The new foundations success is indicative of the global dimension now reached by the World Manufacturing Forum.

The first day of the 2018 World Manufacturing Forum was held on September 27th, 2018 at its new permanent home, Cernobbio, Italy. The international event on manufacturing produced record numbers for the seventh edition with thirty international speakers that spoke at the Villa Erba in front of 900 participants from over 40 countries. This years record turnout coincides with the newly formed World Manufacturing Foundation from partners Confindustria Lombardia, Intelligent Manufacturing System and Politecnico di Milano. The new foundations success is indicative of the global dimension now reached by the World Manufacturing Forum.

The President of the World Manufacturing Foundation, Alberto Ribolla, spoke at the opening of the WMF and communicated the foundation's vision and mission along with three strategic activities. He presented the new initiatives including the production of the WMF Report, the annual organisation of the WMF and the organisation of regional events. He noted that, "The WMF has found a permanent home in Cernobbio, because of the age-old manufacturing vocation of Italy and in particular of Lombardy, one of the four engines of Europe."

Thanking the founding partners of the World Manufacturing Foundation, along with numerous supporters, Ribolla recalled that, "Manufacturing gives people social and economic well-being, and for this reason it represents the best investment in terms of resources, ideas and synergies. These efforts can ensure a sustainable and equitable future for the population, which is why it is necessary to generate and disseminate business culture on a global level. This is one of the main aims of World Manufacturing Foundation". Ribolla concluded by thanking the Lombardy Region, strategic partners, and the European Commission for the continued support they have guaranteed the foundation.

Among the new initiatives introduced at the 2018 edition, the most awaited was the presentation of the first WMF Report entitled: 'The 2018 World Manufacturing Forum Report - Recommendations for the Future of Manufacturing'. Document to which 30 world experts worked on and for which more than 150 policy documents have been consulted and which will have a central role in the activities of the Foundation.

WMF Scientific Chairman, Marco Taisch, presented the report at the opening of the fourm. He highlighted that the report defines manufacturing as an architect for social prosperity that can help countries develop other important sectors of their economy and create positive economic growth.

He added that while manufacturing plays a vital role in the global community, there are many future challenges to be addressed. These include the changes in societal megatrends, the need for specific skills, the digitisation of entire supply chains, the need to create new urban manufacturing eco-systems, the hyper-personalisation of manufacturing, demographic and climate changes, and many others. The 2018 WMF Report proposed the following recommendations to address these issues:

- Cultivate a positive perception of manufacturing.

- Promote education and skills development for societal well-being.

- Develop effective policies to support global business initiatives.

- Strengthen and expand infrastructures to enable future-oriented manufacturing.

- Encourage eco-systems for manufacturing innovation in the world-wide.

- Create attractive workplaces for all.

- Design and produce socially-oriented products.

- Assist SMEs with digital transformation.

- Explore the real value of data-driven cognitive manufacturing.

- Promote resource efficiency and country-specific environmental policies.

THE FULL WMF REPORT IS AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD HERE

In the plenary sessions, many representatives of the global industrial world, national and international institutions world took the stage at the Villa Erba. These included: Marco Bonometti, President of Confindustria Lombardia, Jack Harris, Chairman, IMS International, Attilio Fontana, President of the Lombardy Region, Michele Geraci, Undersecretary Italian Minister of Economic Development, Signe Ratso, European Commission - DG Research and Innovation, Mike Lackey, SAP, Julien Tognola, Ministry of Economics and Finance France, Marco Lavazza, Lavazza, Luc Triangle, IndustriAll Europe, Ralf Michael Wagner, Siemens, Jayson Myers, Next Generation Manufacturing Canada and Kathleen Mitford, PTC.

Sessions on the first day of the World Manufacturing Forum also deepened discussions on the following topics: "The Priorities of Innovation in the World Since 2030," "Manufacturing Industry as an Added Value for Society," "International Policies for the Development of Advanced Manufacturing and Global Cooperation" and "Solving the Challenges of Skills in Manufacturing: Creating a Skills Market."


Other high level speakers are scheduled for the final day of the World Manufacturing Forum on Friday, September 28th, 2018. They include: Li Yong, UNIDO, Vincenzo Boccia, Confindustria, Massimo Garavaglia, Italian Vceminister for the Economy and Finance, Pichet Durongkaveroj, Minister of the Digital Economy and Society, Thailand, Ilijana Vavan, Kaspersky, Fabio Borsotti, Leonardo, Flemming Besenbacher, Carlsberg and many more.

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