On November 4, 18 northern companies and knowledge institutions came together for the fourth session of the autonomous (factory) systems road map project. The session took place at Getech in Westerbork. The theme was “pull meets push. The central questions were: “What technological challenges are now calling for attention?”, and “Which techniques can really provide a solution to these challenges?”. The first analysis yielded 30 possibilities.
Session D at Getech in Westerbork
The fourth session of the roadmap project took place at Getech. They design and manufacture inspection systems for the automotive part production of pipes. As a result, the company was an excellent host for a session about autonomous factories.
During the break, a tour of the company followed. This tour was absolutely worth it and was highly appreciated. The participants saw first-hand how inspection systems are built in practice.
Pull meets push: demand and technology come together
Session D focused on “pull meets push”. The “pull” is the question from industry: what technological challenges are a must to work on in the future? The “push” is the offer from the technology: which techniques actually make steps possible?
By placing both sides side by side, it becomes clear where the greatest opportunities lie for autonomous factories in the North of the Netherlands.
Four phases under scrutiny
The participants looked at the entire life cycle of a product or system. This was done in four phases:
- design;
- test;
- manufacturing;
- use and maintenance.
After an in-depth analysis, the first 30 possibilities emerged. This creates a broad overview of the themes the region can work on.
Next step: from 30 possibilities to a dozen projects
In the next session, the list becomes narrower. The participants then zoom in further and choose a dozen important topics. They work out potential R&D projects from these.
This session will take place on November 25 at the University of Groningen (RuG).
Working together on autonomous factories in the North
The road map project shows how companies and knowledge institutions in the North of the Netherlands can work together to build a shared agenda. The ICD brings these parties together so that challenges and solutions can be found more quickly.
Want to read more about the roadmap process? Check out our previous posts:
- Roadmap session on September 2nd: https://www.icdrachten.nl/geen-categorie/noordelijke-hightechindustrie-zet-eerste-stap-business-technology-roadmap-autonomous-systems/
- Roadmap session on September 16th: https://www.icdrachten.nl/nieuws/slimme-en-autonome-fabrieken-centraal-tijdens-roadmapsessie-bij-packsize-in-drachten/.
- Roadmap session on October 8th: https://www.icdrachten.nl/nieuws/roadmap-autonomous-systems-technologische-ontwikkelingen-centraal-bij-philips-in-drachten/
