Monday 28th of September

TimingSpeakerCategory
13:00Welcome coffee
14:00Keynote speaker

Valentina Colla
Pisa University
14:40Keynote speaker

Menno Van der Winden
Umicore
Deploying agentic AI within a large corporate to create bottom line impact
15:20Coffee break
15:40Robrecht Verhelle
Bekaert
A Robust Method for Multi Sensor Alignment applied during Hot Dip Galvanizing
Data Infrastructure & Industrial IoT
16:00Jeroen Van Wittenberghe
OCAS – ArcelorMittal
On digital twins and fatigue crack sensors:  how industrial IoT technology can increase the reliability of cranes in the steel industry
Data Infrastructure & Industrial IoT
16:20Michael Sluydts
ePotentia
Can we trust generative AI for materials science?
Future Perspectives & Innovation
16:40Tim De Grave
ArcelorMittal
Improving maintenance in steel plants: expert capture and enterprise data processing for MTTR reduction
Future Perspectives & Innovation

Tuesday 29th of September

TimingSpeakerCategory
09:00Welcome coffee
09:20Keynote Speaker

Gian-Marco Rignanese
UC Louvain
From high-throughput ab initio calculations to machine learning: the new era of materials informatics
10:00Keynote Speaker

Ge Lei
Imperial College London
From trust to action: large language models for scientific discovery and decision support
10:40Coffee break
11:00Sergio Martin-del-Campo
Viking Analytics
Automatic fault detection in metal manufacturing via wireless vibration monitoring using behaviour-based analytics
Quality Assurance & Safety
11:20Daniel Bartz
Aurubis AG
From pixels to PLC: architecting safe computer vision at the industrial edge
Quality Assurance & Safety
11:40Jan Fransens
Apixa NV
Learning normality: anomaly detection as a scalable strategy for metallurgical surface inspection
Quality Assurance & Safety
12:00Gaétan Symens
CRM Group
Zinc coating monitoring at hot dip galvanising
Quality Assurance & Safety
12:20Lunch
13:40Thierry Decocq
YQ Purchasing
AI Prompt Engineering for Metallurgy Supply Chains
Supply Chain Optimization
14:00David Waroquiers
Matgenix
Accelerating alloy and coating development using AI: A case study combining active learning and atomistic simulations
Alloy Development & Material Innovation
14:20Pengru Zhao
Université de Lorraine, CNRS, Université de Montpellier
Deep learning-based grain boundary segmentation in backscattered electron images
Alloy Development & Material Innovation
14:40Antoine Hilhorst
UCLouvain, WEL Research Institute
From data to discovery of TWIP alloys by linking stacking energies, composition, and mechanical properties
Alloy Development & Material Innovation
15:00Jasper Somers
Aluminium Duffel BV
Integrating AI image analysis into filiform corrosion assessment of aluminium body sheet
Alloy Development & Material Innovation
15:20Coffee break
15:40Pascal Jacques
UCLouvain
Machine learning approach for the development of new β-metastable Ti alloys best-suited for additive manufacturing
Alloy Development & Material Innovation
16:00Michael Sluydts
ePotentia, UGent
Predicting real properties with fake data: how GenAI can help complete materials datasets
Alloy Development & Material Innovation
16:20Alexis Miroux
Aluminium Duffel BV
Predicting the properties of aluminium rolled products from full‑scale production data
Alloy Development & Material Innovation
16:40Nicolas Dubois
Nyrstar
Harnessing data science for zinc industry cellhouse – building a model that quantifies the impact of influencing factors on the current efficiency
Supply Chain Optimization
18:30Conference dinner

Wednesday 30th of September

TimingSpeakerCategory
09:00Welcome coffee
09:20Robert David
Technord, ArcelorMittal
Cowpers modeling and new driving paradigm
Process & Production Optimization
09:40Olle Sandin
Swerim
Cross-process optimization in steel plate production through digital twin technology and distributed machine learning
Process & Production Optimization
10:00Charles Snyers
VUB
Development of a model-free reinforcement learning-based MIMO controller for directed energy deposition using a simulation-based framework
Process & Production Optimization
10:20Héléna Verbeeck
UGent
Toward reliable slag property prediction: from classical molecular dynamics to machine-learning force fields
Process & Production Optimization
10:40Coffee break
11:00Els Nagels
InsPyro
Use of a digital twin do develop and optimize a H2 based alternative for Waelz kiln operations (Dust2Value project)
Process & Production Optimization
11:20Philip Wolfram
Aurubis AG
Active learning for slag classification: from composition to environmental compliance
Environmental Compliance & Sustainability
11:40Manuel Michiels
Umicore
AI-driven source attribution of fine dust emissions in precious metals recycling
Environmental Compliance & Sustainability
12:00Akhilesh Swarnakar
ESTEP
Digitalisation as a decarbonisation accelerator: ESTEP’s integrated approach to sustainable steel production
Environmental Compliance & Sustainability

This preliminary programme is not final and may be altered in the future.