DVN Munich Lighting Workshop 2026

PARRALLEL SESSIONS

02:00 pm to 5:30pm:

ROOM 1 — DEEP DIVE INTO AUTOMOTIVE LIGHTING SUSTAINABILITY STAKES
EXPERT DISCUSSION BETWEEN OEM, TIER1 AND TIER2
Chairman: Gerd Bahnmüller, DVN

Covestro & Forvia Hella – Jan Helmig, Global Technical Marketing Mobility Lighting & Mathias Niedling, Head of Sustainability at Business Group Lighting:

• Reducing CO Footprint and Enabling Circular Economy: Final Results from the NALYSES Research Project

Sabic – Erhard Bruss, Senior Manager Automotive Marketing

• Intensify Sustainability with Engineering Thermoplastics

Audi – Michael Kruppa, Head of Front Light Development

Momentive – Andreas Haeuseler, Global Automotive Marketing Leader – Functional Coatings:

• Maximize the Handprint: Functional Coatings for Mobility Lighting

NanoVents – Jiří Schirl, R&D and Business Development Team Leader:

• PFAS Dilemma: Legacy Technology, Environmental Conflict and the Challenge of Transition Beyond

PFAS in Automotive Towards Sustainable Alternatives

PARRALLEL SESSIONS

02:00 pm to 5:30pm:

ROOM 2 — DEEP DIVE INTO EXTERNAL DISPLAY: STATUS ABOUT RESEARCH FROM INSTITUTE & INDUSTRY
Chairman: Paul Henri Matha, DVN

Forvia – Christian Schmidt, Head of Innovation:

• Vision2X democar presentation

Marelli – Ernst-Olaf Rosenhahn, Director Headlamp Innovation:

• Heidi Project outcome

Stellantis – Julisa Le:

• Advanced Light Signature as Communication device

Technical University Darmstadt – Jonas Bix, PhD student and research assistant:

• Principles of symbol design and brightness configuration for display and signalling units in the context of AV-communication

Dekra – Wilfried van Laarhoven, Manager Approval Testing Development:

• External Displays – Regulatory options and obstructions

Audi – Werner Thomas, Project Manager OLED-Lighting / Exterior Displays

Valeo – Stefan Namyslo, R&I Technical Leader:

•On-vehicle displays and on-grund projection for automated vehicle communication

Day 1 – February 4, 2026

07:30 am: Registration & Welcome coffee

09:15 am: OPENING OF THE EVENT

DVN – Paul Henri Matha, CEO

ams Osram – Aldo Kamper, CEO

China Academy of Art – James Hope, Dean of Transportation Design Institute:

• Clarity vs. Conformity

09:45 am: SESSION 1 – PART 1: LIGHTING, COMMUNICATION & DESIGN – THE NEW 3 PILLARS FOR OUR COMMUNITY

Chairman: Wolfgang Huhn

Mercedes-Benz – Anton Nelson, Predevelopment Front Lighting Systems; Dominik Reule, Predevelopment Rear Lighting Systems; Üsame Akkoca, Project Manager Exterior Innovations:

• The Mercedes Tech-Programm Concept AMG GT XX

Audi – Michael Kruppa, Head of Front Light Development:

• Essence of Lighting – Technical precision and radical simplicity

BMW – Thorsten Krajc, Project leader exterior lighting und viewing sytems Neue Klasse:

• BMW’s Neue Klasse – Implementation of a new exterieur light design

Polestar – Christophe Ferreira Da Silva, Design Manager:

• Polestar 5 lamp details

Stellantis – Richard Brevet, Lighting leader style Citroën:

• Citroen C5 and Elo lighting design

OPmobility – Michael Rosenauer, Director Innovation Exterior & Lighting:

• Transforming Automotive Lighting Design with Advanced Decoration and Sustainable Manufacturing

SL Corporation – Hyeongdo Kim, Research Engineer:

Color MLA Headlights

Tactotek – Dominique Heilborn, Director Ecosystem Partnerships:

• SEAMLESS SKIN – A Designer’s Dream

Porsche – Benjamin Hummel, Manager Front Lighting Development:

• Porsche HD-Matrix: The Hidden Role of Modularization and a Headlamp Aiming Analysis

Microrelleus – Raúl García, CEO:

• Production Tool Engraving vs. Direct PMMA Processing with Femtosecond Laser: A Comparative Study on Homogeneity and Efficiency

11:30 pm: Coffee break

Sponsored by Nichia

12:00 pm: SESSION 1 – PART 2: LIGHTING, COMMUNICATION & DESIGN – THE NEW 3 PILLARS FOR OUR COMMUNITY

Chairman: Hans Joachim Schwabe

Sabic – Dr. David Elvers, Sr. Business Development Automotive; Erhard Bruss, Sr. Manager Automotive Marketing:

• Trends and Opportunities in materials for Automotive Lighting – Focus: Light & Chrome

Saint Gobain Sekurit – Fabien Geniaux, Marketing Portfolio Manager, Active Glazing Systems:

• Light in Glazing: New Horizons for the Automotive Experience

ZKW – Gerald Boehm, Innovation and Technical Customer Relationship Management Principal:

• Display solutions and challenges

Tata Motors – Salil Kulkarni, Head of Global Design Operations:

• From Tata Motors’ LED Lighting Evolution to the New Sierra’s Lighting Journey

Edag – Jannes Buthmann, Global Head of Lighting & Display Systems:

• Natural 3D Appearance, Unbounded Form: EDAG´s Remote Phosphor Approach for Lamp Design

Marelli – Felix Freytag, Front Lighting Specialist:

• Future Communication by Light: New Options by External Displays and Ground Projections

Ford – Mike VanBelle, Global Exterior Lighting Manager:

• Update from Ford

Mind – Jin Hui, Innovation Director:

• How High-Performance Technology and Reliable Solution Empower Chinese User and OEM
Challenges?

LG Innotek – Svenja Sohrbeck, Global Key Account Manager (Europe):

• Lighting the Future: Nexlide Pixel in a Compact Design & Nexlide Air with a Simplified Structure

1:30 pm: Lunch break

03:00 pm: SESSION 2 – DEEP DIVE INTO FILM TECHNOLOGY: PRODUCT & PROCESS

Mercedes-Benz – Marc Hainke:

• Mercedes Front panel development

Gerhardi – Nicole Michael, Product and Process Development:

• Lighting Meets Chrome: Enabling Innovative Exterior Front Design in the new Mercedes GLC

KraussMaffei – Andreas Bierbaumer, Technology Manager Surfaces IMM

• From Hard Coating to In-Mold PUR: A New Approach for Automotive Lighting

Leonhard Kurz & SP3 – Sven Oberndörfer, Head of Advanced business Development:

• Virtual Validation of design driven multi-layer lighting

Nissha – Tino Theer, Development Engineer:

• Film technology illuminating the next step in automotive exterior lighting

Niebling – Udo Weustenhagen, Director Sales & Marketing

• Preforming for Film Insert Molding (FIM): Fundamentals and Industrial Boundaries

Inevo – Roberto Fagarazzi, Managing Director Sales

Magna – Bünyamin Uzun, Product Line Manager Europe – Lighting:

• Chrome-Film Meets Light: Challenges and Solutions in the Illuminated Frontpanel

Proell – Hans-Peter Erfurt, IMD/FIM Manager:

• IMD/FIM Screen Printing Inks and Lacquers for the Decoration of Automotive Front Modules and Lighting Applications

04:30 pm: COFFEE BREAK

Sponsored by Nichia

05:00 pm: DESIGN CONTEST

moderated by Andreas Friedrich

06:00 pm: DVN AWARD CEREMONY

07:00 pm: COCKTAIL & DINNER

Day 2 – February 5, 2026

07:00 am: WELCOME COFFEE

08:00 am: PRE-SESSION – OPTICAL DESIGN DEEP DIVE
Chairman: Franco Marcori

Huaju – Jia Zhenqing, Vice President & Project Director:

• Beyond Spherical Limits: How Aspherical Glass Lenses Elevate Automotive Lighting Performance & Design

Fraunhofer IAP – Manuel Gensler, Department Head:

• Engineering Customized Light: Quantum Dots Beyond Information Displays

Fraunhofer IOF – Dmitrii Stefanidi, Research assistant:

• Maskless irregular microlens arrays for headlights and signaling with high optical efficiency

Docter Optics – Markus Winkler, CTO / CSO:

• Cost competitive lens solutions for Pixel Light Headlamps

ams Osram – Florian Wittmann, Application Engineer:

• Novel Intelligent LEDs for Highly Scalable Dynamic Exterior Lighting

Refond – Felix Zhang, International Technical Support Manager:

• Optimization of ADB Light Engine

Delo – Christoph Appel, Product Manager Automotive Lighting

09:00 am: KEYNOTE SPEECH

S&P Global Mobility – Sascha Klapper, Research and Analysis Manager:

• Automotive market turbulences, new times ahead – Where is the automotive lighting market going?

A2S – Hector Fratty & Michel Favre

Renault – Francois Bedu, Lighting Expert:

• Lighting and ADAS, what’s next for 2035?

09:45 am: ROUND TABLE

Chairman: Hans Joachim Schwabe, DVN

Audi – Stephan Berlitz, Head of Exterior Lighting Development

BMW – Jörg Kälble Exterior lighting development chief

Mercedes-Benz – Stefan Töpfer, Senior Manager R&D Lighting Systems

10:30 am: COFFEE BREAK

Sponsored by Nichia

11:00 am: SESSION 3 – SIMULATION AND AI : HOW TO ACCELERATE AND CHANGE OUR WAY OF WORKING

Chairman: Benoit Deschamps, Expert Virtual MockUp & eXtended Reality, Renault

Renault – Benoit Deschamps, Expert Virtual MockUp & eXtended Reality:

• Automotive Lighting Challenges: From Collaborative Design to Predictive Simulation

Ansys part of Synopsys – Mathieu Reigneau, Senior Product Manager – Speos:

• Acceleration in digital engineering: what AI & software customisation can truly deliver in lighting?

Dassault Systems & Keysight – Stephan Ritz & Tobias Schmid, Director Portfolio Management & Ph.D:

• F3DEXPERIENCE CATIA & LucidShape – A Paradigm Shift for Lighting Design Workflows

Eclat Digital & Covestro – Romain Hivet, Operations manager:

• Covestro & Ocean™: From Pixel to Real Part – Eliminate guesswork in design with predictive optical simulation

United Visual Researchers – Thomas Labardens, Chief Commercial Officer:

• Predict on Omniverse : Leveraging USD for Lighting Design

Edag – Jannes Buthmann, Global Head of Lighting & Display Systems:

• Advantages and Challenges of Real-Time Virtual Night Drives with Unreal Engine 5 in EDAG´s ZeroPrototypeLab

Hochschule Magdeburg-Stendal – Benedikt Lamontain, Professor of Design and CAD:

• ViSUS PRO – The Potential of XR-Technologies

Luminous Algorithms – Ingo Steiner, CEO:

• Specification-Driven Engineering – Automated Generation of Freeform Optical Surfaces for Lighting

BSCA – Michele DiTaranto, CGI Expert & Visualization Strategy

• Differences between human visual perception and camera capture. Why this gap matters.

PANEL DISCUSSION

12:30 pm: LUNCH BREAK

01:30 pm: SESSION 4 – NICHE MARKET AND SPECIAL NEEDS

Chairman: Paul-Henri Matha

Volvo Trucks – Berk Keskin, Head of Exterior Design

• One Light, Two Worlds: A Designer’s View on Car and Truck Lighting

Aspoeck – Kevin Riepl, Head of Group Innovation & PPM; Daniel Strubreiter, Head of Engineering:

• Lighting- and assistance systems on heavy trailers

Wipac Technology, Lanzante & LESS – Simon Baker, Head of Advanced Development; Paul Howse, Chief Designer & Yann Tissot, CEO/Founder:

• OEM, Tier 1 and Tier 2 new technology collaboration – First to Market

02:00 pm: SESSION 5 – INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY INCLUDING EE TO SUPPORT
Chairman: Alfred Vollmer

OPmobility – Andreas Schramm, Innovation Product Manager – Electronics:

• The smart way to an LDM-less headlamp: How the next-generation E/E architecture enables a more efficient approach

Ennostar – Dr. Meng-Yu Ho, Senior Director of Automotive Product Development:

• Mini LED ISD for Automotive: A Chip-to-Module Framework

Robert Bosch – Gregor Sunderdiek, Group Manager Intellectual Property Products:

• CAN FD light for next generation E/E architectures

Melexis – Andreas Laute, Product Manager, Exterior Lighting:

• A Multi-Channel LED Driver IC Approach for Exterior Lighting with High Flexibility

ams Osram – Lufei Shen, Product Manager:

• Cost-effective system solutions using OSP-based LED Drivers

Indiemicro – Lingjun Wang, SD of EMEA and North America, indiemicro:

• Innovation Amid New Trends in Automotive Lighting

Macroblock – Gary Chang, LED Display And Lighting Product Manager:

• Macroblock LED Driver ICs Enable the Next Generation of Intelligent Signal Displays And Ambient Lighting

Inova Semiconductors – Gerhard Nill, Senior Product Manager:

ROUND TABLE

03:00 pm: COFFEE BREAK

Sponsored by Nichia

03:30 pm: SESSION 6 – SUSTAINABILITY AND HOW TO MOVE FORWARD

Chairman: Paul-Henri Matha

Covestro & Forvia Hella – Jan Helmig & Mathias Niedling, Global Technical Marketing Mobility Lighting & Head of Sustainability @ Business Group Lighting:

• NALYSES Sustainable Headlamp Demonstrator: Innovative Design Meets More Sustainable Materials

Valeo – Grégory Planche & Laurent Barré, Lighting Circular Economy Program Manager & Engineer:

• Circular Polymers in Automotive lighting : New Circular Value Chain

Emerson Branson – Marian Blasko, Key Account Manager:

• Innovating the Future: Sustainable Headlamp Assembly Process

Sumitomo Chemical – Oliver Vollmar, Business Development Manager:

• A solution for sustainable lighting – proposal from New PMMA materials

Lumileds – Wolfgang Schiene, Director Product Management Auto LED Solutions – Headlighting:

• Replaceable LUXEON Go light source modules, easing repairability in a sustainable headlamp architecture

DVN – Paul Henri Matha, CEO:

• Synthesis of DVN deep-dive

Q&A

04:40 pm: CLOSURE