IEEE R8 Action for Industry is honored to organize a workshop on the theme “Smart Manufacturing 2026: The Next Leap” at IEEE MELECON conference at Pyramisa, Cairo, Egypt, on February 2, 2026, starting at 11:00 AM (UTC+2).
Workshop Agenda (2 Feb. 2026) [Moderator: Serge Dos Santos, AfI Committee Member, IEEE, INSA Centre Val de Loire]
(11:00 AM – 11:10 AM): Introduction of AfI( Action for Industry)
[Speaker: Nihel Ben Youssef- AfI Committee Chair IEEE]
(11:05 AM – 11:20 AM): Introduction of IEEE IEC( Industry Engagement Committee)
[Speaker: Tiziana Tambosso, IEEE R8 Technical Activities Vice Chair, IEEE IEC Member]
(11:20 AM – 11:40 AM) Talk 1: The Quantum Leap: Unlocking Unprecedented Value in Smart Manufacturing by 2026
[Speaker: Hazem El Tahawy, Siemens Digital Industry]
(11:40 AM – 12:00 AM) Talk 2: Becoming a Frontier Firm in the AI Era
[Speaker: Mohamed Sami El-Tahawy – Senior Industry Advisor, Microsoft]
(12:00 PM – 1:00 PM) Panel: Bridging the Gap – Can Academia & Industry Co-Create the Future Factory?
[Moderator: Mohamed Galal Khafagy, AfI Committee Member, IEEE]
Panelists:
Dora Smith: Senior Director, Future Workforce Strategy, Siemens Digital Industries Software
Mohamed Sami El-Tahawy: Senior Industry Advisor, Microsoft.
Abdelrahman El-Araby: Head of innovation & technology, Elaraby group
Costas Stasopoulos – AfI Committee Member, IEEE
Sohaib Qamar Sheikh – AfI Committee Member, IEEE
Aida Elsabban – AfI Committee Member, IEEE
We extend our sincere gratitude to our distinguished speakers for accepting our invitation. Our thanks also go to the conference organizers.
A warm welcome to all attendees!