Wallonia is a region renowned for its industrial excellence, as one of the first industrialized areas in continental Europe in the 19th century. This week, a delegation of companies, researchers, clusters and Universities revolving around the industrial sector from the 5 Nordic countries are visiting the Liège region to meet their Walloon counterparts, building on the era of Industry 5.0.
Sector in Wallonia
Wallonia’s industrial strengths were built on major hubs in coal mining, steel and metallurgy, glassmaking, and mechanical engineering. The Region developed a strong engineering culture, leading technical schools, and a long-standing tradition of industrial innovation.
This heritage lives on today through highly skilled industrial workers, Engineering universities and research centers (ULiège, UCLouvain, CRM Group etc.), specialized clusters in advanced manufacturing (Mecatech Cluster), aerospace, green chemistry, …
To reinvent its post-industrial economy, Wallonia is now entering Industry 5.0.
Several strong regional policies support this transition, such as Digital Wallonia, the Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3) and the Strategic Innovation Initiatives (including Win4C, MadeinWal and HITT ), and the Made Different program.
These strategies aim to accelerate digital transformation and drive the shift toward Industry 5.0, with a focus on advanced technologies, agile production, and circular materials.
Nordic delegation’s visit
This week, Wallonia Export & Investment Agency and Wallonia-Brussels International, in collaboration with the Mecatech Cluster have invited a delegation of 25 participants coming from 5 Nordic countries to visit the Liège region and get to know the Walloon industrial strengths better, in an era of acute digitalization and AI. The countries represented are Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. Interested companies and start-ups, as well as different clusters and Universities from the 5 countries are taking part to the 2-days presentation of the Walloon industrial sector and potential partners.
The areas of both Nordic and Walloon expertise are wide. They cover: Smart factories & advanced robotization; Industrial digital technology: AI, IoT, data, cybersecurity; Digital twins & predictive maintenance; Advanced production & innovative materials; Green transition & energy of the future; and Ecosystems, governance & strategic innovation.
The 2 days invitation is a collaborative brainstorming journey to shape the industrial transformation of tomorrow, filled with company visits showcasing how leading firms manage their transition and overcome key challenges (for example the Walloon top players Cylix, Sirris, CRM Group, Safran Blades,…), hands-on workshops on EU projects, funding opportunities, support mechanisms, and experimentation platforms, networking sessions and B2B meetings to explore partnerships and business opportunities.
Walloon companies participating to the B2B meetings, like GDTech, Synerglass-soft, Synthetis, Peps-engineering, Agc-glass, Vivansa and v2i, offer innovative solutions to meet the industrial challenges of tomorrow. Their expertise includes materials, immersive technologies, intelligent systems, data, and manufacturing processes.
