Flanders gets brand new technology centre

There, companies will be able to discover how they can optimally invest in their own production environment for the future.
in their own production environment for the future. Companies from all
sectors of industry can find inspiration for the necessary digitalisation
of their production processes. This is important for sustainable production, for workable
work for employees and for prosperity in Belgium.

Manufacturing companies can no longer ignore it: their customers increasingly expect customised
customised products, delivered quickly and preferably at no extra cost. Those who succeed in this
is immediately one step ahead of the competition. Flanders Make helps companies to
make the necessary switch to smart, digital factories for the future.
realise. Employees will continue to play a key role. Thanks to new
technologies, work is becoming more engaging and also easier for many employees.

"Companies developing production systems, machines, subsystems or process software will have the opportunity at the co-creation centre in Kortrijk to test the latest
production technologies and production processes. In this way, they can
continue to invest in highly competitive factories in their own region. With this, Flanders
joins the top regions in Europe in terms of Industry 4.0 research infrastructure," said
Urbain Vandeurzen, Chairman of the Board of Flanders Make.

Companies can already go to the current Flanders Make site in Kortrijk for
advice and testing for their Industry 4.0 production. The existing test infrastructure will be
transferred to the new site next year.

"Here we will have the space to expand further and thus allow companies to constantly sample the state of
the art in sustainable production. The focus here is on digital twins, smart
robotisation and automation. The operator will continue to play a central role. He receives the necessary
support to ensure workable work. Machine builders and their suppliers
can start working with this immediately. And we can also perfectly translate all innovations to
many other sectors," says Dirk Torfs, CEO of Flanders Make.

Project developers Kristof Vanfleteren, CEO ION and Dominique Valcke, CEO Stadsbader
indicate: "For us, R&D has always been an important pillar, because we
in the long term. This project is also an absolute
reference. We are therefore proud to be able to help realise this project."

Flemish Minister for Economy and Innovation Hilde Crevits: "The arrival of this brand new
centre for Flanders Make in Kortrijk has great significance. The new establishment will be
a showpiece. Together with a lot of partners, our companies are taking the lead in
innovation, research and development and in sustainability. Meanwhile, the corona crisis is making
important choices and innovations. Half of West Flanders' companies have in the
recent period opted to make new products and a third sought new
sales markets. Flanders Make is ready to assist more than 11,000 companies and hundreds of thousands of
employees in the innovation processes. Moreover, I can now announce
that we are providing 11 million euros of additional support to Flanders Make. The funds are intended
for a new project to further strengthen digitalisation and automation in our manufacturing companies.
strengthen."

The 11 million extra funds will allow six industrial innovation leaders (Van de Wiele,
Picanol, Atlas Copco, CNH, Crops, Sabca together with a consortium of technology
developers and suppliers from Flanders and Europe) will be able to further
innovation and sustainability. The business community itself is also making a contribution of 53 million
euros. This investment will boost the digitalisation of Flemish and European industry.
This will lead to an increase in the competitiveness of manufacturing companies from very
diverse sectors (mechanical engineering, agro-food, automotive, pharma, chemicals, electronic
components, etc.).

Equally important is that the often small technology suppliers, who are closely involved in the development of a number of pilot lines, will also be able to further develop their technology and expertise. In this way, they too can strengthen their market position.

Besides increasing the competitiveness of the manufacturing industry, this project will also contribute greatly to the European Green Deal. Finally, the project aims at strengthening digital human talent and
establishing a digital culture in companies.

The resilience of companies in Flanders was high during the corona crisis. Turnover
did drop by a fifth, employment fell by only 2 per cent. Half of the
companies opted for new business models. A lot of companies quickly
switched to new customers and markets and adjustments to the work organisation. Three
quarter of the companies say they are paying more attention to digitising products
and speeding up processes. Half of the companies say they also maintained their
investment rhythm and budget. There is a focus on new technologies and
attention to upskilling and retraining.

The new site in Kortrijk will be ready in September 2022. Flanders Make is the owner of
the land and will lease the building for 27 years via a long lease formula from the
project company Stadion (Stadsbader and Ion), which is in charge of construction. This, with
a size of 6000 m², this will immediately become Flanders Make's largest co-creation centre, which
also has branches in Leuven, Lommel and Sint-Truiden and core labs at all Flemish
universities.

Photo: Pixabay / Michal Jarmoluk