Prof. Dr. Friedrich Morlock

Friedrich Morlock – Expert in Sustainable Factory Operations and Production Organisation

Prof. Dr Friedrich Morlock was appointed Professor of Sustainable Factory Operations and Production Organisation at Hochschule Ruhr West in February 2024. His teaching focuses on factory operations management, sustainability and digitalisation in production, production planning and control, as well as workplace design. In research, Friedrich Morlock works on sustainability in production and digitalisation, including the use of generative AI in manufacturing. Through this, he contributes to shaping the sustainable and digital production organisation of the future.

Before his appointment, Prof. Dr Morlock spent many years working in industry. After studying Mechanical Engineering at TU Dortmund, Ruhr University Bochum, and Linköping University in Sweden, he completed his doctorate in Production Management at the Chair of Production Systems (LPS) at Ruhr University Bochum. There, he also led the Production Management research group. During his time at LPS, he managed collaborative projects with industry partners from the automotive and mechanical engineering sectors. His research topics included Lean Management, Industry 4.0, digital assistance and learning systems, learning factories, and product-service systems.

Following his doctorate, Friedrich Morlock moved into industry with the chemical company Evonik. There, he gained experience in internal consulting, process optimisation, digitalisation, and plant management across three roles.

Alongside his industrial career, he held a teaching assignment at the private IU University on “Data Science Industry 4.0” and regularly gave guest lectures at Ruhr University Bochum. He is also a member of the VDI expert committee on “Holistic Production Systems” and has further qualifications including Six Sigma Master Black Belt (MBB), Quality Management Representative (QMB), Auditor, and MTM Instructor.

For more information and networking opportunities, please visit his LinkedIn profile:
www.linkedin.com/in/friedrich-morlock

The best way to reach me is by email at friedrich.morlock@hs-ruhrwest.de. I usually respond to emails promptly

2006 – 2012
TU Dortmund, Ruhr University Bochum, Linköping University (Sweden)
Studies in Mechanical Engineering (Dipl.-Ing.)

2012 – 2014
Ruhr University Bochum
Research Associate at the Chair of Production Systems (LPS)

2014 – 2016
Ruhr University Bochum
Group Leader in Production Management at the Chair of Production Systems (LPS)

2016
Ruhr University Bochum
Doctorate in Mechanical Engineering (Dr.-Ing.)

2016 – 2024
Industry Experience at Evonik in the Chemical Industry
Internal Consultant, Process Improvement Manager of a Business Line, Deputy Plant Manager of a Production Facility

Since 2024
Hochschule Ruhr West
Professor of Sustainable Factory Operations and Production Organisation

Since 2025
Engineering Consultancy Prof. Dr-Ing. Morlock
Consultant and Coach

Appointed Member of the VDI Expert Committee on ‘Holistic Production Systems’.

• Introduction to Engineering Sciences and Academic Research
• Production Planning and Control
• Factory Operations Organisation
• Seminar on Production Planning and Control

In his teaching, Prof. Morlock emphasises practice- and project-oriented learning. Didactic methods such as simulations, project work, and a learning factory are employed. The focus is on imparting a holistic understanding of production organisation.

04.03.214 – Industrial Engineering and Robotics Laboratory

• Collaborative Theses with Industry
• Theses on Factory Operations and Production Organisation (see also Research Focus Areas)

• www.linkedin.com/in/friedrich-morlock
• https://scholar.google.de/citations?user=7Djl3_gAAAAJ&hl=de&oi=ao

• Lean Management and Production Systems
• Industrial Engineering / Work Organisation / Time Management
• Learning Factories: Practice-Oriented Teaching
• Digitalisation in Production
         -  Industry 4.0
         - Generative AI
         - Assistance Systems
         - etc.   
• Quality Management / Management Systems 
• Maintenance, Asset Management, and Product-Service Systems
• Sustainability in Production
• Energie management
• Maturity-Based Transformation towards Digital and Sustainable Production

Over 42 national and international publications. Selected publications are listed below:

• Morlock, F.; Weihrauch, M.; Henningsen, N.: Praxisorientierter Wertstromansatz zur Schnittstellenverbesserung in indirekten Bereichen. In: Dombrowski, U., Karl, A. (Hrsg.): Ganzheitlicher Produktentstehungsprozess für die Zulieferindustrie. Springer, 2022, S. 321-332.
• Morlock, F.; Lindner, A.; Riethmann, T.: Paperless Production in der Prozessindustrie. In: Zeitschrift für wirtschaftlichen Fabrikbetrieb 117 (2022) 8, S. 686-690.
• Morlock, F.; Bosslau, M.: Enable Customer-oriented Data Analytics via Integration of Production Process Improvement Methods and Data Science Methods. In: Mourtzis, D. (Hrsg.): Proceedings of the 54th CIRP Conference on Manufacturing Systems. Elsevier, Procedia CIRP, 2021, S. 542-546.

Further overview available on Google Scholar:
https://scholar.google.de/citations?user=7Djl3_gAAAAJ&hl=de&oi=ao

Julian Grzywaczyk, M. Sc.

Sustainability, digitalisation (e.g. generative AI), and process optimisation are the keys to the production of the future. However, their full potential can only be realised when they are considered and implemented together. Yet, the most important success factor remains the human element. Successful implementation is only possible when technology, organisation, and people work hand in hand.

As Professor of Sustainable Factory Operations and Production Organisation, Prof. Dr Friedrich Morlock conducts research precisely at these interfaces. Interested companies are welcome to contact him at any time. There are many points of connection, such as cooperative research projects:

www.linkedin.com/in/friedrich-morlock