Northern Netherlands shows its strength in high-tech innovation
On Tuesday, November 4, the SKILL building in Drachten was the scene of a national event of Holland High Tech (HHT). The central themes were autonomous systems and autonomous factories, both specialties of the Northern Netherlands. The strong turnout showed that this topic is very much alive in the industry.
Opening: the strength of the Northern Netherlands
The afternoon began with a joint kickoff by André Harmens (NOM) and Joost Krebbekx (ICD). They brought renewed attention to northern high-tech specialties. They did this with the image of the “Northern Peacock Feathers”: the current flagships, combined with the plans to further grow the innovation ecosystem.
Afterwards, it gave Leo Warmerdam of HHT provided an overview of national developments. He discussed the Top Sector Agenda, the Industry Letter and the National Technology Strategy. He also shared news about upcoming regulations relevant to companies and knowledge institutions.
Inspiration from Groningen and Drachten
Then told Jeroen Broekhuijsen by TNO Groningen on the sense and nonsense of so-called lights-out factories: factories running completely autonomously without personnel. From his role as leader of the national roadmap, he provided keen insights and concrete examples.
Thereafter, Erik Koehorst by Philips Drachten spoke. He showed how Philips has made ever greater leaps in productivity in recent decades. Furthermore, he gave an insight into the future plans of the northern flagship. Philips Drachten is growing towards the largest robotized factory in the Netherlands.
Breakout sessions: collaborating on future plans
After the plenary sessions, three thematic breakout groups were formed. Here, participants worked intensively:
- input to the national Smart Factories roadmap,
- innovation steps for autonomous (factory) systems,
- Northern Netherlands' SWOT analysis on autonomous systems.
The discussions were energetic and substantively strong. Several participants expressed a desire to continue this collaboration structurally.
A successful conclusion
The afternoon flowed smoothly into the evening. During the networking portion and the joint dinner, new contacts were made and existing collaborations strengthened.
The event was described by participants as inspiring, substantively strong and excellently organized. In doing so, the Northern Netherlands once again proved its value as a forerunner in autonomous technology and smart factories.