Cernobbio (Como), 8 June 2017 – The global manufacturing elite—including large, small, and medium-sized enterprises, CEOs, policy experts, trade associations, academics, and European institutions—gathered in Cernobbio yesterday and today for the Manufacturing Summit. This event served as the launch for the revamped World Manufacturing Forum, an international gathering that, after four itinerant editions, will be permanently hosted in Lombardy from 2018 onwards. This achievement is the result of a synergy between Confindustria Lombardia, the Politecnico di Milano, and the Lombardy Region—the three organisers of the Summit—and stands as a testament to the strength of the manufacturing industry and the region's immense know-how.

The 2017 Manufacturing Summit – ‘Manufacturing 4.0: the key drivers enabling competitiveness and societal prosperity’, established with the aim of reasserting Lombardy’s leadership in defining global manufacturing macro-trends, was introduced by the event’s promoters: Roberto Maroni, President of the Lombardy Region; Alberto Ribolla, President of Confindustria Lombardia; and Professor Marco Taisch of the Politecnico di Milano, as part of the ‘The Future of Manufacturing’ panel.

Expressing his satisfaction, Confindustria Lombardia President Alberto Ribolla stated: “Organising an event of this international scale from 2018 is both a milestone and a starting point. The WMF was a goal we worked towards in synergy with the Region and the Politecnico since the beginning of my presidency. It is the result of a process that began with the definition of the #Lombardia2030 Plan, which channelled the unique characteristics and many strengths of the Lombard territories into a global, long-term vision, identifying Industry 4.0 as a revolutionary leap for society as a whole.” Thanking the local associations that make up the Confindustria Lombardia system, Ribolla emphasised that “bringing the best of global manufacturing here, today and in the years to come, opens a new phase. We must now work together to set the innovation agenda for the manufacturing sector. That this will happen permanently in Lombardy is highly significant, not only for the prestige but for the impact on the regional and national territory in terms of know-how and investment. This will allow the manufacturing sector to generate increasing wealth and prosperity, as it did in the post-war period, helping to reduce inequality. It would also complement the effort to bring the EMA to Milan, making Lombardy increasingly attractive,” Ribolla commented.

According to Professor Marco Taisch, “The Cernobbio Manufacturing Summit is an opportunity to launch, before leaders of the manufacturing, academic, and political worlds, a major international initiative that will be permanently based in Italy, right here in Cernobbio, and in which the Politecnico di Milano is a key player. The World Manufacturing Forum,” continues Marco Taisch, “aims to bring political leaders to the table alongside industry leaders and the research and innovation community to discuss manufacturing issues. Manufacturing has returned to being a primary focus on national political agendas following the 2008 crisis, providing momentum to the most advanced manufacturing countries, to which Italy belongs. The World Manufacturing Forum is an ambitious project, born in 2011 with the first event organised in Cernobbio with the support of the European Commission, as a platform to share the results of a European research roadmap. Since 2011, the event has grown, attracting an increasing number of speakers and participants from these three sectors who are collaborating to revitalise manufacturing. This collaboration will lead to the creation of the first Global Manufacturing Report in 2018, a document that will present the results of this first year of work and will be unveiled at the 2018 Cernobbio edition,” concludes Taisch.

For Lombardy Region President Roberto Maroni, “The grand project of bringing the ‘World Manufacturing Forum’ to Lombardy has succeeded. From next year, the most important international event on manufacturing will be permanently held in our region. We have invested heavily to achieve this extraordinary result, which was made possible by the commitment and synergy of the Lombardy Region, Confindustria Lombardia, and the Politecnico di Milano, with the support of the European Commission, the Ministry of Economic Development, and the IMS. This is a significant moment for dialogue on the future of manufacturing in a labour market that is increasingly oriented towards technology and digital transformation. The Lombardy Region believes in innovation as the engine of its social and economic growth and has already taken concrete steps to confirm its leadership in Italy and Europe in this area. Our regional laws—Impresa Lombardia, Manifattura Diffusa 4.0, and the most recent, Lombardia è Ricerca e Innovazione—are the result of constant consultation with businesses, researchers, and all stakeholders. We want to continue in this direction, and I am certain that the revamped ‘World Manufacturing Forum’ will continue to generate new ideas for the growth of Lombardy and our businesses,” concluded Roberto Maroni.

The proceedings continued with keynote speeches from Confindustria President Vincenzo Boccia on ‘The Challenge of a New Industrial Revolution’, and Siemens CEO Jan Mrosik on ‘Driving the Digital Enterprise for a Discrete Industries’, followed by in-depth sessions: ‘ICT, Automation and mechatronics works towards Industry 4.0’, ‘Industry 4.0 presents the Evolution of skills and Education’, and ‘Industrial needs: the key pillars of the Manufacturing Agenda’, moderated by Class CNBC director Andrea Cabrini.

Speakers at the Manufacturing Summit included: Abraham Tijerina (IMS International), Jurgen Tiedje (European Commission – DG Research), Gerhard Dambach (CEO Bosch Spa), Thorsten Schroer (IBM Corporation), Jan Mrosik (CEO Digital Factory Division – Siemens AG), Diego Andreis (Managing Director Fluid-o-Tech, President of CEEMET, President of the Assolombarda Mechatronics Group), Mauro Fenzi (CEO COMAU Spa), Alfredo Ramponi (CEO Ramponi Srl), Manos Raptopoulos (SAP), Stefano Venturi (VP Hewlett Packard Enterprise), Antonio De Bellis (Development Manager ABB), Olivier Drean (Dassault Systemes), Nazzareno Mengoni (General Director Kubedesign), Andrea Pontremoli (CEO and General Manager Dallara), Andrea Robbiani (Country Manager Nebbiolo Technologies), Marco Gualtieri (Founder & Chairman Seeds&Chips), Stefano Firpo (Director General, Ministry of Economic Development - Italy), Sean R. Keith (General Electric), Max Lemke (European Commission – DG Connect), Agostino Santoni (Managing Director Cisco), Mauro Parolini (Regional Minister for Economic Development, Lombardy Region), Wolfgang Scheremet (Director General for Industrial Policy, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy - Germany).

From 2018, the World Manufacturing Forum will be organised by a newly established legal entity, with Confindustria Lombardia, the Politecnico di Milano, and IMS (Intelligent Manufacturing Systems) as its three founding members.

Attachments

• CS_ManufacturingSummit_8June2017.pdf