License partner of
License partner of
Be the first to learn about the new OEM expectations, VDA updates, and other standard changes that will fundamentally define supplier compliance in the coming years.
What you learn here today will be the industry standard tomorrow.
Connect with automotive decision-makers, quality and procurement managers, and representatives from OEMs and Tier 1–2 suppliers through targeted, pre-arranged B2B meetings.
Meet the people who truly matter to your business.
Discover how other successful automotive companies tackle quality, supplier, and process-level challenges – move beyond theory and see real-world applications.
2 days of professional content.
New OEM and VDA requirements, audits, supplier compliance, and practical solutions.
Best practices in quality and process improvement for stable, efficient manufacturing.
Customer requirements, risk management, and development opportunities.
Strategic preparation for evolving automotive industry requirements.
Real business connections with automotive decision-makers.
More than just a source of information, this conference is a strategic hub for those looking to stay ahead of the curve in the face of upcoming automotive challenges. Real decision-makers, current requirements, and practical insights – everything an automotive supplier needs for future-proof compliance.
AUDI HUNGARIA Zrt. - Head of Quality Assurance – Internal Combustion Engines
AUDI HUNGARIA Zrt. - Head of Quality Assurance – Alternative Powertrains
BMW Group Plant Debrecen -
Head of Quality
BMW Group - Leader of FDE Team
VDA QMC -
Head of Training and Professional Development
BME - Associate Professor, Head of Department
QFD Group Kft. - CEO
QFD Group Kft. - COO
Head of Supplier Quality Győr Vehicle
AUDI HUNGARIA Zrt.
GHIBLI Group - Director of Strategy and Business Development
QFD Group Kft.
Senior ISMS Consultant and Trainer
SERTEC Group
Plant Director
Knüppel Verpackung
Head of Sales DE, AT
Hirschmann Car Communication Kft. - Quality Manager
Astotec Automotive Hungary Bt. - Supply Chain Execution Manager
Stanley Electric Hungary Kft. - Senior Supply Chain Manager
8:00 – 8:45
8:45 – 9:00
Dr. BARANYAI Attila- Develor Zrt.
9:00 – 9:30
9:00 – 17:00
9:30 – 10:00
10:00 – 10:30
Dr. Yuliya MERKWIRTH – Head of Department Training and Professional Development –
VDA QMC
10:30 – 11:00
11:00 – 11:30
Mario GERHARDT – Head of Quality Debrecen,
Sergio CORREA – Leader of FDE Team,
BMW Group Plant Debrecen
11:45 – 12:15
12:15 – 13:15
13:00 – 13:45
13:45 – 14:15
14:15 – 15:15
15:30 – 17:00
14:15 – 15:00
15:15 – 16:00
16:15 – 17:00
14:00 – 17:00
17:00 – 18:30
18:30 – 19:00
19:00 – 22:00
9:00 – 10:00
10:00 – 10:30
10:30 – 11:15
11:15 – 11:45
11:45 – 12:15
12:15 – 13:30
13:30 – 14:00
14:00 – 14:30
14:30 – 15:00
The agenda is currently under development – centered around the most critical automotive trends.
The Regional Automotive Supplier Conference has become a premier annual hub for the key players of the Hungarian automotive industry.
Over the past years, the event has hosted representatives from OEMs, Tier 1–2 suppliers, and industry service providers. Beyond Hungary, the conference consistently attracts leaders from major automotive companies across the South-East European region.
Direct access to automotive decision-makers
Visibility where it matters: Quality, Procurement, and Management
Focused business networking – Quality over Quantity
Recommended for companies that:
Pre-scheduled meetings between supplier candidates and procurement professionals from OEM, Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 manufacturers.
In addition to the plenary sessions and panel discussions, you can participate in small-group workshops. Led by industry experts, these sessions focus on real automotive case studies to address current industry challenges.
Registration for workshops is exclusively available via the “Rendezványapp” and is on a first-come, first-served basis. Access to the workshop registration platform will be provided after completion of the general conference registration.
New requirements, stricter responsibilities, and steps for preparation.
EU AI Act vs. ISO 42001: Does implementing an ISO 42001-based AIMS/MIIR support regulatory compliance?
Why VDA 6.8 is becoming essential for the automotive supply chain.
Currently under development
Ticket Information:
The ticket price includes €190 per person in intermediated services.
All prices are exclusive of VAT.
Payment and cancellation policy
Discounts cannot be combined with any other offers.
*The discount does not apply to the 190 EUR intermediated catering service fee.
The conference is primarily designed for professionals from automotive supply companies. It is especially recommended for Quality Managers, Engineering, R&D and Production Managers, Logistics and Procurement experts, and decision-makers in management positions. Additionally, it is an essential event for any company aspiring to become a supplier within the automotive industry.
It is critical for automotive suppliers to stay informed about changes in VDA standards, OEM expectations, and quality requirements in a timely manner. The conference provides first-hand, practical, and actionable information regarding these updates.
The program focuses on current and future VDA requirements affecting supplier compliance, audit expectations, supplier development trends, and quality management best practices.
Yes. The conference is highly relevant not only for Tier 1 but also for Tier 2, Tier 3, and sub-suppliers who aim to meet the increasing expectations of OEMs and major suppliers while maintaining long-term competitiveness.
The event provides structured B2B matchmaking sessions, networking events, and informal social opportunities where participants can engage in meaningful business dialogue with automotive decision-makers and industry experts.
Yes. The conference is specifically valuable for companies looking to enter the automotive supply chain in the future and wanting to understand the necessary quality, process, and supplier requirements.
The conference is highly practice-oriented. The presentations, workshops, and case studies are designed to provide participants with immediately applicable knowledge they can take back to their own organizations.
marketing menedzser
E-mail: RENES.anita@QFDGROUP.com
Telefon: +36 20 299 3148
Irodavezető
E-mail: TOTH.adrienn@QFDGROUP.com
Telefon: +36 20 315 2866
Okleveles autógépész mérnök, több mint 30 év autóipari tapasztalattal. Pályafutását 1993-ban a Porsche Hungariánál kezdte, majd az Audi Hungariánál a TT első modell gyártásának teljes életciklusában vett részt. Vezetői tapasztalatot szerzett az autógyártás teljes folyamatában, az összeszereléstől a végellenőrzésig.
2004-től a motorgyártás, majd 2009-től a minőségbiztosítás területén dolgozik, nemzetközi tapasztalatát egy németországi kiküldetés során bővítette, ahol a járművek korróziós vizsgálatáért és a karosszériaelemek kötéseiért felelős laboratóriumi csoport vezetője volt.
Jelenlegi szerepkörében a belső égésű motorok teljeskörű minőségbiztosításáért felel.
Járműgépészmérnöki diplomáját 1996-ban szerezte a Budapesti Műszaki Egyetem Közlekedésmérnöki karán.
Közel 30 éve áll a konszern alkalmazásában, ebből 25 éve vezetői funkcióban. Fogalkozott a beszállított alkatrészek és az új hajtásprojektek minőségbiztosításával, vevői reklamációkkal, alkatrész- és termékanalízisekkel.
Két évet töltött Németországban az Audi központi telephelyén ahol a termékmenedzsment területén az Audi A1-es és a TT projektek hajtásokért felelős szakcsoportvezetőjeként tevékenykedett.
Jelenleg a minőségbiztosítási területén az alternatív hajtások felelős vezetője.
Mario Gerhardt, Dipl.-Ing. (FH) is a General Manager Quality executive at the BMW Group , leading quality governance at the BMW Group Plant Debrecen for the launch and ramp up of the BMW iX3. With more than 20 years of experience across the BMW Group, he has led organizations in total vehicle quality management, product audits, and cross‑plant governance. Across diverse roles and international settings, his guiding principle has remained consistent: develop people and structures together, and turn values into everyday operational reality.
Sergio Correa is a mechanical and industrial engineer with 13 years at BMW Group, working across quality, supply chain, assembly, strategy, and AI leadership in the US, Germany, and Hungary. A champion of forward-deployed engineering, he embeds teams directly into operations, building solutions backwards from real pain points. His philosophy is simple: more AI means more human. A passionate believer in building talent, Sergio invests as much in developing people as in developing technology. He is currently completing his MBA at London Business School.
Dr. Zsolt Szalay holds degrees in electrical engineering and economics, and earned his PhD from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME). His professional career spans over three decades in the fields of automotive innovation, safety-critical vehicle systems, and automated mobility. He expanded his expertise in innovation management through the MIT REAP program.
He gained his initial industry experience as a development engineer at Knorr-Bremse, where he worked on the development of electronic braking systems and safety-critical vehicle technologies. In 1997, he founded Inventure Automotive, a company whose telematics and vehicle data-based solutions are now present in around one million vehicles across more than 85 countries.
At BME, his work focuses on the verification and validation of automated vehicle systems, as well as vehicle-to-infrastructure integration and digital twin-based testing methodologies. He played a key role in developing the concept and the internationally unique research infrastructure of the ZalaZONE proving ground.
Dr. Szalay is an active participant in European transport innovation and regulatory processes, including the European Commission’s CCAM (Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility) initiatives. His scientific research centers around vehicular cyber-physical systems, functional safety, cybersecurity, and the simulation and digital twins of complex traffic systems; he has authored more than 200 scientific publications.
Throughout his teaching and research activities, he represents a practice-oriented, problem-solving approach, placing special emphasis on preparing the young generation of engineers with industry-relevant skills. As the founder of the BME Automated Drive Lab, his goal is to accelerate the industrial utilization of university research results and to strengthen the spin-off-based innovation ecosystem.
After graduating as a mechanical engineer specializing in automotive engineering, he began his career at the Dräxlmaier Group, where he held various quality-related positions—ranging from Quality Engineer to Quality Manager—both in Hungary and at the company’s headquarters in Vilsbiburg, Germany. After leaving Dräxlmaier, he worked as a freelance ISO/TS 16949 certification auditor for leading certification bodies including BSI, NSF-ISR, TÜV Süd, and DNV-GL, conducting over 1,500 audit days across Europe.
In 2003, he founded QFD Engineering Consulting Office Ltd., providing consulting services to the automotive industry. Over the years, he expanded the company’s portfolio to include training and further education, and by 2008, the company was entrusted with delivering quality management training programs for a major Tier 1 supplier. In 2011, QFD Engineering was appointed as the official licensee of VDA QMC in Hungary, and in 2017 this license was extended to five additional countries: Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Macedonia. In 2022, the company became VDA QMC’s most successful license partner in Europe and second worldwide.
Parallel to training activities, the company grew its consulting and audit client base to include major OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers such as Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Bosch, ZF, Knorr-Bremse, and Continental. Under his leadership, the company expanded to a team of 20 full-time employees and over 55 contractors, with offices in Budapest, Hungary and Novi Sad, Serbia.
In 2018, he joined SMMT as an IATF witness auditor and has since participated in global oversight activities.
In early 2023, he delegated operational management of QFD Group Ltd. to a colleague, retaining his role as CEO while focusing on digital content development, strategic expansion into Serbia, and managing collaborations within the QTICS consortium.
Most recently, he was appointed Chief Strategy Officer at QualityAI, a Florida-based software company developing cutting-edge AI-powered audit tools. In this role, he contributes to the company’s strategic direction and the development of next-generation quality audit technologies.
QFD Ltd. – Regional director – Southeastern Europe, VDA QMC Trainer, Senior consultant
Gentherm Hungary Ltd. – Quality and Production Manager
W.E.T, Hungary Ltd. – Production and Technology Manager
Dräxlmaier Ltd. – Quality Manager
Hungarian Rolling Bearings Ltd. –Development Engineer
Certified IATF 16949 2nd party and VDA 6.3 auditor
VDA QMC Trainer for IATF 16949, VDA 6.3, VDA 6.5, VDA 2, PSCR, FMEA, RGA, SQE, VW Formel Q
etc.; Lean Expert
This immersive VR demonstration allows participants to experience the real-time digital twin of the M1–M7 Smart Motorway. By putting on a VR headset, visitors can literally step inside the motorway’s digital replica, where a virtual environment synchronized with live traffic data surrounds them.
Within the VR space, participants can freely explore the infrastructure while observing traffic events as they happen in real time. Vehicles pass by at high speed, lane changes and traffic interactions unfold at close range – all within a safe virtual environment. The digital twin is far more than a visualization; it is a dynamic system driven by real-time data streams that illustrate the interaction between vehicles and intelligent road infrastructure.
The demonstration showcases how roads are evolving into active, “thinking” components of automated mobility, supporting cooperative decision-making in intelligent transportation systems.
The development is one of the flagship demonstrations of the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME), Department of Automotive Technologies’ M1–M7 Smart Road and Digital Twin Research Program. It is closely linked to the presentation by Prof. Zsolt Szalay, “When the Road Thinks Too – The Role of Intelligent Transport Infrastructure in Automated Mobility.
What happens to air cargo after it arrives at the airport?
How does it move from the aircraft hold through ground handling, warehousing, and freight forwarding processes all the way to final delivery?
During this exclusive visit, participants will have the opportunity to follow the journey of cargo firsthand within the Cargo City ecosystem. The program offers unique insight into the operations of both a ground handling company and a logistics/freight forwarding provider, revealing the key stages, stakeholders, and behind-the-scenes processes of air cargo handling.
More than just a warehouse tour, this professional visit provides a practical, end-to-end demonstration of a time-critical supply chain in action. Participants will discover how airport cargo operations, warehouse logistics, and distribution activities are seamlessly connected to ensure the efficient movement of goods around the world.
Experience the world of air cargo from the inside and gain valuable insights into one of the most dynamic sectors of modern logistics.
