K4I presents ‘What Digital’ / ‘What Smart’ for Advanced Manufacturing

Knowledge4Innovation (K4I) is holding a K4I Forum Dinner debate on 'What “Digital” / What “Smart” for Advanced Manufacturing?’ on Tuesday 12 May from 19h30 to 22h00 in the Members Salon of the European Parliament in Brussels. The event will be hosted by Mr Victor Negrescu MEP.

Advanced manufacturing is undergoing an unprecedented transformation. As an industrial renaissance takes hold in Europe, advanced manufacturing is being transformed in multiple ways. From the nature of work within a plant to the physical technology used, the traditional picture of manufacturing is fast becoming outdated.

Europe is well positioned to take a leading role in this transformation. Advanced manufacturing in Europe is diverse, technologically advanced, produces high quality products and employs a highly trained workforce. A key economic activity, it provides over 20% of Europe’s jobs and generates 67% of its exports.

But there are a certain challenges that advanced manufacturing in Europe faces in its struggle to improve competitiveness and similar issues also face the ICT sector. At this forum participants will explore the transformation currently underway in advanced manufacturing and its specific technological and non-technological needs and the further potential for “smart” transformation. Participants will also debate what digitalisation and the introduction of the 'internet of things' means for manufacturing as well as the management of 'big data'.

Issues

• Status of ICT use in advanced manufacturing
• Potential of even further ICT-enabled advanced manufacturing for a European Industrial Renaissance
• Current challenges faced in going forward
• Approaches to sustainability

Questions

• What are the challenges of the advanced manufacturing industry that can be solved by ICT?
• What are the main challenges that the ICT industry / community need to solve in order to enable its best use by an advanced manufacturing?
• What common non-technological issues need to be addressed and how to make Europe a competitive place for advanced manufacturing?
• What EU action is currently being taken, and should be taken, to support digitalisation in and around advanced manufacturing?

Speakers at the event include Zeljko Pazin Executive Director, EFFRA (who will act as Moderator); Prof. Egbert-Jan, Vice Chairman, EFFRA; Rudolf Strohmeier of DG RTD, European Commission; Khalil Rouhana of DG Connect, European Commission; and Danuta Hübner, MEP

More information and registration
For more information on the event, please visit the K4I website. To register directly, please click here. Registration is open until Tuesday 5 May.