Industry of the Future Programme: ambitions for 2019-2024

The Industry of the Future by Digital Wallonia programme intends to speed up the digital transformation of manufacturing companies in Wallonia. A number of ambitions have been defined for 2019-2024. By working on production methods, in particular thanks to the use of key digital technologies, businesses can consolidate their competitive edge by being more efficient and agile.

The “Industry of the Future” regional framework programme is committed to enabling the digital transformation of 2,300 manufacturing companies in Wallonia and has laid out its commitment to achieving the following goals between now and 2024:

• Make 70% of manufacturing companies in Wallonia aware of the 4.0 concept.
• Provide support and/or training for 40% of companies when it comes to the challenges of the industry of the future (strategy, organisation, logistics or technology).
• Provide support and/or training for 50 manufacturing companies identified as being advanced or promising to help them become industries of the future in the short term (see the study entitled “Industry 4.0: what are the key factors for success if you want to become an Industry of the Future?”).
• Awarding the “Factory of the Future” prize to at least 10 companies covering a diverse range of sectors.

Originally called “Programme Made Different” to raise awareness and support businesses, the Industry of the Future programme now focuses on 5 key areas, thus boosting the support offered to the manufacturing industry.

The aim is to ensure more consistency across the different initiatives and raise their profile thanks to the joint “Industry of the Future 2020-2024” programme. There is also a desire to share resources by using the same tools (logos, CRM, internal newsletter, etc.).

This fits in with the approach embraced by “Made Different Digital Wallonia”, but the broader aim is to support the manufacturing industry to help companies, especially SMEs, turn themselves into industry of the future. The initiatives already in place will be expanded and new ones set up to fill existing gaps.

Examples of awareness-raising initiatives :

• Digital Wallonia events.
• Digiscore (tool for measuring digital maturity).
• etc.

Examples of support projects :

• EDIH 4.0,
• QRM 4.0,
• etc.

This covers training solutions for this sector in areas connected to the concept of the industry of the future. The aim is to consolidate the links between the different projects already under way and to help companies adapt their internal organisation when they embark on the digital transformation process.

Examples of training projects :

• Interreg Ready 4.0.
• Study skills needs and challenges.
• Upskills Wallonia.
• etc.

The idea is to consolidate links between the digital technology sector and the manufacturing industries to demonstrate the maturity of certain advanced technologies. The aim is to promote and encourage the involvement of Walloon stakeholders in European calls for projects focusing on the industry of the future.

Example of an initiative :

• Directory of digital stakeholders in Wallonia

The aim is to improve the manufacturing industry’s image, motivate the manufacturing sector to embrace transformation (through success stories, field visits etc.) and spread the word about advanced digital technologies to encourage faster, more extensive adoption.

The programme and these 5 focus areas are managed by the Agence du Numérique with the collaboration of 36 other partners that together make up the “Industry of the Future” consortium.

Its goal is to help manufacturing companies become more competitive in the short and medium term when it comes to their business and production processes and their products or services that use digital technologies, by offering them access to technical expertise and trials, thus allowing them to “try before they invest”. The consortium helps to coordinate services such as financial advice, training and skills development that are needed for a successful digital transformation. Environmental, organisational and logistical issues are also taken into account.

The consortium works for the whole sector but with a focus on 6 priority groups :

• The agri-food industry
• The pharmaceutical and biotech industry
• The chemicals, rubber and plastics industry
• The aviation, space and drone industry
• The technology and machine/equipment manufacturing industry
• The construction and wood industry

13 targets and 40 measures to be implemented by 2024

Starting with the broader goals, the aim of “2020-2024 ambitions: Industry of the Future” is to make Walloon manufacturing companies more competitive, reveal new niche digital areas within existing specialist fields, bring stakeholders together to reach critical mass on the European stage, maintain and revive the industrial landscape, protect jobs in Wallonia, and perhaps even relocate and replicate them.

As well as this, in order to catch up with European leaders and make the most of the benefits of technology in terms of the economy and jobs, Wallonia needs to equip itself with more “Factories of the future”.

In practical terms, the goal of the initiatives launched within the framework of Industry of the Future is to develop production resources as well as aspects related to the development of production resources:

• The economy: business models, logistics, products and services;
• Society: skills, organisation and people;
• The environment: issues related to sustainable development.

As logistics is recognised as a key sector for Wallonia, there is a particular focus on projects dealing with different aspects of logistics.