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As of today, Cargill, Danone, Delhez Tôlerie and L'Oréal may call themselves the new Factories of the Future. Continental, Provan, St-engineering, Borit and Nuscience were able to extend their previously won Factory of the Future title. This brings the total of Belgian Factories of the Future to 42 companies.
Cargill (Izegem), Danone (Rotselaar), Delhez Tôlerie (Thimister-Clermont) and L'Oréal (Libramont) are the new Factories of the Future. In seven years, the leading group of the most forward-looking manufacturing companies in Belgium has thus grown to a club of 42 companies, which together have invested more than 1.9 billion euros in our country over the past five years. Continental, Provan, St-engineering (formerly Newtec), Borit and Nuscience managed to extend their previously won Factory of the Future title for the next three years. The winners received their awards digitally from Jan Jambon and Willy Borsus, Flemish Minister-President and Walloon Deputy Minister-President.
Factories of the Future are companies that invest in digitalization, in their workforce, in smart processes and products, and in world-class production. They deal thoughtfully with energy and materials and encourage employee engagement, creativity and autonomy. To earn the coveted title, companies must score at least four out of five on a maturity scale in each of those transformation domains during a critical audit by independent experts. Cargill, Danone, Delhez Tôlerie and L'Oréal passed this audit with flying colors.
Although 2020 was a year full of extraordinary challenges, the lingering corona crisis did not faze Factories of the Future. A survey of all 42 titleholders shows that in the heat of the crisis, eight companies remained 100 percent operational. For the other Factories of the Future, the decline in activity levels was limited: they remained operational between 70 and 95 percent on average. That remarkably good result was possible through a mix of interventions, such as the rapid redesign of production halls and the introduction of a variety of safety measures and alternative work practices to best protect workers. Several companies also report that they found new markets during the crisis and, particularly through the mandatory introduction of telework where possible, accelerated major strides in digitalization.
The 42 Factories of the Future also carried out an average of 90 percent of planned investments during the corona year 2020. These included both infrastructure renovations and investments in new machinery, automation and digitalization. The aspect of well-being at work was also particularly high on the agenda of these industry leaders during the corona year. "We prefer to see a lead in our organization, rather than having to catch up with the market afterwards," it sounds unanimous on this subject.
In addition to the four new winners this year, five other manufacturing companies have also succeeded in renewing their previously won title of Factory of the Future for a period of three years following a new audit: Continental, Provan, St-engineering (formerly Newtec), Borit and Nuscience.
