 which will take place in Aachen in July 2016. Further information can be found in this announcement.

Master program starts

Year six of the Logistics and Supply Chain Master program at Haus der Technik in Essen starts April 15th, 2016. Further information can be found in this brochure

The article "Prospects for Regulating the CO₂ Emissions from Passenger Cars within the European Union after 2023" (among others Feld, V.; Walther, G.,2015) was accepted by Zeitschrift für Umweltpolitik und Umweltrecht and will be published soon.

RWTH Aachen Strategy Board

Grit Walther was elected to be a member of the Strategy Board of RWTH Aachen University. The Strategy Board is part of the University's governance and oversees the implementation of all agreed strategic principles and provides impetus for the development of future strategic plans and priorities.

Summer School "Decisions under Uncertainty"

From September 21st-25th, 2015 the chair of Operations Management participated in the workshop "Decisions under Uncertainty" as part of the 1st Aachen International Summer School in Research Methods (ACISS) in Gemmenich, Belgium.

Presentation

• "Technologie- und Prozesspfade der Stahlindustrie unter Berücksichtigung umweltorientierter Kriterien" (Veronika Liebke)

• "The Electric Location Routing Problem with Time Windows and Partial Recharging" (Maximilian Schiffer)

Congress: Logistics Management 2015, September 16th - 18th, 2015, Technische Universität Braunschweig

Award

As part of the RWTH Graduation Celebration 2015 on September 12th, 2015 Maximilian Schiffer was awarded the Springorum Commemorative Medal for excellent examination performance.

Guest lecture

As part of the public lecture series "Grand Challenges of the bio-economy" on September 9th, 2015 in Jülich Grit Walther gave a lecture on the topic "Sustainable value chains in bio-economy"

Conference Presentation

• "The Effect of Hospital Operator Types on Strategic Planning of Hospital Infrastructures in Germany" (Verena Feld)

• "Robust multi-objective optimization of the biofuel sector considering economic, ecologic, and social objectives" (Laura Elisabeth Hombach)

27th European Conference on Operational Research 2015, July 12th - 15th, 2015, University of Strathclyde

Award

Gert-von-Kortzfleisch Award 2015 of the German Association of System Dynamics for the work on "Impact assessment in the automotive industry: mandatory market introduction of alternative powertrain technologies"

Conference Presentation

“Supply chain management for biofuels under consideration of biomass availability” (Laura Elisabeth Hombach, Grit Walther)

during the Bio SC workshop: "Cascade usage of perennials crops – Perspectives for a sustainable bio-economy"  (April 30th, 2015), University of Bonn

Grit Walther gave a talk about "Integrated approaches missing: Sustainability in life cycles and supply chains" during the workshop "Sustainability in Production and Logistics - risk or chance?" on April 17th, 2015 at the Fernuniversität Hagen.

“Strategic Network Planning for the Recycling of PV Panels considering Resource Price Uncertainties” (Eva Degel, Grit Walther)
 

Annual meeting of GOR-AG "OR im Umweltschutz 2015" (February 25th to 26th, 2015), RWTH Aachen University

International cooperation

Together with Prof. Peeyush Mehta (IIM Kalkutta) Grit Walther organized the session „Competitiveness in Manufacturing“ for the 7th Indo-German Frontiers of Engineering Symposium.

Alexander von Humboldt-Foundation: Workshop "Frontiers of Engineering”

Grit Walther was invited by Alexander von Humboldt-Foundation to take part in the 7th Indo-German Frontiers of Engineering Symposium in Agra (India) 19th -22nd of february 2015.

The article "Pareto-efficient legal regulation of the (bio)fuel market using a bi-objective optimization model" (Hombach, L. E.; Walther, G.,2015) was accepted by the European Journal of Operational Research and will be published soon.

"INFORM: Finished Vehicle Logistics" (January 26th, 2015)

Mr. Hartmut Haubrich, INFORM GmbH, Aachen
 

Lecture in the course "Production Planning in the Automotive Industry"

Final Report for the project STROM

The Final Report for the project STROM has been published. The project was conducted in cooperation with the Technische Universität Braunschweig and finished in October, 2013. The Final Report is available here.

Guest student from Tsinghua University at the Chair of  Operations Management

Form November 1st to December 19th, 2014  Mr. Bo Wang visited the Chair of Operations Management. Mr. Wang was working on the integration of resource price uncertainties in Reverse Logistics models.

Successful graduation

On October 15th, Simon Hirzel defended his doctoral thesis successfully being the first graduate student of the Chair of Operations Management. The title of his dissertation is: "Analysis and evaluation of industrial efficiency measures - A multi-criteria approach to group decision making under uncertainty shown through the example of compressed air systems".

We wish him the very best for his professional and private future and congratulate him again to his successful doctorate.

Visit at the University of Rhode Island

Prof. Grit Walther visited Prof. Manbir Sodhi at the Department of Engineering of the University of Rhode Island

Tutorial

Joint Tutorial of Prof. Jacqueline Bloemhof (Wageningen University) and Prof. Grit Walther on "Sustainable Management", Workshop on "Global Product Sustainability", Rhode Island (USA), October 2014

Chair of Scientific Commission on Sustainability Management

Prof. Dr. Grit Walther was elected chair of the Scientific Commission for "Sustainable Management" of the Association of University Professors of Business administration (VHB).

Conference Presentation

• "Strategic network planning, taking into account resource availability risks using the example of recycling of photovoltaic modules" (Eva Degel)

• "Analysis of political frameworks for the production of biofuels" (Laura Elisabeth Hombach)

Fall Meeting of the Scientific Committee of sustainability management of the Association of University Professors of business administration e.V. 2014, Technische Universität Ilmenau, September 25th to 26th, 2014

Conference Presentation

• "Strategic planning of coverage for inpatient primary healthcare" (Verena Feld)

• "Demand side management for the household sector — case study of prospective household technologies" (Martin Bock)

• "Developing a decision support framework to regulate the fuel / bio-fuel sector under consideration of economical, ecological and social objectives" (Laura Elisabeth Hombach)

• "Strategic Network Planning of Recycling of Photovoltaic Modules" (Eva Degel)

International Annual Conference of the German OR Society 2014, RWTH Aachen University, September 3rd to 5th, 2014

Kickoff meeting of the BMBF project EmoTal in Wuppertal (more information.)
 

Wuppertal, August 21st, 2014

“Incorporation of LCA within Multi-Objective Optimization for the case of biofuel”, Applied Sustainability Series Talk (Walther, G.;Hombach, L.)
 

University of British Columbia, July 10th, 2014

"Developing a decision support framework to regulate the fuel / bio-fuel sector under consideration of economical, ecological and social objectives" (Walther, G.)
 

2nd TMFB International Conference in Aachen, June 16th, 2014

Invited Lecture

“Evaluation of CO₂ abatement measures for (bio-) fuel production under a economical and ecological perspective” (Laura Elisabeth Hombach)
 

University of British Columbia, June 4th, 2014

Research Visit Canada

Laura Elisabeth Hombach was invited for a research visit at the University of British Columbia Faculty of Forestry in Industrial Engineering in the Research Group of Prof. Taraneh Sowlati. The cooperation was on „Design of cost-efficient and sustainable supply chains for second generation biofuels incorporating political regulations”

Canada, May - August 2014

"Design and Management of Remanufacturing and Recycling Systems" (Grit Walther)
 

6th Indo-German Frontiers of Engineering Symposium of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Potsdam, May 22nd to 25th, 2014

• "Analysis of load management tools for energy demand in the household sector through agent-based simulation" (Martin Bock)

• "Model -based decision support for investors and legislators - using the example of production of biofuels and recycling of photovoltaic systems" (Eva Burgard und Laura Elisabeth Hombach)

Workshop of the Research Area "Energy, Mobility and Environment", RWTH Aachen University, April 2nd, 2014

• "Strategic network planning, taking into account resource availability risks using the example of recycling of photovoltaic modules" (Eva Degel)

• "Analysis of the legal framework for the regulation of the biofuel market" (Laura Elisabeth Hombach)

Annual meeting of GOR-AG "OR im Umweltschutz 2014" (February 20th to 21st, 2014), Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies

"INFORM: Finished Vehicle Logistics" (January 22nd, 2014)

Mr. Hartmut Haubrich, INFORM GmbH, Aachen
 

Lecture in the course "Production Planning in the Automotive Industry"

"Philips Automotive: SCM - Capacity Management - Flexibility"

Mr. Michael Cramer, Philips Automotive Aachen
 

Lecture in the course "Logistics and Supply Chain Management" (January 22nd, 2014)

Workshop: Market success of alternative drivetrains in Germany and China

The transfer workshop of our project STROM has taken place on December 16th, 2013.

more ...

The Research Area Energy, Mobility and Environment (EME) of the School of Business and Economics of RWTH Aachen University including the Chair of Operations Management arranged a two-day conference with the topic "Ultralanglebige Investitionen" (November 28th to 30th, 2013).

Workshop of the SUSTECH-Teams in Ann Arbor (Michigan, USA) (November 9th to 16th, 2013)

The project SUSTECH among the University of Michigan, the TU Braunschweig and the RWTH Aachen University has been concluded in context of the workshop in Ann Arbor. The successful cooperation and intensive research work within the partnership will be continued.

Best student evaluated lecture of the School of Business and Economics in 2012/2013:

Lecture: "Production Planning in the Automotive Industry"

"Modeling, optimization and simulation of the automotive market" (Grit Walther)
 

1st Sino-German OR Conference (September 25th to 27th, 2013)

"Evaluation of CO₂ abatement measures for (bio-) fuel production" (Laura Elisabeth Hombach)
 

Congress: Logistics management 2013 (September 9th to 13th, 2013)

Presentation of results of the project STROM at FONA Forum in Leipzig
 

FONA, Leipzig (September 9th to 10th, 2013)

"Simulation based evaluation of strategies for the market diffusion of alternative drivetrain technologies" (Laura Elisabeth Hombach)
 

OR 2013, Rotterdam (September 3rd to 6th, 2013)

"Decision support for leagal regulation of production and market introduction of biofuels" (Laura Elisabeth Hombach)
 

EURO-INFORMS 26th European Conference on Operational Research 2013, Rome, July 1st to 4th, 2013

Philips Technologie GmbH, Halogen Lamps Aachen

In context of the lecture "Operations Management", June 5th, 2013

"Optimization Models for Fire and Rescue Service"

Mrs. Prof. Dr. Brigitte Werners, Chair of Operations Research and Accounting, Ruhr-University Bochum
 

Lecture in the course "Operations Management", May 27th, 2013

Organisation of the workshop of GOR-teams „Simulation and optimization of complex systems“ & „Fuzzy systems, neural networks and artificial intelligence“ in cooperation with INFORM GmbH in Aachen.

GOR-AG Annual Meeting in Aachen, March 14th to 15th, 2013

"Agent-based simulation for mapping the energy demand in the household sector" (Martin Bock)
 

Annual meeting of GOR-AG "OR im Umweltschutz 2013", March 7th to 8th, 2013

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

The project "O-Bus Bergisches Land" has been successfully concluded in cooperation with the "Verkehrsclub Deutschland (VCD)" and the "Solinger Verkehrsbetrieben".

"Long-term CO₂ emission scenarios for the passenger car sector in Europe" (January 21st, 2013)

Lecture in the course "Production Planning in the Automotive Industry"
 

Mr. Heiko Maas,

Ford Research Center Aachen GmbH

"Network planning - using the example of the recycling of lithium - ion batteries from electric vehicles" (December 17th, 2012)

Lecture in the course "Production Planning in the Automotive Industry"
 

Mr. Claas Hoyer,

Technische Universität Braunschweig

Workshop of the SUSTECH-Teams in Ann Arbor (Michigan, USA) (November 5th to 15th, 2012)
 

A new workshop has taken place in context of the corporate project SUSTECH among the University of Michigan, the TU Braunschweig and the RWTH Aachen in Ann Arbor in November 2012. Based on intensive research work the corporate research activities have been deepened.

Expert-Workshop „Alternative drivetrain technologies in China – status quo and future developments” in context of the STROM-project (Oktober 1st, 2012)

In which ways differ Germany and China relating to the topic of alternative drivetrain technologies? This question has been followed by german and chinese researchers within the framework of the expert workshop „Alternative drivetrain technologies in China – status quo and future developments“ on October 1st, 2012. In addition to presentations of chinese researchers of the Tongji University Shanghai and of german experts of the University of Trier and of the Hewlett Packard Company, the various challenges for politicians and automobile manufacturers while introducing alternative drivetrains have been discussed and trends in the behaviour of chinese car buyers have been identified. These new results and the better understanding of the chinese market will be used for the STROM project, which concentrates on market penetration of alternative drivetrain technologies in Germany and China.

Herrmann, C.; Kieckhäfer, K.; Mennenga, M.; Skerlos, S.; Spengler, T. S.; Stehr, J.; Raichur, V.; Walther, G.: A Framework to Analyze the Reduction Potential of Life Cycle Carbon Dioxide Emissions of Passenger Cars. 19th CIRP International Conference on Life Cycle Engineering, Berkeley, 2012.