Next Generation Manufacturing Summit

Whilst the manufacturing industry is clearly affected by the current global economic slowdown, manufacturing has enjoyed a stronger recovery than most other sectors of the economy and looks set for plenty of investment in 2011. Europe has a thriving manufacturing sector, with a large part of the world's industrial production taking place in Europe. Traditionally, Western Europe has the largest concentration of major manufactures, mainly in Western Germany, Benelux, the UK, Northeastern France, Switzerland, and northern Italy. According to Fortune Global 500, 195 of the top 500 companies are headquartered in Europe. The main products in the European manufacturing industry are automobiles, chemical and pharmaceutical goods, oil products, food, clothing and electronics. However, because of the higher wage levels and production costs, Western Europe is suffering from deindustrialization and is offshoring a lot of the more labour intensive manufacturing sectors. Due to cheaper wages costs etc.. a lot of these labour intensive jobs are moving to Eastern Europe, whilst the more high-tech, highly skilled manufacturing remaining predominant in Western Europe with many countries such as Germany, France and the UK still being the place to be for highly innovative manufacturing processes. Eastern Europe has been industrialized since the early to mid 20th century but suffered from contraction in the 1990s when the inefficient heavy industry based manufacturing sector crippled after the collapse of communism and the introduction of the market economy. In the 21st century the manufacturing sector in Eastern Europe picked up because of the accession of Eastern European states to the EU and resulting accession to the European Common Market. This caused Western European firms to move jobs from their manufacturing sector to Eastern Europe which sparked Eastern European industrial growth and employment. Future of Manufacturing in Europe Globalization and technological change are likely to intensify in the coming years, meaning a lot of future investment will need to be made. Furthermore, the industry needs to adapt to the challenges posed by climate change and grasp the opportunities of new low- energy and resource saving processes and products. The ability to adapt to changes is pivotal for the competitiveness of the European manufacturing and for achieving the EU's overall growth and job objectives. The role of the manufacturer of today has grown and will continue to grow. Minimizing costs while at the same time preparing to expand their operations for economic recovery continue to be the top priority for manufacturers. By effectively implementing innovative principles and solutions like lean and six sigma as well as maximizing synergy with other departments and improving process sustainability, manufacturers can provide overall corporate growth and make sure their companies maintain a competitive edge amongst their competitors. The NG Manufacturing Summit in 2011 will serve as an arena for senior level executives to engage in clear and focused dialogue with their peers and examine their management objectives in a relaxed and vibrant environment.