Dr. Peter Plapper was a Full Professor at the Department of Engineering, University of Luxembourg. He completed his PhD studies in Mechanical Engineering at TU Kaiserslautern and made his doctoral thesis at the laboratory of tool machines (WZL) of RWTH Aachen. Prof. Plapper has been awarded numerous honors and distinctions throughout his career. He recently led several cutting-edge research projects, focusing on areas such as laser joining of dissimilar materials, robotic manufacturing, and operational excellence in supply chain networks. He has published over 75 papers in various prestigious journals and serves as a reviewer for different research programs, as well as holding a role in several societies and research projects. His teaching disciplines included manufacturing metrology, and his interests spanned industrial 4.0, augmented reality in manufacturing, and sustainable product creation.
Professor Thomas Bergs is a distinguished academic and leader in the field of manufacturing technology. As a Member of the Board of Directors at the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT and Head of the Manufacturing Technology Institute at RWTH Aachen University, he has made significant contributions to the advancement of process and manufacturing technologies. Born in Neuss in 1967, Professor Bergs graduated from the Rheinisch-Westfälische Technical University, Aachen, with a focus on design engineering and later earned his doctorate, for which he received the prestigious Borchers Plaque. He also holds an Executive Master of Business Administration. With a career that includes roles such as research associate, manager of the Laser Engineering Group, and Managing Director of Aixtooling GmbH, Professor Bergs has published numerous papers and serves in various leadership roles. His teaching and research interests encompass manufacturing technology, process technology, laser engineering, and tool-making for precision glass molding.
