Dr Miklós Krész, Dr Balázs Dávid and Dr Jakub Sandak, InnoRenew CoE researchers, performed a study trip to Hungary 15–19 September 2021.

Their trip was within the framework of a project partners meeting for the “Optimisation for sustainable supply chains” project, where  partners reviewed the up-to-date results of the common activities and determined the roadmap for the joint research to be done in the following year.

During the trip, they visited the Institute for Computer Science and Control (SZTAKI), a world-leading research center in the field of automation and mathematical optimisation, and leader of the project. They had an interesting experience visiting the Industry 4.0 demonstration labs at SZTAKI. The innovative technological solutions and robotized manufacturing processes are an inspiration for similar initiatives at InnoRenew CoE.

They also visited the University of Szeged to meet other researchers involved in the project and discuss innovative aspects of combinatorial optimisation as related to the supply chains of biomaterials.

They ended their study trip with a visit to the furniture factory Gyulai FaFém Bútor Zrt.

“The company is a great example of the modern industries capable of producing highly customized products combining diverse fabrication technologies,” Dr Sandak said. “It includes dedicated processing lines for manufacturing metal, solid wood, particleboard or upholstery furniture elements. A highly trained staff is able to design, manufacture and assemble a broad range of products covering demands from public institutions to private households.”

The InnoRenew CoE researchers enjoyed meeting other researchers and collecting diverse inspiration for alternative research directions that could be implemented at the institute. A reciprocal study trip will be organized next year by InnoRenew CoE in Slovenia.