HI-tea: Integration of Aero/Space makes the network work even better
On Monday the 27th of November, HI organized a HI-tea hosted by the aerospace faculty of InHolland in Delft. The aerospace industry is one of the most successful high-tech industry clusters of West Holland. Companies in air transport, aeronautics, space and drones are growing rapidly. This drives these companies to transfer from manual manufacturing to robotized and digitized ‘smart manufacturing’. A need for knowledge in automation, sensor systems, robotics and big data is the logical consequence. Theme of this HI-tea networking event was to match those needs with the present high-tech network. To strengthen this, the Joint Industry Program for Aero-Space (JIPAS) officially merged with the high tech network of West Holland: HI. The amalgamation creates a large technology-oriented network organization that stimulates cross-sectoral collaboration.
Remaining competitive
After a warm welcome by André Boer, Chairman of HI, Sander Hulsman, demonstrated the need for smart manufacturing for his start-up company ATMOS UAV. This company designs and manufactures drones for professional users that can start and land as a helicopter and fly as a plane. ATMOS UAV originates from a design-project at the Technical University of Delft. Inspired by practical knowledge gained through this project, encouraged by its success and with the support of the faculty of Aerospace Engineering and her employees, the project grew into the fast-growing spin-off company ATMOS UAV. Sander explained how start-ups in this field are often confronted with the need for implementing smart manufacturing concepts and how implementing these cutting edge technologies really help to remain competitive.
Development
Arjan Vergouw, quarter master of JIPAS and moderator of the meeting, subsequently introduced the objective of JIPAS. It aims at realizing the plans in the ‘Flying High, the agenda aero-space in West Holland’, introduced in June 2016 during the year-event of InnovationQuarter. One of the flagship developments of the aerospace and supported by the JIPAS activities, is the development of a CADC (Composite Automation Development Centre). Kjelt van Rijswijk of CADC explained how this will contribute to the strengthening of the high tech ecosystem in this region.
Flying HighER agenda
Andre Boer and Maarten Schippers (Chairman of JIPAS) handed over of the results of the ‘Flying HighER agenda’ to the representative of the province of South Holland, Mrs Bom-Lemstra, and the Delft alderman Ferrie Förster. Flying HighER is the sequel to Flying High and shows which goals have been achieved within 18 months by JIPAS, InnovationQuarter and others and how companies and knowledge institutions can make use of them. InnovationQuarter is the initiator of the agenda and has developed field labs for automation of composite production (CADC) and drone development (Unmanned Valley), together with numerous other parties from the region. Flying HighER also shows how companies and knowledge institutes can make use of the developed field labs and programs.
Next, the merger of JIPAS and HI was announced. JIPAS becomes a working group of HI which allows it to partake in the network by organizing regional network events, lectures and company visits. All this around themes that live among the participants. The new Aero-Space working group of HI will work closely with existing sector organizations such as the NAG, with the specific aim of strengthening the technological and substantive cooperation between parties within aerospace and other high-tech sectors.
At the end of the afternoon the attendees enjoyed some nice food and drinks while networking.
De brochure Flying HighER-agenda is available on: http://hollandinstrumentation.nl/aerospace-agenda-first-results-and-outlook.
