EU high-tech industry leaders highlight priorities to fortify Europe’s advanced manufacturing edge

The Executive Forum for Advanced Manufacturing, an Orgalim initiative bringing together senior executives across high-tech manufacturing sectors, issued a statement in the context of this year’s EU Industry Days, the EU’s flagship event dedicated to European industry. The statement highlights three priorities for action if Europe is to retain and expand its competitive edge in advanced manufacturing on the path to climate neutrality: support functioning and scalable data spaces, ensure access to capital, and foster industry-led standardisation.

Advanced manufacturing is key 

Advanced manufacturing technologies – from data-sharing to artificial intelligence, machine learning, additive manufacturing, and digital twins – are key to optimising production processes, ensuring maximum resources and energy efficiency, while also enabling the development of innovative products that have the potential to deliver major sustainability benefits. 

“Europe will not be able to achieve its net-zero ambition without broad deployment of advanced manufacturing technologies across its whole industrial base,” said Malte Lohan, Orgalim’s Director General.

The Executive Forum, which includes senior executives from Danfoss, Eaton, Fastems, Pepperl+Fuchs, Phoenix Contact, Schneider Electric, Siemens and Texas Instruments, expressed its willingness to cooperate with policymakers to improve the policy environment for the wide-scale deployment of these enabling technologies. 

"We stand ready to collaborate with EU leaders as we approach a new legislative term to boost advanced manufacturing,” said Chair Matthias Bölke, Vice President Strategy Industrial Automation at Schneider Electric. “Delivering Europe's net-zero goals must go hand in hand with efforts to strengthen the global competitiveness of its high-tech manufacturing industry."  

Download the statement in full below. 

Read also: Orgalim’s policy agenda for the 2024-2029 legislative cycle, Delivering the Net-Zero Transformation.