The EPIEM network …

  • … consists of an open-minded as well as a motivated group of active, closely connected, and communicative professors in the field of IEM, working at European universities. These professors are strongly involved in teaching operations and academic research.
  • … members work in a multidisciplinary field of science at the interface between technology, sociology, and economics.
  • … avoids duplication of activities, utilises synergies and does not overlap with other activities undertaken by partner institutions or partner research networks.
  • … has strong connections to (i) student and research IEM networks (e.g., ESTIEM, ScAIEM, APIEMS), (ii) academic and semi-academic/professional IEM alumni networks (e.g., IEM Caring Foundation,  ESTIEM Alumni) as well as (iii) private firms and institutions in practice across all industries.
  • … looks after the needs of partner institutions and the interests of its “contributing members” (note: who are solely professors at universities), who, in turn, voluntarily support the network without remuneration through activities that support the EPIEM vision.
  • … is able to “survive” independently and sustainably within the “IEM family” thanks to motivated and supportive IEM professors.

EPIEM Network: Status quo

EPIEM perceives itself as a virtual university network, consisting of European Professors at the following universities:

  • Austria: The IEM field in Austria is closely linked to Graz University of Technology, Vienna University of Technology and Montanuniversitaet Leoben (all together “TU Austria”) as well as the Austrian Association of Industrial Engineering and Management (WING). As founding member of the EPIEM and Head of the network, Prof. Bernd M. Zunk from Graz University of Technology is responsible for the European-wide strategic development of EPIEM as well as the Austrian national IEM actions. Dr. Manuel Woschank is a Researcher, Lecturer, and the Deputy Head of the Chair of Industrial Logistics at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben and an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Faculty of Business, Management and Economics at the University of Latvia. As an active member of EPIEM, he is responsible for Teaching, Research, and Project Activities of EPIEM in the areas of Logistics and Operations Management.
  • Ireland: In Ireland, Prof. George Onofrei from the Letterkenny Institute of Technology is an active member of the EPIEM network. Prof. Onofrei is also a board member of the European Operations Management Association (EurOMA) and he promotes development and networking workshops as well as seminars for young scholars and PhD students.
  • Italy: In Italy, Prof. Erwin Rauch from the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Faculty of Science and Technology, as well as Prof. Marco Formentini from the University of Trento are active members of EPIEM. He is responsible for Research and Project Activities of EPIEM to join forces for presenting common project proposals in the field of research and IEM teaching. Prof. Rauch is Associate Member of Euro Science, member of the expert group of the World Manufacturing Forum and member of the Marie Curie Alumni Association.
  • Malta: Lying at the cross-roads of the Mediterranean, the University of Malta has been, over its 400-year history, the hub for international academic exchange on the island. UM is the leading higher education institution in Malta. The Faculty of Engineering and Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering have a proven track record in teaching and worldwide-recognised research, offering tuition and supervision to about 500 students at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Prof Emmanuel Francalanza is EPIEM’s representative at the University of Malta. He has experience in industrial and manufacturing research, specialising in digital manufacturing, as well as pedagogic research initiatives having coordinated and participated in various Erasmus+ projects. 
  • The Netherlands: The University of Twente is a university of technology in the Netherlands and an EPIEM network member since 2021. Prof. Holger Schiele, chair of Technology Management and Supply and Prof. Klaas Stek link the EPIEM network to the University of Twente via several activities and Erasmus+ projects in Purchasing and Supply Chain Management (Perfect, Persist and Periscope).
  • North Macedonia: EPIEM is closely connected with the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering – Skopje at the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje. They have a very active ESTIEM group, and Prof. Bojan Jovanoski, together with his colleagues, is strongly supporting them, especially in organizing the yearly TIMES events as a mentor. They have build a strong IEM system with Bachelor, Master and PhD study programmes, Smart Learning Factory – Skopje and are working hard to promote Lean and digital transformation initiatives together with their industry partners.
  • Portugal: Portugal is a very active member in die EPIEM network since the beginning in 2010 in Cambridge. Today, Prof. Anabela C. Alves from the University of Minho, Prof. Carina Pimentel from the University of Aveiro and Prof. Radu Godina from the Nova University Lisbon are driving the EPIEM activities in Portugal together with the Portuguese ESTIEM groups as well as the national IEM alumni Association in Portugal. Furthermore, Prof. Alves is linking the EPIEM network with the IEM Caring Foundation.
  • Romania: In Romania, Prof. Cristian Mustata is taking care of the local group of ESTIEM at the Polytechnic University of Bucharest as well as the national IEM activities. Currently, he is linking Prof. Mihaela Bucur from the University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology in Targu Mures to the EPIEM network. Thus, Prof. Bucur is planning to establish a further Romanian ESTIEM group as well as to organize a future EPIEM meeting in Targu Mures.
  • Serbia: The European IEM network has a great connection to the Faculty of Technical Sciences at the University of Novi Sad where Prof. Stevan Stankovski and his team is managing the Serbian EPIEM activities in close collaboration with the very active local ESTIEM group. Furthermore, Prof. Stankovski is the managing editor of the Journal of Mechatronics, Automation and Identification Technology (http://jmait.org/) which is promoting high quality applied and theoretical research in the IEM field.
  • Slovenia: Slovenia’s representative is Prof. Iztok Palčič from University of Maribor, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Prof. Peter Trkman from the School of Economics and Business at the University of Ljubljana. Within EPIEM, Prof. Palčič and Prof. Trkman are responsible for the development of contemporary research projects in their field of expertise. The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering is the only Slovenian faculty that offers bachelor and master study program in Industrial Management and Prof. Palčič is the head of this study program in Maribor.
  • Spain: Prof. Jabier Retegi from Mondragon University, Faculty of Engineering (Basque Country), is active member of EPIEM network. He has broad experience in IE&M domain from the academic, education institutions management and industrial points of view.
  • Sweden: The KTH Royal Institute of Technology is the largest technical research university in Sweden and leading in areas such as energy, materials science, ICT, medical and biomedical technology and transport. As an active member Prof. Mats Engwall, Chaired Professor of Industrial Management, links the EPIEM network to KTH in Stockholm as well as to the Scandinavian Academy of Industrial Engineering and Management (ScAIEM). Furthermore, Prof. Engwall supports the EPIEM network by providing his research expertise in the field of technology and project management, business model innovation and strategies in socio-technical transitions. Professor Engwall is also a fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA) and the European Academy for Industrial Management (AIM).  

EPIEM also has strong relations to the following partner networks:

  • ScAIEM (Scandinavian Academy of Industrial Engineering and Management http://www.scaiem.org/): ScAIEM gathers scholars of the IEM field in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Norway. IEM is one of the largest, most popular, and most successful fields of engineering education in Scandinavia with, currently, more than 85 academic programs at Bachelor and Masters levels at 35 universities in the five countries. In this context, ScAIEM represents approximately 650 scholars representing more than 25 of the most prominent IEM departments in the Nordics.
  • APIEMS (Asia Pacific Industrial Engineering and Management Society http://apiems.asia/): Industrial engineering was sprouted from major engineering disciplines that called for better professional understanding of industrialization. Ever since, our discipline has been the star role player in confronting emerging industries; be it manufacturing, service, high tech products, outer space technology, information technology, industrial policy, ergonomics, and now world’s greatest concern, sustainable development. The Core value of APIEMS is associating and exchanging the better industrial engineering education, researches, and exchange information from different countries.

EPIEM quo vadis?

If you are interested in linking your University or your national network of universities (like “TU Austria“) or your national association of Industrial Engineering and Management (like the IEM Austrian „WING“ – www.wing-online.at)  to EPIEM, please contact us.

The current EPIEM members are really looking forward to welcome motivated IEM academics as new members in the EPIEM network!