expert classes

11u00-11u30 PAUL VAN NUFFEL

LOG!VILLE

Senior Business & Innovation Manager

What will the warehouse of the near and distant future look like according to Log!Ville

SESSION in Dutch

The market is increasingly demanding logistical flexibility, the human factor is under scrutiny (ergonomics, congestion avoidance, aversion to boring and repetitive work, etc.), the pressure on operating costs is high and the pursuit of sustainability is more important than ever. In order to meet these challenges, we need to design our warehouses to be as resilient and responsive as possible. Many logistics operations should add the dimension of smart automation as an option to their optimisation efforts. Let us fast forward a bit…

11u30-12u00 SVEN VAN RAEMDONCK

VAN HOECKE

Plantmanager HALUX

Van Hoecke’s dynamic mix of innovation, automation and facilitation

SESSION in Dutch

Van Hoecke is a dynamic and innovative family business. As a supplier of functional furniture fittings and market leader in the Benelux, the company has evolved in recent years to become an assembler of preassembled drawers. Thanks to a high degree of customer orientation, driven by the principles of ‘unburdening’ and ‘removing complexity’ for its customers (carpenters, kitchen builders, etc.), the company has experienced very strong growth in recent years. The company’s long-term vision, with a thorough understanding of both people and organisation, combined with continuous investments in innovation and machines, steered it towards achieving ‘Factory Of The Future’ certification in 2016 and 2019 (and maybe also 2022?). The first certificate was seen as the start of a process of ‘constant self-reinvention’, in order to always be one step ahead... You can also ‘experience’ the further well thought out steps and forms of cooperation that have been undertaken to increase service, digitalisation and development in order to remain a leader and a pioneer in a mass customisation environment, where products (lot size 1) are supplied via a product configurator within 72 hours.

14u00-14u30 ERIC IBENS

PROXIMUS Business Development Manager 5G

5G, a world of new opportunities

SESSION in Dutch

The evolution of the mobile network to 5G is based on a number of technological evolutions and includes a collection of advanced features. It is in the midst of several technological megatrends such as robotisation, artificial intelligence, augmented reality and cloud computing. It is therefore opening up opportunities in both society and businesses, but where does this technology stand today and how can we get started with it?

15u00-15u30 ALEXANDER MOENTJENS

BEKAERT Global Program Lead for Digital Manufacturing and Intelligent Processes

Bekaert’s Digital Way of Working: Boosting productivity with Smart Manufacturing Apps

SESSION in English

During this session, we will guide you through how we at Bekaert have boosted our efficiency on the factory floor by realizing a smart manufacturing apps strategy through a mix of low-code and standard cloud-based collaboration tools. We will share our story to increase the speed of innovation by digitalizing our operational excellence program called Bekaert Manufacturing Systems

11u00-11u30 HENK HOUF | HERMAN PINXTEN

TERUMO EUROPE COO/VP Operations & Manufacturing | Plant Manager

Terumo’s journey to a factory of the future: from strategic choices to a successful transformation

SESSION in English

In 2018, manufacturing in Terumo Europe started with a new strategic plan to meet their breakthrough goals. Strategic choices came along with the detailed planning of the ‘key improvement initiatives’: technological platforms, talent, excellence systems and new product developments… In this session, Terumo Team will zoom in on some highlights of their transformation such as the development of a flexible machine platform, the use of cobots, the implementation of a datalake collecting the machine data and how this was combined with changes in organization and culture. In 2021, Terumo connected their strategy to the Factory of the Future model to find additional inspiration, momentum and recognition for the teams.

11u30-12u00 WILLY RAEMDONCK

BARRY CALLEBAUT Site Manager Global Distribution Center

Barry Callebaut’s largest chocolate distribution center worldwide

SESSION in English

Design and implementation of the global logistics Center of Barry Callebaut in Lokeren (B) with a capacity of 125.000 pallets storage. Designed with the appropriate warehouse technology, building with integrated highest standard sustainability measures, enabling also further expansion. Continuous growth and increasing service requirements as main drivers for this project. A flawless project from start until an on time go live in June 2021, with an excellent collaboration between all involved parties.

14u00-14u30 TED OOIJEVAAR

FLANDERS MAKE Senior Research Engineer

Breathing new life into your machinery: challenges and opportunities of machine upgrading 4.0

SESSION in English

Many companies make use of older machines that still operate, but often do not offer the capabilities allowing for a digital transition. They often have limited sensors and in many cases lack connectivity or computing power. Many companies are therefore wrestling with the question of whether these machines are still sufficient to achieve the required quality, flexibility and economic return. Instead of simply replacing them, it can sometimes be more cost-effective to bring those machines up-to-date by a digital upgrade. This presentation will address the challenges and opportunities involved with machine upgrading 4.0: How to start this process? What is the business case? What to upgrade? How to implement the upgrade?

15u00-15u30 KURT CALLEWAERT | TIJL ATOUI

IC4 / HOWEST-UGENT Project Lead | Researcher

Industrial Network Monitoring Tools: The long-awaited research report

SESSION in Dutch

A major challenge within industry is the management, inventory and security of the industrial equipment present in factory buildings. But how do you get started? One solution is to use a network monitoring tool. What tools exist and what is the function of each tool? Using a complete set-up - with industrial equipment commonly found in the Belgian industry - IC4 investigated the possibilities within the framework of the research project and publishes the long-awaited report on ‘Industrial Network Monitoring Tools’.

16u00-16u30 DIRK TORFS

FLANDERS MAKE CEO

Flanders Make Accelerator: How the production of 6 Flemish industrial companies was digitalised end-to-end in record time.

SESSION in English

Research centre Flanders Make supports companies to be competitive in a context where customisation at the cost price of mass production is becoming the norm. Full commitment to digitalisation and sustainability is the key to success, and also necessary to survive. Flanders is strongly committed to the relance and Flanders Make, together with 6 leading companies, has taken the lead in order to make a difference and to turn a challenge into an opportunity by defining an accelerator programme that was approved by the Flemish government in July 2021. CEO Dirk Torfs explains how Flanders Make is supporting 6 leading companies - Van de Wiele, Picanol, Atlas Copco, CNH, Crops and Sabca - to fully and sustainably digitalise their production in a record time of 5 years, with a focus on automation and workable work for their employees. These 6 cases will become the reference in Flanders for the realisation of end-toend digitalisation. In the coming years, other production companies will also be given ample opportunity to learn from these cases how they too can take the necessary steps to remain competitive, organise production in our country, combining both efficiency and sustainability.

11u00-11u30 MAARTEN JANSSENS

NIKO Director Operational Excellence

SESSION in English Bridging the gap between operators and complex machines & systems Case study Niko

Keeping a modern production facility competitive means embracing growing technical complexity, digitalization and automatization. Combining this with the war for talent on all levels of the organization means that bridging the gap between complex machines and operators becomes increasingly important. In this session, Maarten Janssens, Director Operational Excellence at Niko Group, demonstrates the importance of standardized, digital in-house operator training and the value of a digital workspace provided by Ometa. In this operator portal, all the different back-end systems are consolidated into one standard user interface, simplifying workload and highly increasing efficiency, allowing all operators to get the maximum out of every production line.

11u30-12u00 ERIK MANNENS

IMEC Prof. PhD. MEng. MSc. - Research Valorisation Director

Towards a new and (more) ethical Revenue Model of Data

SESSION in English

Big Tech (primarily US and Far East driven) rules and this thanks to primarily Your Data. With AI and IoT around the corner, things are going to get even worse (if nothing changes in the current value chains) … unless, we as Europe try to come up with an alternative Data Controller scheme which is both beneficial for our SMEs and the end consumer, being You!

14u00-14u30 JAN VAN DE POEL

SEEME.AI Founder

Minimal Valuable AI Models: Moving from gigantic AI models to a rapid iteration on production ready AI

SESSION in English

Many companies make use of older machines that still operate, but often do not offer the capabilities allowing for a digital transition. They often have limited sensors and in many cases lack connectivity or computing power. Many companies are therefore wrestling with the question of whether these machines are still sufficient to achieve the required quality, flexibility and economic return. Instead of simply replacing them, it can sometimes be more cost-effective to bring those machines up-to-date by a digital upgrade. This presentation will address the challenges and opportunities involved with machine upgrading 4.0: How to start this process? What is the business case? What to upgrade? How to implement the upgrade?