Sirris

02/10/2026

“If you show nothing and say nothing, you cannot learn.” That message from Dr. Clement Hiel captured the spirit of yesterday’s official launch of the Composites Belgium Community.

We were very happy to welcome so many of you yesterday to the official launch of ! Together with Agoria, we brought together more than 100 companies, researchers, and technology providers from across the composites value chain to explore how stronger collaboration will support in Belgium.

From smarter manufacturing and lightweight design to circularity and scaling production, one thing became clear: Belgium has strong composites expertise. Connecting that expertise can open up new opportunities for innovation and collaboration.

Composites Belgium will build on these exchanges, helping members find innovation partners and develop new opportunities together.

Thank you to everyone who joined us, and especially to our speakers Dr. Clement Hiel, Robert Berends (Sabca), Eric Moussiaux (Exel Composites), Jan Ivens (KUL), Bart Vangrimde (Exxon Mobil), Michael Callens (Azoryon), Jean-Philippe Crepin (coexpair dynamics), and Ludwig de Locht for sharing their expertise and perspectives.

👉️ You can join the community here: https://www.sirris.be/en/composites-belgium. Membership is free for Sirris and Agoria members. Registration is required.

17/09/2026

Last week at Hogeschool PXL, our networking event brought together experts from Flanders and the Netherlands to exchange experiences, explore applications, and tackle shared challenges on .

Participants got hands-on inspiration from practical robotics cases, discovered new technologies in the lab, and explored how AI can create value in manufacturing.

Most importantly, they made new connections across companies, research and technology. Because smarter automation is something that we build together.

Thank you to everyone who joined us, and to Avans Hogeschool, Breda Robotics Fieldlab, Fontys Hogeschool, High Tech NL, POM Limburg, and SyntraPXL for making this exchange possible.

👉 Curious about COBOTASSIST and how human-robot collaboration can support flexible automation? Read more here: https://www.sirris.be/en/joint-project/cobotassist-innovation-finishing-through-human-robot-collaboration.

COBOTASSIST is a collaboration between Sirris | Innovation forward, Fontys University of Applied Sciences, Breda Robotics, SyntraPXL, POM Limburg, High Tech NL Robotics, and Avans University of Applied Sciences.

🙏 With the support of Interreg Flanders-Netherlands, Provincie Limburg (België), Provincie Noord-Brabant, and the Ministry of Economic Affairs & Climate Policy.

15/09/2026

challenges don't stop at company or country borders. Neither should the solutions.

That is why bringing Europe’s manufacturing ecosystem together matters.

Today at Sirris FacThory in , the VI Advanced Manufacturing Business Innovators Meeting 2026 connects companies, technology providers, research organisations, clusters, and policymakers around a shared ambition: turning industrial challenges into concrete opportunities for innovation and European collaboration.

Together with the Vanguard Initiative 3DP Pilot, with support from the Vanguard Initiative ESM Pilot, we are creating space to connect manufacturing needs with technological capabilities, find the right expertise, and build new projects across regions.

From industrial challenges at T2-campus to lab visits, technology showcases and hands-on project-building sessions at Sirris FacThory, the focus is clear: move from shared challenges to shared action.

Because Europe’s manufacturing strength depends not only on what we can innovate, but on how well we innovate together.

→ More about today's event: https://www.sirris.be/en/agenda/vi-advanced-manufacturing-innovators-meeting-2026.

04/09/2026

Testing predictive machining on your own machines, without having to do a major investment first? Thanks to a mobile platform from Sirris and VIVES University of Applied Sciences, you can explore the technology directly in your own production environment:

Predictive models can estimate tool wear, surface quality, dimensional deviations, and process stability. Yet moving these models from research to your shop floor remains a challenge.

Sirris and VIVES University of Applied Sciences are tackling that challenge with a mobile platform for predictive machining.

The platform combines proven models with live sensor and machine data. You can connect it to your existing machinery and test it in a real production environment. This way, you explore first-hand what predictive machining could deliver for your specific processes.

This mobile approach answers questions such as:

🔹 Will a component remain within specification?
🔹 How is tool wear developing?
🔹 Are process conditions becoming unstable?
🔹 What happens when machining parameters change?

👉 Read more about the mobile platform: https://www.sirris.be/en/inspiration/predicting-machining-processes-real-time-through-mobile-platform.

This work is part of the VLAIO-COOCK+ 4.0 Maturity Acceleration project, through which Sirris and VIVES are helping machining companies take practical steps towards predictive, data-driven production: https://www.sirris.be/en/joint-project/predictive-manufacturing-maturity-acceleration.

Sirris shows how predictive manufacturing is becoming a reality for machining companies, with real-time data, models and demonstrations.

20/08/2026

🦾 A for highly demanding precision work? Traflux is putting it to the test.

Traflux manufactures waste containers ranging from 100 to 5,000 litres. Their plastic lids require precisely cut openings. Highly demanding work, usually done by hand.

But starting now, Traflux is testing whether a cobot can take over the cutting process, so that staff can focus on higher-value tasks.

Through the voucher programme, Flemish SMEs can test cobot technology in their own production environment for several weeks. No immediate investment in a machine is required. This hands-on approach helps companies assess the real impact on ergonomics, quality, and lead times before deciding on their next step.

Traflux is the first company to participate in the programme. Sirris provides the technical guidance, while POM Limburg supports the participating SMEs.

👉 Read the full story: https://www.sirris.be/en/inspiration/robotic-arm-helps-limburg-based-company-demanding-precision-work.
👉 Read more about the COBOTASSIST project: https://www.sirris.be/en/joint-project/cobotassist-innovation-finishing-through-human-robot-collaboration.

COBOTASSIST is a project by Sirris, Fontys University of Applied Sciences, Breda Robotics, SyntraPXL, POM Limburg, High Tech NL Robotics, and Avans University of Applied Sciences.

🙏 With the support of Interreg Flanders-Netherlands, Provincie Limburg (België), Provincie Noord-Brabant, and the Ministry of Economic Affairs & Climate Policy.

18/08/2026

Ready to accelerate on your production floor?

Which technologies can really make a difference in your operations? And how are other manufacturers tackling the same digital challenges?

Join our Accelerator Project, a learning network offering you the opportunity to exchange experiences with a small group of peers.

Across six half-day sessions, you will explore real cases, visit industrial environments, and learn from peers and experts. Discussions take place in a confidential setting. Choose the East or West edition, depending on the locations that suit you best.

Topics include:
🔹Digital end-to-end, from product design to value chain steering
🔹Digital support of operator 4.0, empowering people on the production floor
🔹Digital twin of the production line (and beyond), simulation and modelling for smarter decisions
🔹End-to-end flexible/smart automation, beyond island automation

📍 West edition: starts 30 September 2026
👉 https://www.sirris.be/en/agenda/learning-network-digital-acceleration-west

📍 East edition: starts 7 October 2026
👉 https://www.sirris.be/en/agenda/learning-network-digital-acceleration-east

Both networks come together for a joint closing workshop in February 2027. Places are limited to keep the exchange focused and valuable.

Choose your region and join fellow manufacturers working towards relevant digitalisation.

Join the Learning Network East Edition: 6 confidential sessions for manufacturers sharing insights on relevant digitalisation of their production e...

12/08/2026

"The biggest hidden price tag isn’t on your pricing page, but in your road map."

Last year at PR\_D\_CT DAY Ghent and PR\_D\_CT DAY Louvain-La-Neuve, Maarten Laruelle, pricing expert at Sirris, showed how product managers can capture value through smart pricing architecture and identify the hidden price tags.

Want to explore challenges like these with fellow product professionals?

Join us at PR_D_CT DAY 2026 on September 23 in and on November 25 in . Expect insights from Belgian and international speakers, peer learning, interactive sessions, and plenty of opportunities to connect with Belgium’s fastest-growing product community.

👉 Register for PR_D_CT DAY 2026 here: https://www.productday.be/.
👉 Read more about Maarten's session from last year here: https://www.sirris.be/en/inspiration/optimise-your-product-pricing-maximum-value-creation.

Last year's edition sold out well before the event, so don't wait too long to secure your ticket.

PR\_D\_CT Day is an initiative by Sirris in partnership with The Product Consortium and dualoop. With the financial support of VLAIO - Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship

07/08/2026

Increasing is one of the greatest strengths of Flemish manufacturing. It is currently also one of its biggest challenges.

Smaller batches, more product variants, and customer specific solutions create new levels of complexity. Planning becomes harder. Knowledge must flow faster. Even small deviations can affect quality and delivery reliability.

Automation, digitisation, and AI can offer a solution, but they will only deliver value when your processes, data, and organisation are ready for them. Technology as a means to an end.

So where does your company stand today?

👉 With the Sirris Smart Manufacturing Barometer, an objective benchmark, you can compare your organisation to other Flemish manufacturing companies. Discover how they are using digitisation, automation, and AI, see how you position yourself towards them, and identify where your next investment will have the greatest impact.

Download the Smart Manufacturing Barometer: https://www.sirris.be/en/inspiration/bespoke-solutions-make-us-strong-theyre-complex.

Find out how Flemish manufacturing companies are using digitisation, automation, and AI. Compare your organisation with Sirris’ Smart Manufacturing Barometer against other Flemish manufacturing companies and see how your company ranks against them.

06/08/2026

How do you build a market that doesn't exist yet?

When Unifly started, professional drone traffic was little more than a vision. There were no clear regulations, no established market, and few who saw the potential.

But founders Jürgen Verstaen and Andres Van Swalm believed drones would become an integral part of our airspace. Today, ten years later, Unifly helps governments, ports and aviation organisations around the world manage drone traffic safely and efficiently. And now it continues to drive innovation in AI, cyber security, and autonomous aviation, together with partners such as Sirris.

‘Sirris actively contributes ideas. It looks beyond today’s technology and helps us to think about what will be needed in five or ten years’ time,’ explains Verstaen.

👉 Read the full story here: https://www.sirris.be/en/inspiration/unifly-architect-drone-ecosystem.
👉 Hungry for more? Discover more inspiring stories about drone-ecosystems in our Innovation Forward magazine: https://www.sirris.be/en/sirris-innovation-forward-magazine.

From military air traffic controller to international pioneer. Find out how Unifly is working with Sirris to shape the future of drone operations, AI, and cyber security.

30/06/2026

The next wave of offshore wind innovation is taking shape. From AI and autonomous drones to floating twin turbines and long-duration energy storage, new technologies are reshaping how offshore wind assets are designed, built and operated.

On 27 October 2026, the Wind Energy Technology Summit returns to Ghent for an afternoon of cutting-edge insights and cross-sector networking.

Confirmed speakers include:

Geert Creemers (Argon Measuring Solutions) — precision in wind tower and foundation manufacturing

Jef Monballieu (Multi.Engineering) — twin turbine floating wind technology

Daniel Buhagiar (Flasc B.V.) — co-located energy storage with offshore wind assets

Mathieu Holvoet (GEOxyz) — future concept of USV operations

Curated by Pieter Jan Jordaens, Sirris expert in energy transition and offshore wind.

Register now: https://www.sirris.be/en/agenda/wind-energy-technology-summit-2026