WI-Award 2023 for best final theses in industrial engineering

Where is the digital transformation heading? Where are we today? What are common misconceptions about what digital transformation must be able to do? Prof. Dr. Bastian Widenmayer explored these and other questions in his keynote address "Digital Transformation - Quo vadis? His keynote formed the thematic prelude to the evening. "Digital transformation is a process that has already been ongoing for several years. Instead of wanting to manage and simplify digital transformation, we should rather learn to endure its complexity and reflect on digitization - for example in our own company - and ask ourselves whether what we are doing is actually the right thing to do," Widenmayer continues. Prof. Dr. Stefan Grösser, Head of Industrial Engineering at the Bern University of Applied Sciences, adds: "Instruments, methods and processes that enable digitization are indispensable, but not the sole key to success. It is much more important to train people who can apply them properly and, as drivers of change, make their knowledge effective in companies." Industrial engineers bring precisely these competencies with them to be able to analyze, interpret and optimize technical and economic aspects in company processes, business models and supply chains across disciplines.

From a data-driven persona tool to an on-demand urban air mobility network.

This year, the WI Award honored the best papers in the Bachelor and Continuing Education Master (MAS) categories. "We are proud to be able to contribute to the visibility of the profession with our nationwide network of partner schools. The submitted works testify to the diversity of application and activity areas: From production to marketing, industrial engineers* can occupy a key position with their work," says Daniel Büchel, Deputy President of the Association of Industrial Engineers Switzerland. The issues addressed in the theses show how broad, interdisciplinary and relevant the work of industrial engineers* is for addressing current challenges in business and society: the nominated theses cover topics ranging from creating personas for companies using data from Google Analytics to working on strategic and operational aspects for the introduction of an urban "on-demand" air mobility network in the Zurich region. The jury judged the submitted works according to criteria such as economic viability, the way in which the topic was presented, sustainability, and real-life practical relevance and feasibility. The Bachelor's thesis "Data-supported process and cost optimization for order picking and shipping" by Alexander Zingrich (University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland FHNW) and the Master's thesis "Development of an on-demand urban air mobility network in the greater Zurich area" by Fabiano Ulmke (Zurich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW) were ultimately convincing.The audience award for the best presentation went to Sandro Gafner (BFH) for his bachelor thesis "Google Analytics as Basis for Creation of Personas".

WI-Award is awarded on a rotating basis

According to the rotation principle, the WI Award 2024 will guest at another university from the network of partner schools.
Partner schools: Bern University of Applied Sciences, University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland FHNW, University of Applied Sciences Eastern Switzerland OST, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences HSLU, Distance Learning University of Applied Sciences Switzerland FFHS and Zurich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW.

Industrial engineers design products, digitize supply chains, and optimize logistics processes and production facilities. They deal with technical and economic issues of the digital world and form the link between business, computer science and technology. In a digital world that is no longer imaginable without sustainability, they bring with them the best prerequisites for assuming a key position in a networked, future-oriented and competitive company.

Source: Bern University of Applied Sciences