Keynote Speakers:
Prof. Paul Mativenga, Chair in Multi-scale & Sustainable Manufacturing, University of Manchester, UK
Prof Mativenga holds a Chair in Multiscale & Sustainable Manufacturing at The University of Manchester. His expertise and research is in Manufacturing Technologies (machining science, micro manufacturing, laser processing and sustainable manufacturing. His research focuses on innovative manufacturing technologies and resource efficient or green manufacturing. His group research and understand how we can make manufacturing industry technologically and economically competitive but operating within the boundaries of environmentally friendly manufacture. He is a Member of the International Academy of Production Engineering, College International pour la Recherche en Productique (CIRP). The CIRP was founded in 1951 with the aim to address scientifically, through international co-operation, issues related to modern production science and technology. In the Faculty of Science and Engineering, my major administrative responsibility is strategic leadership of Social Responsibility and Equality Diversity and Inclusion.
Prof. Surendra M. Gupta, Ph.D., Northeastern University, USA
Surendra M. Gupta, Ph.D., P.E., is a Professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering and the Director of the Laboratory for Responsible Manufacturing at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He received his BE (Honors) in Electronics Engineering from Birla Institute of Technology and Science, MBA (Honors) from Bryant University, and MSIE and Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University. He is a registered professional engineer in the State of Massachusetts, USA. Dr. Gupta’s research interests span the areas of Production/Manufacturing Systems and Operations Research. He is mostly interested in Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing, Reverse and Closed-Loop Supply Chains, Disassembly Modeling and Remanufacturing. He has authored or coauthored thirteen books and well over 650 technical papers published in edited books, journals and international conference proceedings. His publications have received over 16,300 citations (with an h-index of 64) from researchers all over the world in journals, proceedings, books, and dissertations. He has traveled to all seven continents viz., Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America and presented his work at international conferences on six continents. In addition, he has delivered plenary/keynote speeches in international conferences in several countries including Spain, The Netherlands, Denmark, France, Japan, Korea, Thailand, India, Taiwan, China, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Dr. Gupta has taught over 150 courses in such areas as operations research, inventory theory, queuing theory, engineering economy, supply chain management, and production planning and control. Among the many recognitions received, he is the recipient of outstanding research award and outstanding industrial engineering professor award (in recognition of teaching excellence) from North eastern University, a distinguished professor award from IEOM Society International and an outstanding doctoral dissertation advisor award from American Society for Engineering Management.
Prof. Dr-Ing. Matthias Vette-Steinkamp, Trier University of Applied Science, Germany
Prof. Dr-Ing. Matthias Vette-Steinkamp is a professor for sustainable production technologies and industrial robotics at the Trier University of Applied Sciences, Environmental-Campus Birkenfeld since 2020. From March 2012 to February 2020, he was department head at ZeMA – Center for Mechatronics and Automation Technology in Saarbrücken. His research focuses on the automotive and aerospace industry as well as agile production, and his main research interest is the application of robotics and automation in industrial production and remanufacturing. In this context, he leads and contributes to a broad portfolio of innovation and technology transfer projects aiming at the introduction of robotics technologies in the production and remanufacturing sector according to Industry 4.0.
Prof. Wei Zhang, China
Prof Wei Zhang is the director of the Institute of Remanufacturing Industry Technology, Jing-Jin-Ji (IRIT), which is stemmed from the National Key Lab for Remanufacturing in China, and is currently the only industrial research institution in remanufacturing innovation, policy and standards in China. With 20 full time researchers, IRIT is a governmental think-tank in remanufacturing in China and has co-authored the governmental action plan released by Minister of Information and Industrial Technology ("High-End and Smart Remanufacturing Action Plan 2018-2020"). Prof Wei Zhang is a leading researcher in China, and has proven track record in research in remanufacturing engineering, surface engineering and tribology. Professor Zhang published more than 100 SCI and EI retrieved academic papers and is a chief advisor of National key R&D Program in China in remanufacturing. He plays an instrumental role in remanufacturing standard development and compiled 19 national remanufacturing standards. He has received significant funding (£10m+ since 2018) from Chinese governments for remanufacturing research. In recognition of his contribution activities in remanufacturing and surface engineering, he has won 10 national, provincial and ministerial-level science and technology awards
Industry Keynote Speakers:
Fernand Weiland
30 years in management positions with Bendix Automotive, Lucas Automotive, Magneti Marelli Automotive and TRW Automotive.
Fernand Weiland, honorary member and founder of APRA (Automotive Parts Remanufacturer Assoc.) European Division in 1989, serving as the first chairman for more than 20 years. Between 1990 and 2010 he organised a considerable number of APRA forums, workshops, and exhibitions across Europe.
A co-founder of the biennial ReMaTec remanufacturing exhibitions in Amsterdam, Fernand Weiland has written numerous articles for the ReMaTecNews magazine as well as editing five books about automotive remanufacturing in Europe. He was also instrumental in setting up APRA’s Asia-Pacific Division. In 2019 Fernand was honoured with the prestigious Best Reman Ambassador Award presented by Rematec Amsterdam. Fernand is currently Editor and the Director of FJW Consulting.
Rajiv Ramchandra
Rajiv Ramchandra is the founder of Recreate India Research Foundation (Re:CREATe), India's first research and advocacy enterprise to advance remanufacturing in the nation. In December 2020, Re:CREATe received the prestigious Remanufacturer of the Year Award from Rematec in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Rajiv is also the founder In Wise Company (IWC), a sustainability and circular economy leadership and management advisory enterprise. He has previously served as Assistant Vice President of a consulting firm in India specializing in corporate sustainability and policy research. He also served as the Business Manager, and in engineering roles for nearly seven years at the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I), at the Golisano Institute for Sustainability (GIS). Rajiv holds an ME in Mechanical Engineering (2006) from the University of Sussex in England, an ME in Engineering Management (2009) from the Kate Gleason College of Engineering and an MBA (2014) from the Saunders College of Business, both at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). He successfully completed the Business Sustainability Management program of study (2017) from the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) in England, and holds the Sustainability Excellence Associate (SEA) credential (2020) developed by the International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP) and administered by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI). Rajiv has worked with organizations in diverse industries including food manufacturing, pulp and paper manufacturing, chemical manufacturing, metal finishing, healthcare, think tanks, and government bodies. His interests include the evolution of business models, the power of systemic changes aligning industry towards greater sustainability and circularity, as well as the meeting point of science and spirituality and how it shapes problem perception and problem solving.
Vaishali Kulkarni, Cummins, India
Vaishali Kulkarni is Mechanical Engineer and currently serving as Engineering Leader for New and ReCon Parts operations at Cummins in India, which presently operates two remanufacturing facilities in India. She has extensive technical and real-world experience in project and product engineering as she served in many global companies in past like KSB Pumps, Textron, Virgo Valves ( Emerson Company ), etc. In her current role she and her teams work extensively on how to make remanufacturing a reality, especially in India, and was instrumental in setting up a technical Lab for ReManufacturing. She is six sigma certified and sponsored many projects. Few of her team’s remanufacturing projects had been awarded for business as well as global impact award contributing to environment and sustainability initiatives. She is an advisor to non-profit organisation Re:CREATe which is a research and advocacy enterprise that aims to catalyze and advance the remanufacturing industry in India. LinkedIn profile : https://in.linkedin.com/in/vaishali-kulkarni-9a6739a
Cummins Inc., a global power leader, is a corporation of complementary business segments that design, manufacture, distribute and service a broad portfolio of power solutions. The company’s products range from diesel, natural gas, electric and hybrid powertrains and powertrain-related components including filtration, aftertreatment, turbochargers, fuel systems, controls systems, air handling systems, automated transmissions, electric power generation systems, batteries, electrified power systems, hydrogen generation and fuel cell products. Headquartered in Columbus, Indiana (U.S.), since its founding in 1919, Cummins employs approximately 57,825 and earned about $1.8 billion on sales of $19.8 billion in 2020
Daniel J. Vukelich, Esq., CAE President and CEO
Daniel Vukelich has been with the Association of Medical Device Reprocessors (AMDR) since 2000 – representing the companies that conduct the majority of commercial “single-use” medical device reprocessing and re-manufacturing being done in North American and Europe today. Daniel joined AMDR in the same year the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued requirements putting reprocessors on an equal regulatory footing with medical device manufacturers. With over 20 years of experience working on medical device reprocessing issues and representing the industry before state regulatory agencies and international bodies, Daniel is intimately familiar with the industry’s legal, regulatory, public relations, and political landscape. He is a member of the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, a Certified Association Executive through American Society of Association Executives, and a former National Debate champion in 1996. Daniel received a B.A. in Political Science and Public Communication with Pi Sigma Alpha honours from the American University in Washington, DC and his Juris Doctor degree from the American University’s Washington College of Law. He is a native of Minneapolis and a member of the Florida and District of Columbia Bars.