Remanufacturing at Umwelt-Campus Birkenfeld: symposia, consulting and research

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Review · 17–18 September 2025 · Umwelt-Campus Birkenfeld

Leading event on research and product development in the circular economy – two days on campus with the international remanufacturing community.

re.fact 25 brought together practice, research, innovation and industrial expertise: from a reference model for remanufacturing and the paradox of sustainability and profitability to EV batteries, turbine blades, humanoid robotics and China's remanufacturing industry. Two speakers joined online from the USA and China. The first day ended with a lab tour, a champagne reception, dinner on campus and the KADU, the university's on-campus bar.

View over the full lecture hall with exhibition stands at the sides and a talk on stage.
The lecture hall at re.fact 25 – talks in front, exhibition along the sides. Photo: Thomas Bartscherer

In numbers

  • 2days on campus, 17 and 18 September 2025
  • 14talks and a panel discussion
  • 12exhibitors
  • about 100participants

Key topics

Trends in remanufacturing

Reference models, current research and the remanufacturing industry worldwide.

The suppliers' perspective

Circular economy at ZF, BPW, Bosch Rexroth and Krups.

Hands-on technology

Lab tour and workshops in our labs.

Services for the circular economy

From turbine blade repair to urban mining of batteries.

Eco-design

Product design and processes – 25 years of research on designing for circularity.

Robotics & AI

Humanoid and cognitive robotics and automated battery disassembly.

Programme

As held

17 September 2025

  1. Arrival and networking lunch
  2. Welcome by Vice President Prof. Dr. Henrik te Heesen and hosts Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthias Vette-Steinkamp and Fernand Weiland
  3. Dr. Daniel C. F. Köhler, BPW, APRA Europe: Remanufacturing – the most sustainable and complex business lacking a reference system model
  4. Lorenzo Gaspari, CPI, APRA: Advancing remanufacturing – insights from current research and emerging trends
  5. Gerrit Hoeborn, FIR Aachen: Upgrade circular economy – how to overcome the paradox of sustainability and profitability
  6. Coffee break and exhibition
  7. Jeffrey Stukenborg, ZF Group, Remanufacturing Industries Council (RIC), online: ZF remanufacturing – designing for circularity, driving sustainable solutions
  8. Dr. Alexey Tirtichny, Murata: Modern circular economy – exploring additional dimensions beyond remanufacturing
  9. Dr. Xavier Kohll, Circu Li-ion: Urban mining through automated battery disassembly
  10. Break and exhibition
  11. Lab tour and workshops
  12. Champagne reception
  13. Dinner on campus
  14. End of the day at KADU, the on-campus bar

18 September 2025

  1. Welcome by host Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthias Vette-Steinkamp
  2. Dr. Hans-Henrik Westermann, MTU Maintenance: Boost for climate protection – how the repair of turbine blades contributes to sustainable aviation
  3. Andreas Letsch, Bosch Rexroth: Factory automation for advanced battery systems – from assembly to end-of-life
  4. Prof. Zhang Wei, President, Institute of Remanufacturing Industry Technology, Jing-Jin-Ji, online: Current situation and technological development of China’s remanufacturing industry
  5. Coffee break and exhibition
  6. Mike Hague-Morgan, Autocraft Solutions Group: Remanufacturing of EV batteries – essential for the successful adoption of electric vehicles
  7. Yves M. Klein, Neura Robotics: Humanoid and cognitive robotics – building the platform for the next industrial era
  8. Christian Pfefferkorn, Krups: Scalable, efficient and sustainable process automation for recycling and remanufacturing of batteries
  9. Lunch on campus
  10. Axel Horstmann, Kautz Starkstromanlagen, Horstmann & Schwarz: From energy insight to impact – systemic strategies for efficiency, sustainability and profit
  11. Prof. Dr. Erik Sundin, Linköping University: Designing for circularity – insights from 25 years of research
  12. Panel discussion

Save the date and final programme as PDF (3 pages, 1.2 MB)

Exhibition

Exhibitors

Rematec · APRA Europe AISBL · ignite AI · ISTE Group · PAE-e-green · Balluff · Car Parts Industries Belgium · STP-Parts · Cognex · RESA Systems · POEN · MATHEUS Service

re.fact 25 meets PAE-e-green

Decarbonising the e-mobility value chain in the Greater Region

re.fact 25 was held together with the Interreg project PAE-e-green. Both share a strong focus on carbon footprint reduction, circular economy and industrial reuse, and both promote a climate-friendly, circular industry through dialogue, practical examples and knowledge exchange.

Project goals

Reduce the carbon footprint across the entire e-mobility value chain, promote sustainable production and consumption, integrate circular economy principles into the mobility sector.

Demonstrators

Practical solutions for production, supply chain and infrastructure, recycling and end-of-life use – with a focus on measurable CO2 savings.

Network and SME support

Collaboration between research, industry and innovation partners, and targeted support for SMEs in implementing sustainable practices.

Impressions

A speaker on stage in front of the slide
Christian Pfefferkorn, Krups, on process automation for battery recycling and remanufacturing. Photo: Thomas Bartscherer
Four people in red armchairs on stage under the heading
The closing panel discussion. Photo: Thomas Bartscherer
A large group of participants around a yellow industrial robot in the lab hall.
Lab tour at the robot cells. Photo: Thomas Bartscherer
Visitors talking with exhibitors at the Balluff stand.
Exhibition – here at Balluff. Photo: Thomas Bartscherer
Four men on stage in front of PAE-e-green roll-ups, one speaking into a microphone.
re.fact 25 meets PAE-e-green. Photo: Thomas Bartscherer

Thank you

Organised by Umwelt-Campus Birkenfeld, Trier University of Applied Sciences, together with FJW Consulting. Endorsed by Rematec and APRA Europe AISBL. Thank you to all speakers, exhibitors and participants – see you at re.fact 27.