MANUFUTURE Technology Platform (manufuture.org) was created with the support of the European Commission, involving European Companies, Universities, Research Centers and public decision bodies, to support the development and competitiveness of Manufacturing in Europe.
MANUFUTURE MISSION is to propose, develop and implement a strategy based on Research and Innovation, capable of speeding up the rate of industrial transformation to high-added-value products, processes and services, securing high-skilled employment and gaining a major share of the world Manufacturing output in the future knowledge-driven economy.
The main ROLE of MANUFUTURE is to govern research, technological development and innovation (RTDI) efforts aimed at the transformation of the European manufacturing industry at two levels:
Policy level aimed at the continuous development of the MANUFUTURE vision and the promotion of the Lisbon objectives;
Operational level using a technological approach capable of exploiting all possible synergies arising from the converging nature of science and technologies.
The technological approach should address common problems or bottlenecks faced by the several sectorial platforms.
The HIGH LEVEL OBJECTIVES, of MANUFUTURE are the following:
Competitiveness in manufacturing industries;
Leadership in manufacturing technologies;
Eco-efficient products and manufacturing;
Leadership in products and processes, as well as in cultural, ethical and social values;
During the last years the European Tooling Industry has been working in close connection with MANUFUTURE, not only on the definition of its SRA – Strategic Research Agenda and Work Plan, but also on the definition of the Industry Strategic Road-maps, gathering, through ISTMA Europe, the support of the European Tooling Industry to the VISION and the global strategy of the MANUFUTURE Technology Platform.
It was in the scope of this strategic and cooperation context that the European Tooling Forum was co-organized with MANUFUTURE in Lisbon – in September 2007 - under the Portuguese Presidency of the EU. This event was an important step further for the visibility of the infrastructural importance of the Tooling Industry on the development and differentiation of the European Industry as a whole. Another decisive factor was the presence of European Union policy-makers, National Governments and other representatives of relevant Institutions, along with National Tooling Associations and Company decision-makers, who explained the strategic and infrastructural position of Tooling, Mould and Die making towards the development and sustainability of the European Industry.
Considering that the Tooling Industry is a horizontal enabler and a fundamental pillar of the whole European industrial structure, whether on the development and industrialization of new products, or on the sustainability of industrial employment, MANUFUTURE promoted and supported a special working group under the coordination of Portuguese MANUFUTURE Platform - Forum MANUFUTURE Portugal – in order to gather European Tooling SMEs, related Research Organizations and Public Decision bodies, for the implementation of the MANUFUTURE Action Plan.