Why is Belgium organising a factory of the future award?
This week the 7th edition of the annual Factory of the Future event took place. An important event for the industry, a sector that already deserves a better image and gets it through this event. Below are some figures that were shared during the event and prove that industry is a driving force for the prosperity of our region:
- Almost 1 in 4 Belgians earn their income through industry
- Industry provides 70% of research & development spending
- 60% of exports come from industry
- 20% of added value comes from industry
How did former winners experience the COVID-19 period?
Meanwhile, we already have 42 Factory of the Future companies, including our partner Van Hoecke and sustainable customer relationships. Studies show that activity levels are significantly higher at these organisations in the past period. Success factors for this are:
- Smart Manufacturing: more flexible, self-learning, adaptive systems, aiming for lot size 1, lean & agile, ...)
- Human Centered Factory: putting consultation at the heart of the ins & outs (even in a remote context)
Who are this year's winners?
Cargill (Izegem), Danone (Rotselaar), DELHEZ Tôlerie (Thimister-Clermont) and L'Oréal (Libramont) can rightly call themselves Factories of the Future. Discover their stories via the videos below.
Becoming a factory and remaining a factory.
Winning the award once is already a challenge but the organisations below are already proving that they are capable of remaining a Factory of the Future:
- 3rd award (since 2015): Continental, Provan, ST engineering
- 2nd award: Borit NV & Nuscience
Looking ahead to 2022 ...
Having seen these strong candidates, we are already very curious to know who, meanwhile, is gearing up to win the 2022 Factory of the Future award.
Who is preparing for the 7 transformation domains?
But most importantly, how are they tackling it? "Let us all be Factories of the Future!"
This report is an extract and interpretation of the event. Watch the full award ceremony at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avejTMyLPhY&ab_channel=Agoria
Jeroen Van den Hove
