During his presentation, Manenti will unveil the results of IDC's most recent research on the future of manufacturing, pointing to the need for designing the factory of the future. IDC research shows that formidable business challenges - from the continuing tough economic climate to rising market complexity and intensified global competition - are now driving the global manufacturing industry toward a phase of profound rethinking about the focus of their future factories. Nearly 45% of manufacturers in an IDC Manufacturing Insights survey said they now have a formal process in place to look at how factories and plants will be organized in the future. The results of this research highlight that intelligent automation and IT systems will be at the center of the factory of the future as they provide the degree of flexibility and decision-making capabilities required to deal with increasing market complexity and variability.
Other invited speakers will talk about global business concerns such as the management of strategic resources and how governments can support global manufacturing innovation by increasing the sustainability of business operations and by lowering the risk of conflicts through dialogue and international S&T cooperation.
At WMF2012, keynote presentations and round-table discussions by global experts will focus on the theme "Smart Policies for Global Manufacturing Innovation." The dialogue between industrialists and government leaders will aim to explore the challenges for manufacturing innovation in the context of policy makers' options. The forum is planned to be opened by European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and will feature talks by leading industrialists and policy makers, including Ingo Rust (State Secretary of the Ministry for Finance and Economy, Baden-Württemberg), Jan-Eric Sundgren (Volvo Group, Executive Vice President), Carlos Costa (Governor of the Central Bank of Portugal), Mauro Piloni (Whirlpool Corporation, Vice President), and Werner Mueller (Executive Vice President, Robert Bosch GmbH).
The event is supported by the European Commission and the Intelligent Manufacturing Systems (IMS) international cooperation program, as well as by leading industries and associations. For more information about the speakers and event program, please visit www.worldmanufacturingforum.org.
For more information on IDC Manufacturing Insights' participation at industry events, please visit us at http://www.idc-mi.com/...
To arrange an interview with Pierfrancesco Manenti at WFM2012, please email kanupriya@idc.com