Louis Louw Professor of Industrial Engineering at Stellenbosch University, South Africa, and a registered professional engineer. He holds a PhD in Industrial Engineering, with a research focus on production system design and control using the Theory of Constraints. After 12 years in business consulting and management across various industries, he joined academia in 2014. His current research focuses on digitalisation and Industry 4.0-enabled operations and supply chain management. He has over 40 publications, serves on two international scientific committees, and is a member of the IALF and SAIIE.
Vera Hummel Professor at Reutlingen University, Germany, and extraordinary professor at Stellenbosch University. Her research focuses on smart factories, sustainable production, and learning factories. She leads the Reutlingen Zentrum Industrie 4.0 and is the founding director of Werk150. She holds a doctorate from Wroclaw University of Technology and has industry experience with Mercedes-Benz and Fraunhofer IPA. Since 2023, she serves as president of the International Association on Learning Factories (IALF).
Imke de Kock Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering at Stellenbosch University and a registered Industrial Engineer. She has international experience in consulting and project management across multiple continents. She holds degrees in Engineering, Philosophy (Futures Research), and a PhD in Industrial Engineering. Her research focuses on technology management and sustainable futures. She co-leads the Health Systems Engineering and Innovation Hub and is part of the Engineering Management and Sustainable Systems research group.
Konrad von Leipzig Recently retired Professor from Stellenbosch University, where he served for 37 years. He is a registered Industrial Engineer with expertise in Production Planning, Supply Chain Management, and Engineering Economics. After working in industry for four years, he began his academic career in 1987. He remains a member of the SAIIE.