MIT - The Future of Manufacturing
3 October 2012 - 4 October 2012
Belgium
General Motors' bankruptcy opened the eyes of the United States' government. Can we offer our citizens sufficient employment and prosperity without those millions of jobs in manufacturing and without their positive effect on the trade balance? The attitude of the American government has changed and they have launched several programmes to support manufacturing in America and to get businesses to come back to America.
Many mass products, even high-tech products, are manually assembled in low-wage countries. However, the wages will rise along with the development of these countries. Will it still be possible in the future to find areas where such work is performed at attractive wages? This is improbable. We need to invest in technology and innovation to be able to manufacture these products flexibly and cheaply, even in high-wage countries! A number of rising technologies will be discussed.
The logistics of it all is also very important; manufacturing near the market increases flexibility and responsiveness. Apart from transport costs, transport time also becomes increasingly important. The influence of tax systems on profitability of companies is a strong influence.
For two days, top-level speakers and leading industrialists will come together to debate that one important issue in the manufacturing industry for the coming 20 years. This conference fits in the context of Agoria & Sirris' "Made Different" project, aimed at providing the manufacturing industry with a future in the industrial landscape of the 21st century (Factories of the Future).
You will learn more about this during the conference. You will find more information on the website www.mit-brussels.be. You can follow the event on Twitter via #MITBrussels. You can already register to secure a spot at the conference. http://www.regonline.co.uk/2012_mit_europe.
Many mass products, even high-tech products, are manually assembled in low-wage countries. However, the wages will rise along with the development of these countries. Will it still be possible in the future to find areas where such work is performed at attractive wages? This is improbable. We need to invest in technology and innovation to be able to manufacture these products flexibly and cheaply, even in high-wage countries! A number of rising technologies will be discussed.
The logistics of it all is also very important; manufacturing near the market increases flexibility and responsiveness. Apart from transport costs, transport time also becomes increasingly important. The influence of tax systems on profitability of companies is a strong influence.
For two days, top-level speakers and leading industrialists will come together to debate that one important issue in the manufacturing industry for the coming 20 years. This conference fits in the context of Agoria & Sirris' "Made Different" project, aimed at providing the manufacturing industry with a future in the industrial landscape of the 21st century (Factories of the Future).
You will learn more about this during the conference. You will find more information on the website www.mit-brussels.be. You can follow the event on Twitter via #MITBrussels. You can already register to secure a spot at the conference. http://www.regonline.co.uk/2012_mit_europe.