action plan

Considering the growth in population and growing needs for food, the global food system cannot be taken for granted. The agri-food sector needs to drive productivity, contribute to tackling climate change, address migration, urbanisation and population aging. Additionally, concerns over food security have risen sharply in recent years. The growing human population coupled with shrinking agriculture resources has caused many governments and international conglomerates around the world to seek new ways to improve agriculture efficiency.

Research and innovation in the area of healthcare robotics has seen a significant growth in recent years. Due to demographic changes in many countries healthcare systems will come under increasing pressure as they deliver healthcare to an aging population. In addition, demand for care is increasing as improved procedures lead to better outcomes over a wider range of medical conditions.

Over the next decade, intelligent robotic technologies will have a significant impact on transforming smart infrastructure, inspection and maintenance. Currently EU is a global leader in this rapidly growing field with more than half of all manufacturers of I&M robots based in Europe. There is massive potential for robotic applications, to increase productivity and improve safety. However, these transformations are wrought with challenges: technical and non-technical.

Agile manufacturing is the processes, tools, and training needed to react swiftly to customer needs and changes in the market while still being able to control cost and quality. It involves strategy for incorporating velocity and flexibility with a make-to order or configure-to-order production process. These days, manufacturing businesses need to react much quicker to changes in the market than they have ever done before and the only way to achieve this is by being agile. New automation concepts such as Human Robot Collaboration (HRC) and Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) are recognised as having the potential to revolutionise the production landscapes."