Automation Vista – Together Towards Industry 5.0

Automation Vista is a meeting place for researchers, industry leaders, innovators, startups, and public-sector stakeholders who want to shape the next generation of sustainable and human-centered industry.

Industry 5.0 moves beyond efficiency and automation alone, placing people, resilience, and sustainability at the center of industrial transformation. The symposium will explore how advanced technologies such as AI, robotics, automation, and digital infrastructure can strengthen collaboration between humans and machines while enabling more resilient and sustainable production systems.

The conference is hosted by Automation Region in collaboration with the research schools ARRAY and MARC at Mälardalen University.

Programme

The programme is continuously updated and session times may be subject to change.

09:30 – Registration, Coffee & Poster Exhibition

10:00 – Welcome & Opening Remarks

Thomas Nolte, Professor of Computer Science, Mälardalen University, and Magnus Löfberg, Regional Manager Mälardalen, Prevas, give the opening remarks before handing over to the moderators for the day, Christer Norström and Petra Edoff, Mälardalen University.

10:15 – Keynote: Setting the scene for Industry 5.0

Chris Ivory, Mälardalen University

As the opening keynote speaker, Professor Chris Ivory will provide a big-picture perspective on Industry 5.0 and the forces reshaping industry – from automation and digitalisation to new demands for sustainability, skills development and human-machine collaboration.

Chris Ivory is a leading researcher in innovation management at Mälardalen University and leads the European research project Up-Skill on Industry 5.0. His research explores the interplay between people, ai and automation, and how industry can evolve by combining technological advances with human creativity, skills and expertise.

10:45 – Keynote: Sustainability and Industrial Transformation

Jerry Johansson, Head of Engineering, AstraZeneca

Jerry Johansson is a senior leader at AstraZeneca with extensive experience in engineering, maintenance and asset management. With a strong background in industrial maintenance and digitalisation, he focuses on developing strategies and ways of working that improve reliability, efficiency and long-term performance in complex production environments.

11:15 – Industry Panel Discussion

What does Industry 5.0 mean in practice for industry today? Industry leaders share their perspectives on the opportunities of industrial transformation, exploring how sustainability, digitalisation and human-centered approaches are shaping the future of production.

Panelists:

• Chris Ivory, professor, Mälardalen University
• Jerry Johansson, Head of Engineering, AstraZeneca
• Anna Davidsson, Senior Manager, Scania
• Jessica Bruch, professor, Mälardalen University
• Joao Pedrassoli, Chief Project manager, Volvo CE

11:45 – Poster Exhibition, Networking & Lunch

12:30 – Keynote: Humanoids Today and Tomorrow

Ahmad Alali, CEO, Roboytix

Ahmad Alali is an educator and robotics enthusiast working at the intersection of AI, robotics and education. Through his work at Hitachigymnasiet Västerås and collaborations with industry and academia, he focuses on giving young people hands-on experience with emerging technologies and building the skills needed for the future of industry.

13:00 – Keynote: Resilience in Industrial Infrastructure

Anna Davidsson, Senior Manager, Scania

Anna Davidsson is Senior Manager of Research and External Cooperations within Production, Procurement and Logistics at Scania. With extensive experience in industrial research and sustainable production, she works to strengthen collaboration between industry and academia and advance the development of sustainable and resilient production systems.

13:30 – Panel with Industry, Academia & Innovation Actors

How can we move from emerging technologies and ideas to real industrial impact? Bringing together perspectives from industry, academia and the innovation ecosystem, this panel will explore how collaboration can accelerate the adoption of new technologies, strengthen resilience and skills, and support the transition towards Industry 5.0.

Panelists:

• Ahmad Alali, CEO, Roboytix
• Fredrik Ore, Automation Competence Leader, Scania
• Carlo Vitucci, Senior Embedded Software architect, Ericsson
• Karin Kraft, Program manager, RISE
• Fredrik Hedenfalk, R&D manager, ABB Robotics

14:30 – Coffee Break, Humanoid Demonstration, Poster Exhibition & Networking

15:30 – Parallel Sessions

Session 1: Collaboration & Funding

Beyond technology, what can accelerate the transition towards a sustainable, resilient and human-centered industry? Collaboration and strategic funding are essential for turning ideas into long-term industrial transformation.

Lena Strålsjö, Programme Manager at the Knowledge Foundation (KK-stiftelsen), will provide an overview of the Foundation’s funding opportunities, including research projects, industrial PhD schools and additional initiatives for competence and capacity building.

Malin Rosqvist, Programme Director at PiiA, brings extensive hands-on experience from large-scale research and innovation programmes involving close collaboration between industry and research organisations.

Together, they will lead a discussion on how funding, collaboration and long-term partnerships can create the conditions for successful industrial transformation.

Session 2: Upskilling & Reskilling

As industry evolves through AI, automation and digitalisation, how do we ensure that people and organisations evolve with it? The transition towards Industry 5.0 requires not only new technologies, but also new skills, roles and ways of learning.

This session will explore how industry can approach upskilling and reskilling to prepare both today’s workforce and organisations for changing competence needs. What skills will become increasingly important? How can companies identify emerging competence gaps? And how can industry and academia work together to support continuous learning and workforce development?

Jessica Bruch, Professor at Mälardalen University, will lead the discussion, inviting participants to exchange experiences, challenges and perspectives on building the competencies needed for the industry of tomorrow.

16:30 – Reflections & The Way Forward

Joint Discussion from the sessions.

17:15 – Closing Remarks

17:45 – Conference dinner

Questions?

Please contact Thomas Nolte, thomas.nolte@mdu.se.