Quality Engineering and Management Group at ICQEM 2026

The Quality Engineering and Management Group participated in the 7th International Conference on Quality Engineering and Management — ICQEM 2026, held in Lisbon, at Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, on 2 and 3 July 2026, contributing to the scientific programme with several research works addressing key topics in contemporary quality engineering and management.

The contributions covered a wide range of areas, including digital transformation, Quality 4.0, human factors in production systems, inspection and sampling strategies, condition monitoring, collaborative assembly, and sustainability-oriented design.

ICQEM 2026 represented an important opportunity to share the group’s latest research results with the international scientific community and to discuss emerging challenges for the discipline. The conference provided a stimulating environment for exchanging ideas, comparing methodological approaches, and reflecting on how quality engineering can support increasingly complex, data-driven, human-centred, and sustainable systems.

The works presented by members of the group included:

• “Preliminary Framework for Verifying the Syntactic Quality of Digital Voice-of-Customer for Product Quality Monitoring”
  Authors: Federico Barravecchia, Luca Mastrogiacomo, Fiorenzo Franceschini
  The paper proposes a preliminary framework to assess the syntactic quality of Digital Voice-of-Customer data used for product quality monitoring. The contribution focuses on the reliability and usability of online customer feedback as a source of information for quality-related analyses.

• “Aggregation Sequence in Multiple-Inspector Sampling Plans: Preliminary Outcomes and Practical Implications”
  Authors: Domenico Augusto Maisano, Lucrezia Ferrara, Fiorenzo Franceschini
  This work investigates inspection processes involving multiple inspectors, focusing on how different aggregation sequences can influence acceptance or rejection decisions. The paper provides practical insights for improving the consistency and robustness of multiple-inspector sampling plans.

• “Quality Challenges in Multi-Human Multi-Robot Collaborative Assembly Design: A Coherence-Based Methodology to Analyse Process Failures”
  Authors: Matteo Capponi, Aurora Sofia Di Matteo, Luca Mastrogiacomo, Fiorenzo Franceschini
  The paper addresses quality challenges in collaborative assembly systems involving multiple humans and robots. It proposes a coherence-based methodology to analyse process failures by considering the relationships among tasks, resources, interactions, and quality requirements.

• “Subsystem-oriented condition monitoring for connected vehicles using unlabelled data”
  Authors: Stefano Puttero, Elisa Verna, Gianfranco Genta, Maurizio Galetto
  This contribution presents a data-driven approach for condition monitoring in connected vehicles using unlabelled data. The work aims to support the identification of deviations from normal behaviour and the interpretation of vehicle health at subsystem level.

• “Understanding Assembly Process Quality through Product Complexity and Cognitive Demand: Preliminary Experimental Evidence”
  Authors: Riccardo Gervasi, Laura Angioletti, Michela Balconi, Luca Mastrogiacomo, Fiorenzo Franceschini
  The paper investigates the relationship between product complexity, cognitive demand, and assembly process quality. Through preliminary experimental evidence, the study highlights the relevance of human factors and cognitive load in the design and improvement of assembly processes.

• “A Quality by Design Framework for Mobile-Based Household Food Waste Reduction”
  Authors: Alberto Piovano, Rossella Palermo, Elisa Verna, Maurizio Galetto
  The work applies Quality by Design principles to the development of mobile-based solutions aimed at reducing household food waste. The proposed framework supports the translation of user needs and behavioural aspects into design requirements for more effective and sustainability-oriented digital tools.

A significant achievement for the group was the award received by the paper “Understanding Assembly Process Quality through Product Complexity and Cognitive Demand: Preliminary Experimental Evidence”, authored by Riccardo Gervasi, Laura Angioletti, Michela Balconi, Luca Mastrogiacomo, and Fiorenzo Franceschini. This recognition highlights the scientific relevance of the work and its contribution to a deeper understanding of the relationship between product complexity, cognitive demand, and assembly process quality.

A particularly important announcement concerned the next edition of the conference. In two years, the 8th International Conference on Quality Engineering and Management will be hosted by the Politecnico di Torino, with Prof. Fiorenzo Franceschini serving as Local Chair. This will be a great honour for our group and an important opportunity to welcome the international quality engineering and management community to Turin, continuing the scientific dialogue and collaboration fostered by ICQEM.

Beyond the scientific sessions, the conference was also a valuable occasion to meet again in person with colleagues, friends, and researchers from different institutions and countries.