The World Manufacturing Forum, livestreamed from Cernobbio - Italy, presented the project “Back to the Future” and analysed the role of Artificial Intelligence for the renaissance of manufacturing.

Cernobbio (Co), November 12, 2020 — The 2020 edition of the World Manufacturing Forum has started yesterday. The international event is organized by the WM Foundation and brings together in Cernobbio institutions, entrepreneurs, managers, academics and researchers from all over the world to take stock of the challenges and prospects of the manufacturing sector and more generally of the economy. The inevitable protagonist of the event is the Covid-19 emergency that has also upset the economic and industrial world with an impact on unprecedented markets and value chains.

‘Artificial Intelligence for Manufacturing Renaissance' is the theme at the heart of the two-day initiative that took place yesterday and continues today in streaming mode. The assumption that production represents the most important engine of the global economy, both in terms of work and created and distributed wealth is at the core of the event. This is now jeopardised by the ongoing health crisis, which according to the IMF, will cause a 3 % drop in global GDP.From the stage of the World Manufacturing Forum however, the way to recovery is clearly delineated: it has been suggested by over 160 experts from all over the world who have debated 4 selected themes (People, Policy, Preparedness, Productivity) within the project "Back to the future" conceived by the WMF Foundation during the peak of the COVID-19 emergency (March '20). The content of the whitepaper drafted as a result of the initiative has been illustrated on the first day of the debate.

"The WM Foundation is strengthening its role as a point of reference for global manufacturing through initiatives that aim at increasing relationships and confrontation and bring together positive experiences, enhancing the synergy between industry, research and policies at the global level. Since the first months of this year, we have made a great effort to equip ourselves with the tools (such as the new website and the definition of the 2020-2025 Strategic Plan) to consolidate and expand our community. Especially after this long and unexpected emergency phase, the experiences of manufacturing resilience represent a hope for a faster restart of the entire economy and industry. To give evidence of the effective expansion of our network, it is necessary to mention the organisation of the first World Manufacturing Week, consisting of 16 events [GD1][AI2]as a corollary of the Cernobbio Forum and in particular, the World Manufacturing Forum North America, which takes place in Phoenix (Arizona - USA) in the same days of the WM Forum, with the aim of extending this format also to other parts of the world. Title of the American event will be ‘The Value of Industry 4.0 for the SME' which emphasizes the importance of small businesses in the world's largest economy. The event is organised by Intelligent Manufacturing Systems - IMS, one of the founding partners of the WM Foundation together with Confindustria Lombardia and the Politecnico di Milano" said Alberto Ribolla, President of the World Manufacturing Foundation.
It is necessary to highlight" continued Ribolla "that the COVID-19 emergency has not alienated our community from the WM Forum but on the contrary, the streaming mode will allow more than 3,000 people from all over the world, currently registered to the different events and compared to the 1,500 registrations to the 2019 Forum, to attend with great flexibility the sessions of the Forum in which they are interested".

During the first day of the 2020 WM Forum, important personalities gave relevant speeches, among others: Carlo Bonomi, President of Confindustria, Li Yong, Director General of UNIDO - United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, Pierre Gattaz, President of Business Europe, Lucilla Sioli, Director for "Artificial Intelligence and Digital Industry" within DG Connect - European Commission, Mike Lackey, Global Vice President of Solution Management Manufacturing, - SAP, Daria Taglioni, Research Manager of the Trade and International Integration, Development Research Group - World Bank, Stefan Pan, Delegate of the President of Confindustria for Europe.

WM Forum 2020 will have it conclusion today with Prof. Marco Taisch, Scientific Chairman - WM Foundation presenting the World Manufacturing Report 2020 title Manufacturing in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. The program consist also of speeches by, among others, Chandrakant Salunkhe, Founder and President of SME Chamber of India, Marta Batalla Massana, Policy Officer at DG Grow - European Commission, Fabrizio Sala, Vice-President and Councillor for Research, Innovation, University, Export and Internationalization, John Polowczyk, Admiral of the US Navy.