For some years now, we as Germans, Austrians and Swiss, as Europeans and as a global community have been facing stormy times. In addition to the corona pandemic, we are looking at (trade) wars and further social and economic discord. These realities are generating rising prices for raw materials, energy and materials, and exacerbating strained supply chains. Many manufacturing companies are reorienting themselves and see no alternative to reshoring back to the DACH region and the EU.
But is it even possible to produce economically in the DACH region due to persistently high energy prices and a worsening shortage of skilled workers? To what extent do we have to rely on a high level of automation? What role will flexible or adaptable factories play in the future? How do we meet our sustainability targets by largely decarbonizing (production) processes, and what influence does industry have on the "productive city"?
All this and much more are topics that we would like to discuss with you at the "Factory of the Future" dialog in Stuttgart/Metzingen.