In the factory of the future, operational processes have been digitised and connected with the internet. The impact of different possible decisions is gauged in advance. A fusion of the real and digital world is on its way.

A sustainable production system considers each phase of a product's life cycle, from acquiring the materials, production and usage, to disposing of the waste. Production systems are also able to close the materials cycle. Sustainable production also means possessing a resilient production system depending on the availabilities of materials. Energy consumption is drastically reduced.

Manufacturing companies develop their own products and corresponding services depending on the complete value chain. This means an integrated design approach regarding processes such as sales, production, use of virtual models and simulations is crucial in this respect. This transformation is optimises value throughout the entire value chain and results in robust, high-quality processes.

Employees are a significant asset for anchoring production locally. Employee involvement in the future development of their company is crucial.

Our manufacturing companies have to be able to respond to rapidly changing market demand, with a production whith single batches as an ultimate approach. For this purpose it is necessary to “retune” their production systems to more flexible, self-learning and adaptive systems. This requires both organisational and technical breakthroughs. Cyber Physical Systems are the building blocks, providing the connection between the various production components and making a production system smart.

Companies evolve from being solo players into networked organisations, where the risk and capital are shared over the network. An optimal eco-system of suppliers and partners results in flexible collaborative relationships. Even within the classic company boundaries, a company itself evolves into a network of which the various elements are deployable flexibly in external networks.