Heilbronn University, Faculty for Industrial and Process Engineering, 74081 Heilbronn He holds a master degree in Mechanical Engineering with specialization in International Project Management. After graduating, Dr. Balve spent five years in the field of consulting and research at the renowned Fraunhofer-Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation. Since then, he has held various management positions in logistics and quality in the automotive industry. In 2009, Dr. Balve was appointed professor at Heilbronn University in the Faculty of Industrial and Process Engineering. He is director of the Manufacturing and Operations Management bachelor program and head of the Heilbronn Learning Factory. His fields of research include lean manufacturing systems and state-of-the-art project management approaches.