Keynote Speaker

Chris Valentin Nielsen is an Associate Professor at the Technical University of Denmark. His research in metal forming includes formability, tribology, and tool development, while his work in joining covers joining by plastic deformation, resistance welding, and laser welding. Much of his research combines experimentation and numerical modelling and spans both fundamental and applied studies. He is an Associate Member of the International Academy for Production Engineering (CIRP), recipient of the CIRP F. W. Taylor Medal Award (2017), and recipient of the International Karl-Kolle Prize (2017) for metal forming from the German Metal Forming Association.

Prof. Dr. Mathias Liewald, born in 1960 in Dortmund, Germany, completed his degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Dortmund in 1985. Following his graduation, he continued his academic work in the field of metal forming as a research assistant. After earning his doctorate in 1990, he held various management positions until 2005 at several well-known companies, including Mercedes-Benz AG, Gebr. Wackenhut GmbH, and ThyssenKrupp Nothelfer GmbH. In 2002, he also successfully obtained his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Open University Business School in Milton Keynes, UK. Since 2005, he has served as the Director of the Institute for Metal Forming Technology (IFU) at the University of Stuttgart. Additionally, Prof. Liewald serves as the Dean of Studies for Mechanical Engineering at the university, leads numerous research projects, and actively contributes to review panels for leading production technology journals.

First, as the chairman of Japanese Die and Mould Association, the current status and challenges of the tooling industries are introduced. Then, overview of DX in Japanese Forging Industries are presented. Driven by DX, GX, SDGs, and Carbon Neutrality, global manufacturing is undergoing active transformation. In press forging, this requires leveraging digital data to innovate processes, establishing superior productivity and quality while minimizing energy and waste. Achieving this demands integrating technologies for measurement, data analysis, and feedback control.

The Japanese forging industry, largely comprised of SMEs, shows high interest in process visualization and intellectualization to tackle challenges like high-mix low-volume production, short lead times, labor shortages, and IoT adoption. This keynote talk presents case studies of process improvement achieved through visualization, focusing on methods to quantify die load conditions.

Dr. Christian Hinsel is responsible for the Hirschvogel Group's sustainability strategy, reporting and implementation across its international operations. He holds a PhD from Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg and conducted many years of research in metal forming technology under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Manfred Geiger. He combines more than two decades of industrial experience with expertise in forging, tool life optimization, lean management and sustainable manufacturing transformation.

Johannes Wagner holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering and completed his Master’s degree in Technology-Management at the University of Applied Sciences Augsburg in 2024. With more than 15 years of experience at Hirschvogel, he currently oversees the development of resource-efficient cold forging processes and functional component design for automotive applications.