The meetings of the Scientific Technical Committee O were held on 22^nd February 2018 in Paris (74 members, 14 research affiliates, 13 guests), and on 24^th August 2018 in Tokyo (50 members, 12 research affiliates, 12 guests).

The major activities of STC O were the following:=

CIRP Manufacturing Systems Conferences (CMS)

Short reports on the organization and preparation of CIRP CMS conferences were delivered:

• 2018: 51st Conference, Stockholm, Sweden 
• 2019: 52nd Conference, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• 2020: 53rd Conference Chicago, USA
• 2021: 54nd Conference, Athens, Greece

Keynote Papers

Actual status of keynote papers were presented and discussed in detail:

• 2018: Value creation in production: reconsideration from interdisciplinary approaches by T. Kaihara, N. Nishino, K. Ueda†, M. Tseng, J. Váncza, P. Schönsleben, R. Teti, T. Takenaka
• 2019: Global production networks by G. Lanza, K. Ferdows, S. Kara, D. Mourtzis, G. Schuh, J. Váncza, L. Wang, H-P. Wiendahl

At the Winter Meeting, it was approved that the 2020 keynote paper will be:

• Big data analytics and utilization in future smart factories by R. X. Gao, L. Wang, R. Teti M. Helu

In August, it was decided that the 2021 keynote paper will be:

• Manufacturing systems evolution and future by H. ElMaraghy, L. Monostori, G. Schuh, W. ElMaraghy

Paper Presentations and Technical Reports

During the General Assembly in Tokyo one plenary keynote paper (by T. Kaihara), and in the STC O session 21 regular papers were presented and discussed.

At the two STC O Meetings in 2018, a total of 16 technical presentations (8 in February, and 8 in August) were delivered and discussed. Most of the technical talks were organized around special topics such as

• human-oriented changeability in cyber-physical production, and
• revival of artificial intelligence in manufacturing.

Support of Collaborative Working Groups

• In February, the initiative of a new CWG on Industrial Symbiosis in Discrete Manufacturing was presented.

• In February, the topic of Biologicalisation – Biological Transformation in Manufacturing (presented by G. Byrne) was discussed, and in August support for a new CWG on Biological Transformation in Manufacturing was provided.
• STC O was represented by ambassadors at the meetings of the CWG on Additive Manufacturing (in February by G. Lanza; in August by J. Váncza).

STC O officers

Chair: J. Váncza
Vice-Chair: G. Lanza
Secretary: T. Tolio

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