Arctic PhD Workshop with participants from the Nordic countries. Tiina Poulakka, PhD candidate at Lapeenranta University of Technology, is presenting her research and gets feedback from Simon Okwir, PhD candidate at KTH. Other participants: Izabelle Bäckström, PhD candidate at Lund University, Matthew Stogsdill, PhD candidate at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, professor Paul Lillrank, Aalto University, and Associate professor Christine Ipsen, DTU. Photo: Anna Öhrwall Rönnbäck, professor at LTU, SCAIEM2016 Conference Chair, and chairing the PhD session. View original picture

Great interest in industrial engineering and management conference

Published: 2 December 2016

When the ScAIEM conference was organized for the first time at Luleå University of Technology, and for the fourth time in the Nordic countries, a new participation record was set. – We are very proud and pleased that we have received so many participants. We expected around 100, but ended up with 180, says a delighted Anna Öhrwall Rönnbäck, Professor of Product Innovation and responsible for the conference.

ScAIEM stands for Scandinavian Academy of Industrial Engineering and Management. The academy works to develop the field of industrial management in research and education in the Nordic countries, and this is also the purpose of the conference.

– The conference brings together researchers, teachers, PhD candidates, students and publishers active in the field of Industrial Engineering and Management in any way. Participants come from all over Scandinavia. But this is not a conference where papers are presented. It is about to meet, to exchange experiences and learn from each other. Industrial engineering and management is a popular education that is highly ranked and we want to give the students an education that is as good as possible. This is one way, says Anna Öhrwall Rönnbäck and continues:

– In addition, research in industrial engineering and management has many subgroups. People who are active in areas such as logistics, travel to subject-specific conferences, but here can all come together. There is a great need to meet in this way.

Space – an industry of the future

The conference, which lasted for six days, was able to demonstrate a solid program. It started in the space capital city of Kiruna where the focus was on an innovation workshop on space industry, a theme that the coming days followed.

– Our keynotes at the main conference in Luleå focused on small businesses and regional development, linked to industrial engineering and management and the aerospace industry. It is an industry of the future where there are many opportunities for entrepreneurship.

– Thomas Kuhn, Associate Professor of Atmospheric Science at Luleå University of Technology was one of the keynote speakers. He talked about our special atmospheric phenomena linked to traditions in the Sami culture, and Ella Karlsson Sjöberg, SSC, talked about the future plans of Esrange.

Some of the other main speakers were Niklas Nordström, Deputy Major of Luleå Municipality, Gunnar Eikeland, CEO of Sparbanken Nord (Savings bank) and Niklas Jonsson, CEO of Almi North (the Swedish state’s SME support organization for advisory services, loans and venture capital).

With this, the conference has wandered around among the institutions that have historically been the first and the largest in the industrial engineering and management in Sweden, also known as the Big Five: Luleå University of Technology, Linköping University, Lund University, Chalmers and KTH – The Royal Institute of Technology. Next year the conference travels to Trondheim and NTNU in Norway. Anna Öhrwall Rönnbäck hope for good attendance even 2017.

– We hope that this was the plug out of the relatively young organization ScAIEM.

[http://www.ltu.se/org/ets/ScAIEM2016/Conference-Lulea/Keynote-Speakers-1.153525]

Space – an industry of the future

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